Oral History of Ma. Teresa Lardizabal

August 13, 2008
Interviewers: Kristina Mauricio and Lou Anne Yap

Miss Tess: I’m Tess Lardizabal. I graduated from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. I am currently the news editor of People’s Tonight, the tabloid- the leading tabloid in the Philippines, in the country. But actually my job entails the work of a managing editor so categorically I am acting managing editor of the tabloid. I work for People’s Tonight.

Kristina: So first of all why journalism? Why did choose to go in the field of journalism?
Miss Tess: ‘Yun nga, as corny as it may sound when I was young, I really wanted to write na and I knew that writing was my field. So when I went to college, I really enrolled in journalism, no questions asked. I didn’t even consider any other course because I really love writing. I really love the work. I have a love for words. I love words. I love reading and I’m passionate about, ‘yun nga, writing.

Q. You wrote before ba for your school newspaper?
A. Yeah I did.

Q. In high school?
A. Yeah I did.

Q. Also in college?
A. Hmm-mm. Even in law school I did. So ‘yun nga, it was really my career path. It was a career meant for me talaga from the start which most journalists- ano uh ‘yun nga, most journalists choose their careers because they love the job not for any other- not for any other reason like which is usually for not primarily financial. In journalism most of those who stick is because they have a love for writing and journalism.

Q. May I ask kung, was this your first job?
A. No.
Q. What were your previous jobs before this one?
A. Before this I used to work at the court, at regional trial court in Quezon City. I used to work as an interpreter because I was a law student before.

Q. Ah so why did you transfer here?
A. There was an o- yeah. Ever since I’ve been working here for- I’ve been working here for nineteen years.

Q. Nineteen years. So why did you opt to stay in this newspaper?
A. Cause I enjoyed it. I love the job and it grew on me. And yun nga it’s not actually work, it’s fun, it’s a playground for me.

Q. So it’s work and parang pleasure and joy?
A. and play, yeah.

Q. So how long have you been with People’s Tonight? So nineteen years right?
A. Nineteen years with- kasi People’s Tonight is published by the PJI, Philippine Journalism Corporation. We have so many publications here through the years nag-eevolve eh. I used to work with a broadsheet kaso nawala yung broadsheet. I was transferred to a magazine, nawala yung magazine. Then I was transferred nung- to People’s Tonight.

Q. So sa broadcast po gaano po kayo katagal dun?
A. Sa broadsheet?
Q. Sa broadsheet.
A. Siguro mga twelve.

Q. Twelve years?
A. Mga ganun. Twelve, Thirteen

Q. Tapos yun next sa magazine?
A. Siguro mga one year lang.
Q. Ah sandali lang, tapos ito na po yung last.
A. Hmm-mm.

Q. Mga ilang years na po?
A. Siguro mga eight.

Q. Eight years. So can you share to us-
A. Six to eight. Five, Seven? Basta nag-ooverlap kasi eh. Nag-ooverlap yung- kunwari from the broadsheet I was already working with the magazine.

Q. Ah so parang sabay?
A. Ganun kaya nag-ooverlap.

Q. So can you share to us a brief history of the newspaper? For example, describe to us in terms of the physical location before.
A. Physical location. It was as far as I’m concerned ah, kasi I started with the People’s Tonight. I wasn’t here when it was founded. I started here 1989 yata 1990, Port Area, Manila. That’s in pier. Tapos we just transferred here two years ago yata or last year so this is basically a new office.

Q. So why did you transfer from Port Area to Makati?
A. It was the decision of the owner.

Q. Ah pero it’s still functional ‘di ba? The one in Port Area? We went there before.
A. Yeah – Hindi, the printing machine, the printing equipment is there.

Q. But all the writing and editing is done here.
A. Hmm-mm, basically the heavy stuff –

Q. So what were the innovations and development of the machines that you use in here compared to the ones before. ‘Yung first na inabot niyo po, same pa rin po ba or-?
A. Uh hindi. There’s a very big difference like before there were no fax machines, there were no e-mail, scanners. Everything was done manually even there were- there were no computers everything had to be typed.
Q. Typewriter?
A. Hmm-mm, so the reporters had to go to the office everyday all of them. Unlike now they just email their stories.

Q. From Makati to Port Area?
A. Po- Ano ba yan printing? Are you talking about the printing aspect or the newspaper?
Q. Printing aspect.
A. Ah printing. ‘Yun nga uh yung printing aspect computerized na rin from here we just send it via email. They have a term for that eh I just don’t know what eh not before parang may plates. They have to bring it manually by plates.

