The STAR – 30 years after

The Visayan DAILY STAR celebrated yesterday with gusto its 30th anniversary. The slam bang affair was held at the Planta Centro Hotel at Araneta Street, Bacolod City.

For Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., the STAR is not just a local paper – it has attained global reach.

This, because his two children abroad – one in Japan and the other in the United States – often ask him about the news they had read in the paper’s internet edition. And that includes explanation in depth for some of the events his children had read in the Star’s website.

Thus, from Marañon’s viewpoint, that makes the STAR a global newspaper. And readers should not worry that they will be consigned to the doldrums as had many printed dailies in several countries.

For Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, the STAR had grown as fast as the city. In short, it also reflects the history of city.

But he did reveal one secret – why Miss Ninfa Leonardia has remained single until today. Yes, he pointed out – actually the secret is that she is married to the Visayan Daily STAR. So with Ms. Perla Leonardia of the STAR Printing.

It was actually a star-studded affair. The stars: the staffers and the editors and the columnists of the STAR who have devoted almost 30 years of their lives for the paper.

But there were also surprises. Fr. Felix Pasquin, rector of the San Sebastian Cathedral delivered the invocation which was followed later by the National Anthem sung by Token Lizares. Yes, she is back, on time for the anniversary celebration.

But the most applauded was the Msgr. Giullermo Gaston. He did an impromptu rendition of “Jalesco” with his inimitable style that elicited the biggest applause from the audience.

There were a lot more of former colleagues and fellow journalists and stockholders of the STAR.

The star of the show was Modesto Saonoy. He delivered the address of the absent speaker who had to beg off because he was assigned by the Agence France Presse to carefully monitor the standoff of Sacrborough between the Chinese escrot vessels and the lone Philippine coastguard vessel.

For a time, we forget all about the standoff at Scarborough. For that matter, we expect it to deteriorate to the point of a shootout between the Chinese vessels and the Philippine ships.

Instead, we saw Buddai Piccio, Ely Tajanlangit, Ivy Visitacion, even the aging Rex Remitio who though leaner, still seemed spry for his age.

Hotelier Oscar Bascon stroke in later with a beribboned box. I suppose it must have been one of his favorite concoctions for the tables.

Marañon was accompanied by Provincial Board Member Salvador Escalante. There was also Bacolod Police Chief Ricardo de la Paz who held a pow-wow with a few favorite police and defense reporters, including Marlin Sanogal at a corner table of the banquet hall.

I was seated beside Bella Alacapa, daughter of Santi Alacapa, one of the original stockholders of the STAR. And there was also beside me, on the right, Robert Harland.

It was good that the North Korean had cancelled their missile launch yesterday because of bad weather.

We never found ourselves frantically trying to watch the skies for falling debris despite the scary pronouncements by the government that seemed to convince everyone in Luzon that they could be potential victims of the satellite.

While taking lunch, I sort of got reminded of the first headline story of the STAR thirty years ago. It was how an NBI team had gone to Calatrava to arrest the suspects in several disappearances in the area.

It was a screaming headline that stunned then former Governor Alfredo Montelibano, Jr.

The next day, he came out with the government’s denial of that incident. Unfortunately this was followed up by the confirmation of the NBI officer-in-charge them, that a team had been dispatched to Calatrava equipped with heavy caliber weapons. And, yes, we had photos of the team.

In short, there were reminiscences of the days gone by. And no serious concern about the North Korea satellite launch which had, after all aborted by bad weather.

But, as I had said, we were not much concerned about the possible fallout. After all in does not concern us be, besides, we believe that the debris even it is falls to earth in the Philippines, will not be bigger than a small metallic container. Not the scary event that had prompted the government to alert the local government units of Luzon to prepare their populations to evacuate. Where? Evacuation centers, they said. But where are these prepared evacuation centers?

The morale of the story. When journalists use their brains, they just don’t scare easily. And they don’t panic. Instead, they pay attention to the events on hand. And also enjoy themselves.*

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