Last week, we discussed how someone could immediately become a media man here in Bohol. As what we mentioned, tricycle drivers, security guards, electricians, an avid radio listener, a stand by, all could become a media personality. Just buy a radio slot as a bloc timer and then become a radio personality overnight. Just like making a flick into your finger. Or become a columnist as long as you have the green light of the editor, especially so if you bring good business to the newspaper. A lot of media personalities here started in this way. They were being sponsored by politicians who paid their radio slot in order to promote the latter especially if the politician is eyeing to run for re-election or for a higher position in the next local election.

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Later, these bloc timers became regular staff as radio reporters or field reporters of the media outlet. From Monday to Saturday, you will hear their names in every public affairs program of the radio station upon which they will make their field reports from time to time. On Sundays, they are being asked to supply facts of news articles to be printed in local community newspapers and their names became bylines too. But in reality, the climb from being a field reporter, to a newscaster, to become an anchorman or a commentator is a tall order. In our part, we started as a news hunter at the DYRD newsroom. Our ultimate weapon is the telephone and a typewriter. We prepared the articles for local and transcribe national and international news for the morning news, midday news and the hourly newsbreaks. It took us two years before the station allowed us to make a field report. It was like heaven when we made our first report and accredited by the anchorman as a field reporter. This was on a Sunday evening when nobody seemed to be listening the radio.

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The same is true to newspapers. From being a reporter to a section editor, columnist and editor-in-chief is a long leap forward. When were required by the late Zoilo Dejaresco Jr. to make a write up for a news article due to shooting incident at the city wharf in 1986, we were quite confident as we already served as reporter and news editor of Ang Kinampay News and as editor-in-chief of the Bohol Herald. Our news story ended up being mangled beyond recognition. Meaning, what we have actually written did not come out as it is. It underwent the strictest editing by the editor-publisher of the Bohol Chronicle.

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In 1986, there was a senatorial election after the EDSA revolution. Being a media man, we were very proud to wear our press ID of Station DYRD and the Bohol Chronicle and we wanted to make an ambush interview, all by our lonesome, with the late Neptali Gonzales Sr. at Hotel La Roca. Immediately after our interview with the late senator, his media coordinator approached us and wanted to come up with a campaign ad over Station DYRD and the Bohol Chronicle and gave us cold cash, in six figures, to pay for it which would run until the end of the campaign period. The transaction made us richer by at least five figures after getting our commissions for the print and broadcast advertisements. This is beside the fact that our media outlet at that time only gave 10% commission. But in one way or another, we realized that we could hit big time if we have to side with politicians.

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BGlante already abandoned Station DYRD and founded this paper after the EDSA revolution. We even read a memorandum at the gate of the radio station signed by the general manager, banning BGlante from the entering the premises of the station. For all legal intents and purposes, it was only BGlante's name which appeared at the editorial box of the Bohol Chronicle and the name of the late J. Ning Romea of Maribojoc town. BGlante's decision to break ties with Station DYRD made us think of reaching higher levels than just being contented of making small-time commissions. What made us decide to leave the media profession in the meantime was when our close friend, Dennis F. Racho Jr. who served as chief-of-staff of then Usec. Constancio C. Torralba in Manila, started making contacts with us in connection with the plebiscite in 1987 to approve the new Philippine Constitution. (To be continued)

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POSTSCRIPT: We are just keeping our fingers crossed with the signing of the so-called Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) last Thursday in Malacanang. Let's see what will happen in the next few day… Our condolences to Pare Ric Obedencio for the untimely demise of her mother in Cagayan de Oro City last Friday…Despite a skeletal attendance, we congratulate Empeng Gulle, president of the Bohol Simply Aging for marching for our regular quarterly meeting yesterday noon at the Bikini Beach in Dauis.…There's more when we come back.