Q. So now email na lang po?
A. Email na lang. They just send it by email. It’s not email eh there’s a term for it eh.

Q. Pagsinesend ninyo po yun file ninyo sa kanila? Ah so definitely po pag kinompare niyo ‘yung dalawa siempre mas-?
A. Hi-tech ngayon.

Q. Mas in favor kayo siempre sa today- ?
A. Hmm-mm, kasi easier eh, speedier. Saves time, saves a lot of time.

Q. So can you describe your working condition for example, uh how many hours do you work in a day?
A. Kasi it depends upon the job description eh like now I’m acting managing- I’m acting as a managing editor but my designation is news editor so dalawa. I’m really a news editor so I function as a news editor but there’s no managing editor so I also function as one. That’s why mahaba din yun working hours ko sometimes it starts at mga 11, 10 until there is breaking news. I wait for the breaking news, depends. It could go on as- it could be as early as 6 I’m off, it could be as late as 10 in the evening.

Q. So like 12 hours?
A. Hmm-mm, or more than pa- more than.

Q. So how about your holidays?
A. Uh, there’s no holidays (there are no holidays) as far as the newspaper is concerned. As far as the editorial is concerned. Kasi we have yung office, yung accounting ‘yon they go by the regular employees they have holidays pero sa editorial everybody is on call from the editorial.

Q. So kunwari, kahit Christmas po meron news kelangan niyo pa rin pumasok?
A. Yeah we have to. The more that we have to.

Q. Lalo na pag New Year ganun, kelangan ninyo rin po.
A. Yeah

Q. So how about your ano po deadlines- when it comes to deadlines?
A. Deadlines, we have to meet the deadlines strictly, very strictly because kasi nga sa printing yan eh domino effect ‘yan eh, pag na-late na yung story, mala-late yung printing- paggawa ng dyaryo, mala-late yun printing, added cost to the company ‘yon which is a big no- no.

Q. So ano po kunwari na-delay kayo ng one minute, malaking effect na yun?
A. Ah hindi not that ano naman, not that delayed naman it’s a matter of siguro mga 3 hours, 4 hours. Hours naman pero minutes pwede pa eh.

Q. Ah,okay lang?
A. May lee-way pa.

Q. So ano po, in terms of salaries.
A. Uh.

Q. Kung okay lang po, how much do you earn from-?
A. Uhm, 27 as a news editor.

Q. So separate pa yung managing editor or-?
A. Hmm-mm, pero, hindi I don’t get- kasi I’m not designated officially pa eh. I’m functioning as one.

Q. Ah functioning as one. So 27 thousand a month. Ah okay and how about your relationship with your- for example publisher, how is it?
A. It’s very good naman you have to have a good relationship with your publisher ano, because, ano eh, uh everyday you have to talk to him eh, you have to work with him eh. Kaya- it’s good naman kasi we compare notes, I tell him the stories that are about to come out tapos he tells me pointers on what I should watch out for kasi sometimes I can’t monitor all the news so he provides a very good backup on, kunwari look at CNN there’s a very big news like right now on going yun Beijing Olympics. Since I’m focused on news, he focuses on Beijing Olympics tapos when there’s a good story there inaano niya ako, ina-update niya ako even the other editors. He updates us tapos pag there is a story he does not see fit na should not be printed siya din ang nagsasabi na- basta he has the last call.

Q. The publisher.
A. Hmm-mm. He makes the last call na- whether, kasi he checks on the pages eh. Every page, he checks everything. Then he gives the go signal if it’s okay or not. Or you have to remove a story or not.

Q. So how about your relationship with your editor? How is it?
A. My co-editors?

Q. Co-editors.
A. It’s very good naman kasi we check, we check each others work. Like- kasi newspaper business is very filled with pressure kasi one false mistake, one typographical mistake nakakahiya na eh, its printed na forever hindi ba. So you you can’t repair it anymore. so we have a very good relationship. I have a very good relationship with the other editors as far as we check each others, ano, work.

Q. Kahit iba po kunwari na stories, ng iba ng line kunwari editorial tapos sports nage-exchangan po kayo.
A. Hmm-mm, yeah like I could demonstrate na lang para siguro ano. Kasi every newspaper, every page has an editor, there’s an editor in charge of this. There’s an editor in charge of this.

