Oral History of Ester Dipasupil

By: Martie Plaza and Andrew Aniceto

Aniceto: I’m Andrew Aniceto. I’m a Commarts major and we’re doing an oral history project for our INTPRIN class
Martie: I’m Martie Plaza and I’m commarts major. I’m partners with Dru Aniceto and we’re doing an oral history report for INTPRIN class
Dipasupil: Hi, I’m Ester Dipasupil. I’m the Metro editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
Aniceto: So Miss let’s start napo noh? Uhm..How long po have you been in the Inquirer?
Dipasupil: This is my 4th year. I joined Inquirer..in 2004
Aniceto: 2004 po. Tapos Miss, Did you have prior jobs po..before entering Inquirer?
Dipasupil: Yes but that’s a long story
Aniceto: Ahh long story po. *laughs*
Dipasupil: I think this will be my what.. fifth paper? I worked for “The Journal” (Aniceto: the journal…) I worked for M alaya
Aniceto: uh-huh..
Dipasupil: The Manila Times, Philippine Daily Globe, Manila Standard and then the Inquirer
Aniceto: And then the Inquirer po. (Dipasupil: Yes for six newspapers) Ah okay. So, uhmm.. So.. obviously po hindi niyo po masasagot yung next question which is..
Dipasupil: Obviously because I’m only starting..
Aniceto: Early years noh?
Dipasupil: But I tell you.. I don’t know if I’m lucky.. I would prefer to work on my way down. *laughs* They gave me the job Editor right away except for a very brief period.
Aniceto: Uhmm.. Miss woud you know po if ano.. If Inquirer had a prior office to this one?
Dipasupil: Yes I think they moved three times.
Aniceto: Three times po?
Dipasupil: In Edsa then they went to the Star. It used to be with the Star..
Aniceto: Ah.. in..
Dipasupil: In Port Area and then they had one in Romualdez near United Nations and I think this is their f,ourth.
Aniceto: Ah the fourth po na.. Ah okay.. Miss in terms of work po like what time do you start po? Tapos what time do you end?
Dipasupil: Hmm.. Usually we’re very flexible with hours but then.. You wait for the stories to come from the reporters so.. that means they do their stories in the morning and my job as an editor is to edit the input (Aniceto: The input..) for it so around uhmm.. Except for two days, I’m supposed to be here from 10:30.. As early as 10:30 (Aniceto: As early as 10:30) except for Thursdays and Fridays. The rest of the week, I would come here at around 4, 4:30 (Aniceto: Wow!) and I log off at around 11 (Aniceto: 11 in the evening) um-hmm..
Aniceto: Ah okay tapos miss in terms of Holidays, I’m guessing wala talagang holidays noh?
Dipasupil: No. As you can see, now it’s a holiday and I’m here now working. I have never spent Christmas or Easter or New Year at home with my family (Aniceto: Wow!) I only spend it uhh.. you know.. working on the newspaper. A paper comes out everyday so.. I’m here virtually everyday except on my days off.
Aniceto: On your days off..
Dipasupil: Ay we do have days off.
Martie: And how often is that?
Dipasupil: I think this is the only paper where it allows reporters and editors to have uhmm.. two days (Aniceto: two days?) .. two days off because usually it’s not. The other papers I’ve worked with talagang Monday to Saturday yan. (Aniceto: Monday to Saturday..) So the Inquirer I think it’s something that we women bargained for and it was implemented last year. That was our new arrangement (Aniceto: Sakto..) Two days off.
Martie: Two days a year??
Dipasupil: No two days.. Every week!
Aniceto: Every week?! Grabe kala ko every year.
Martie: Sorry I was like..
Dipasupil: Saturdays and Sundays but then for ano.. I ask to be off on those days.
Aniceto: Ahh.. ok and then.. so like.. kapag nagwowork po, ano yung mga problems usually na na-eencounter niyo po?
Dipasupil: Well usually, it’s the eight daily hours and the deadlines..
Aniceto: Deadlines po?
Dipasupil: Sometimes, oo. We have reporters who don’t report properly as you could, yung language, yung way and it’s expensive because pag na-lalate yung story mo, na-lalate yung pag-edit ko, nalate yun, nalalate.. di siya mapupunta.. (Aniceto: sa paper.. di mapiprint.) sa paper sa eroplano because sa airplane you know.. the paper goes to the provinces. The plane will not wait for you. Diba? So naiiwan.. So yan ang one of the things that we encounter. If you have late stories, late.. deadlines are late, hindi na gagamitin diyaryo mo. So, that’s why we try to strive for yung deadline compliance. So you know.. you sort of.. Linalatigo mo araw-araw, you make all that.. “that’s supposed to be their job”. Sometimes, there are those who work slow (Aniceto: na parang..) yeah.. So, it’s really a daily thing. No matter where I worked for, that’s always the.. (Aniceto: the normal..) the normal. Yeah, Deadline Compliance. Sometimes kasi, ito ha.. It’s difficult to get the interviewee naman there. For example, there’s a fire, an on-going thing, you have to wait for that story. Di mo naman pwedeng sabihin, “Uy patayin mo muna yung sunog!” You know the fire.. (Aniceto: Yes, it ends..) it ends when it wants to end. So, yun. Those are the stories na na-lalate ka kung minsan.
