UNDER THE LIMELIGHT. Aliww featured notable female journalists who have made big strides in their field. Photo by Kitkat S. Lastimosa.
THE ATENEO Library of Women’s Writings (Aliww) cast the spotlight on 18 Filipina journalists during the 18th Paz Marquez-Benitez Memorial Lecture-Exhibit on February 21.
Entitled “Women Writers in Media Now,” the tribute honors the contributions of Leonor Briscoe, Arlene Babst-Vokey, Sheila Coronel, Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, Ma. Ceres Doyo, Fanny Garcia, Mila Astorga-Garcia, Sol Juvida, Fe Koons, Marra Lanot, Jo-Ann Maglipon, Sylvia Mayuga, Gemma Nemenzo, Lilia Santiago, Paulynn Sicam, Rochit Tañedo, Marites Vitug and Criselda Yabes.
The event began at Escaler Hall, where Doyo, Maglipon and Vitug shared their various experiences as journalists.
The lecture was immediately followed by the opening of the exhibit at the reading room of Aliww, in the old Rizal Library building. It will run until March.
“It was a coup for Aliww to get the collections of 18 women writers, especially [those] who were writing during the time of Martial Law,” said Aliww Director Rica Bolipata-Santos.
“It is a treasure trove of so many wonderful things—their publications, their articles, their manifestos. It’s great for the Ateneo but it’s also great for the country,” she added.
The annual Paz Marquez-Benitez Memorial Lecture-Exhibit honors the memory of the matriarch of Filipina writers in English.
Stories from veteran journalists
The lecture included talks from Doyo, Maglipon and Vitug. The three journalists faced libel suits throughout their respective careers.
Doyo talked about how difficult and dangerous it was to become a journalist during the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist recounted the several libel suits she faced and the two public interrogations she was summoned to as a writer for Panorama magazine.
“Still and all, what a great and sobering adventure it has been,” said Doyo, who added that the stories she worked on during the Martial Law years gave her “great times—of terror, and joy, and sadness, and fun.”
Meanwhile, YES! Magazine Editor-in-Chief Maglipon talked about how show business reporting is “not an easy ride.”
She was sued for allegedly committing libel against actress Claudine Barretto and actor Richard Gutierrez. For Maglipon, showbiz reporting is a “crazy business.”
“[If] you want to be a journalist, be prepared to get it. You’ll do writing, editing and give commentary. You will produce a ton of work.”
“You are bound to irritate someone. But as a journalist, it is not about the business of being popular. You just plod on, telling the story the best way you can,” she added.
Vitug, Rappler editor-at-large, also opened up about the libel suits she had to deal with during her career.
She was sued by now senatorial candidate Tingting Cojuangco in the late 1980s and by businessman Jose “Pepito” Alvarez in the 1990s. Just last year, Supreme Court Justice Presbitero Velasco, Jr. filed two libel cases against Vitug.
According to Vitug, being sued can be unnerving and disorienting. “But that comes with the territory,” she said.
“Through the years, I’ve learned that no matter how much care you put into a story, they may still hurt some people and make them angry. These angry people threaten, sue for libel.”
“If that’s the consequence, I’ll choose this kind of controversy, anytime, over timid and opaque reporting. After all, journalism is not about being nice to people. It’s not about seeking to be on the good side of the powerful,” said Vitug.
Updated 10:26 PM, May 18, 2013.