Aniceto: Ahh…
Dipasupil: Floods (Aniceto: or earthquakes) Natural calamities na.. you know.. there are forces beyond our control.. or Coup.. Coup d'etat.. (Aniceto: Coup d' tat)
Aniceto: Tapos
Dipasupil: There’s also one major problem.. yung libel.
Aniceto: Ahh! Libel.. of course libel! Si sir made us memorize it kasi we become part of the media.. We have to really know what it is.
Dipasupil: Pagka- libel, ang editor palaging sabit not only the reporter. (Aniceto: yeah oo nga po..) Uhmm.. Kasi it’s his name.. and my name (Aniceto: your name din po..) is there, then that spells a lot of responsibility. It’s not just all our opinions everyday.
Aniceto: Miss, ano po yung printing press na gamit ninyo ngayon?
Dipasupil: haynaku, ayan ay wala akong alam
Aniceto: ahh printing press. Ayy okay lang
Dipasupil: it’s part of the production. Thats the job of the production, of the production people. Our job is just looking at the copy, seeing it is not libelous, seeing its grammar is good, the facts are right and then I edit it. Because they have the entire media department for that
Aniceto: Miss, would you know anything pa about a ‘cub’ reporter?
Dipasupil: What about a ‘cub’ reporter?
Aniceto: we supposedly encounter the cub reporter…We don’t know what a cub reporter is kasi
Dipasupil: a cub reporter is usually someone who wants to get in. he’s starting for the very first time. So wala pang previous knowledge..for you are actually assigned with a reporter who is on the beat. For example, some of our trainees are some of those who have practicum with us, who want to learn how. minsan, mga graduating students from different schools. They come here, they cub with us. They are somebody who applies out of..Oo. tapos pasasamahin naman ngayon sa reporter..For example we force her to stand in front of the Police. so kasama siya. so he or she learns how it is to be a reporter by being with the reporter the whole day. So ayun ang cub. hindi ko alam yung cub kasi yung ibang cub yung mga bears, tigers na inaalalayan ng mga ano Inaalalayan na ng, ano, ng (Aniceto: parents)
Dipasupil: so sumasama sila. they learn how it is to get a story, to develop a story idea, to write a story and to write it in a framework that’s preferably on time because there are stories that reach the editor late. mumurahin ka niyan. There, that’s what a cub reporter is. Essentially he’s someone who tags along with the reporter to learn by training on the job
Aniceto: ahh parang OJT?
Dipasupil: Oo, OJT. Bali tama ka talaga. Kung may sunog, kasama ka sa may sunog. Kung may..kung meron man coup, kung meron..kailangan kausapin si Ping Lacson or yung president Oo, sasama ka sa reporter and to get the coverage and then he also sends the story to the editor para nakikita ng editor ‘O, meron ba siya natutunan dun sa..’ gagawa rin siya. for example, I will grade him to see if he’s fit na to join us as a regular reporter, or in the case somebody undergoing practicum naintindihan ba niya kung ano talaga. So I will also grade him.
Aniceto: okay
Dipasupil: so he has to submit his own story unedited by the person he’s cubbing with. I always tell them, give me a raw copy, don’t give me a copy that you also already edited kasi, and send it to me, kasi I will be the judge eh kung naintindihan niya. Did he get the skills that he’s supposed to need
Aniceto: Miss, ano po yung, the first beat? We just saw it
Dipasupil: kasi, usually people, the cubs, usually start with.. like the Metro is an ideal page ahhh for people to start reporting because as a Metro reporter you cover the big beat
(Aniceto: opo)
Dipasupil: for example, naka assign ka. Ikaw, reporter ka sa Manila. You will cover Manila Police Department, the mayor’s office-Mayor Lim, mayor and the vice mayor, the counselor and also the Manila court. Like lahat ng..Metro Manila is divided into 17 cities. There are 17 cities in Metro Manila. All of them have courts of their own. So lahat yan may mga kasong naka assign. So they, the reporter, the Metro reporter for Manila will cover the plea, and then the mayor’s office.ayan. lahat yan. And then, kapag nakagraduate (claps) na sila they usually move on to the bigger beat. Hindi na sila Metro. They cover na the Senate, Malacanan, House, and the different government agencies. Department, the different departments..the department of justice, department of labor. All the departments. Yun nga. And as they grow older you can look at it and say na nakuha nila sa Metro. sa Metro lahat nakokoberan mo. Inaasume mo when you move on to the bigger beats which we call the national beat
Aniceto: national beat
Dipasupil: because hindi na Metro Manila yung cinocover niya
Aniceto: National level na siya
Dipasupil: there’s a promotion. It’s sort of a promotion then you move on to business. From there you cub in the Metro then you move on to the national beat
Aniceto: then bigger, national already
Dipasupil: yes. You don’t get to interview the president (dru laughs) right away
Aniceto: of course not
Dipasupil: so you start with the Metro
Aniceto: ahh so hindi pala yung different sectors agad yung cocoverin mo
Dipasupil: ….kailang ka pro-promote, kailangan mas malaking beat. Ayun
Aniceto: okay. Tapos are there any past editors po na you’ll always remember po?
Dipasupil: oh yes I will always remember Joe Burgos. I don’t know if you know Joe Burgos
Aniceto: Joe Burgos? Familiar po
Dipasupil: he was from Malaya. He’s an icon of press freedom. The one paper even
reformed ahead of the Inquirer that fought against Marcos as a result of improper governance. He was put in jail. And we were there. I was in Malaya when he was..malapit na ma-lift ang Martial Law. So we were the first to report on what happened in 1986. People’s power. Wala pang Inquirer noon eh. Kasi wala pang Malaya- sa Inquirer toh. They called it the Mosquito Press because (Aniceto: ay yeah. Pests daw) Oo, they were working underground. We had no faciltity cause although we..kasi takot ka..diba takot ka military lahat?
Dipasupil: we usually borrow phones- phones of the neighbors to get our stories done, to get our stories printed. We were relying on the kindness of people, to you know, get rid of the government. And he was once a very very prolific person. He stood up for what he believed and he’s, he’s my hero you can say. He’s my hero. I’ve never met anyone like him ever. I mean, I’ve been, I’ve had so many bosses.
Aniceto: Besides editors po baka there are other people pa po na..
Dipasupil: ah, influences…maybe I like columnists. I like reading the columns of Conrado De Quiros
Aniceto: ah okay, Conrado De Quiros
Dipasupil: Oo. I like reading ____who used to be my editor. He’s also in the Inquirer
Aniceto: How is he po as an editor?
Dipasupil: ohh..he’s very very particular about accuracy, if your grammar is accurate. Accuracy is very important in getting the story right. He’s very particular about that. And he also wrote in a very clear, simple style everybody understood whether you were trained or worked or in college or a professional. Everybody thinks that for the right paper, Kailangan mabibigat yung salita mo. Ah no, its not a very common agent. everybody should be able to understand. So you write actually for someone whose level of education is from the 6th grade up
Aniceto: oh okay. We’re down to our last question
Aniceto: The last question is uhmm.. the most memorable event po that you can remember as a newspaper editor?
Dipasupil: Ahh.. I think it was 1986 yung people power.
Aniceto: People power po talaga?
Dipasupil: Because talagang everybody.. you know.. Everybody was out and we tell that we had a hand you know in exposing.. it started with an expose of Malaya of the fake war medals ni Marcos for which he jailed Mr. Burgos Kaya nga.. wala pa nga ako doon eh.. I was with the journal then. It was a controlled press so when we were kicked out by Mr. Romualdez, that’s when I joined Malaya. It’s very ironic because now, I work for his daughter-in-law, Cocoy Romualdez who is the brother-in-law of President Marcos. His son married the daughter of the owner of Inquirer.
Dipasupil: Hindi ba sobrang ironic? But then that’s one of my ano.. I think that.. even the other coup’s and the (Aniceto: yeah..) 1986 because it meant a lot of tension. It meant that you know.. the press then was very free before the Marshall law controlled the press. May control then nawala bigla so we were free again and right now we’re doing pretty well with the experience. Although, I’m quite sad na hindi naman na fulfill yung what it meant to fulfill.. I’m quite sad about that because parang.. we’re back to square one. That’s what I feel bad about. So, yun.
Aniceto: So, that’s all po. Thank you po!
Dipasupil: That’s all! Ok!
Martie: Thank you! Thank you so much!
Dipasupil: I dunno if that will do
Martie: It’s ok!
Aniceto: It will po!

Ester G. Dipasupil was born on Sept. 20, 1953 in Metro Manila. She graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and pursued a Master of Arts degree in Magazine Journalism at Ohio State University. People’s Journal, The Leader Magazine, Woman Today, Philippine Daily Globe, Manila Standard, Manila Times, Malaya Sunday Magazine are just a few of many newspapers and magazines which she worked for. At the time of the interview, she was Metro editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.