Q. A per page po?
A. Hmm-mm per page. Like I’m in charge of one, two, three. I do that. Tapos, there’s another editor in charge of this so at the end of the day kunwari tapos na siya. I let him check my pages. He checks my pages for typos, for lapses, ‘yon that’s how we check each others.

Q. So how about your relationship with your fellow co-workers, for instance the photographers?
A. We compliment each other. Uh tsaka ‘yon nga check ‘yon pa rin we check each other’s ano.

Q. So parang you become responsible for one another?
A. Yeah we become responsible for one another precisely.

Q. Can you tell us, what is a cub reporter?
A. A cub reporter is a neophyte reporter- a new reporter. Actually it does not apply anymore eh. Uh we use the term correspondent. We don’t use the word- uh the term cub. I think it’s applicable abroad, a cub reporter, but not in the local local publications

Q. So sila yun mga beginners?
A. Yah beginners but usually we call them correspondent.

Q. So have you ever-
A. Or new reporter.

Q. Or naging correspondent po kayo?
A. No I was editor outright eh from the start. UP eh. Hindi joke lang.

Q. Uhm what about your first beat po? Can you tell us-?
A. It does not apply to me kasi I was never a reporter eh. I was editor from the start. But usually reporters, new reporters start with the police beat. Police crime stories, that’s where they start. May hierarchy ‘yan eh, ‘yung reporting- ‘yung beat reporting. At the bottom is the police- police and then ‘yun mga dead beats.

Q. What are the dead beats?
A. Dead beats. You call dead beats there’s not much news. ‘Yung mga development. DENR, development DPWH, government offices. Unless there’s a scam or anomaly or big news na an official being involved in ano. Ano lang siya dead beat. ‘Yung mga developments lang nila, how much they earn.

Then there’s the senate, the congress, then the highest is Malacanang. That’s the prime beat. When you’re a Malacanang reporter you are very good. You’re a very good reporter na. And many reporters they start from ano tapos they work their way up.

Q. To Malacanang-
A. To Malacanang.

Q: So any memorable editors or co-editors?
A: There was one, he’s dead na. He died two years ago. He’s Franklin Cabalunan. He was a very good editor. Talagang you couldn’t slip pass him, any error nakikita niya kaagad. He had a hawk’s eye talaga. Tapos his knowledge of journalism was legendary. Movies, Hollywood or local alam niya. Trivia, alam niya. ‘Yun ang memorable editor.
Our editor in chief right now, Gus Villanueva, is legendary in his own field. You can’t slip pass him as far as sports is concerned naman. Lahat. Hindi mo siya pwede lusutan and he knows all kinds of sports, the rules, the scores. Trivia he knows everything din. ‘Yung mga memorable editors. And then there are those mga reporters naman memorable because of their classic mistakes, mga classic grammatical errors. ‘Yun ‘yon, mga ‘Gang Rape By One’, He was gang raped by one. O kaya, Emily, Emily is ganyan HE – SHE.

Q. So pero well what are your attitudes towards deadlines? Sa mga reporters.
A. There’s only one attitude towards deadlines. They must- they must meet the deadline.

Q. They should?
A. They should. Only one attitude, there’s no, there’s no lee-way for not meeting the deadline unless you’ll be out of you beat you don’t meet the deadline. Kasi it’s part of the discipline, discipline of being a journalist. You should always meet the deadline especially if it’s a big story. You should submit it on time. Usually ang deadline naming mga 6, 7 pero ‘yun nga we could go beyond, we can wait for a big story mga 8 ganon. But not beyond that, unless it’s a very very big story na we can’t pass like kunwari there’s a coup and there’s a danger of the president being ousted. We would wait for it until – whatever it takes. ‘Yung lang ‘yung, exemption to the rule of deadlines. Unless there’s a very very big- big development coming, you have to meet deadlines- the reporters.

Q. What were your best memories when you were starting as editor?
A. ‘Yun nga yun mga very strict editors din who would crumple your copies because there were no computers before. We had it typed so you had your hard copy with you. You submit it to the editor and they would crumple your- not, not me ah I was en editor the other editors I’m speaking for the other reporters. They would crumple the reporter’s hardcopies then throw it in the trashcan if front of – ‘yun or they would, they would call the reporter, “Halika nga, kwento mo na lang sa akin kasi I can’t understand your story” ‘yun mga ganun o kaya, “Stand behind me and look at how I edit your sto- how I rewrite your story”. ‘Yun ‘yun mga memorable ano scenes with coworkers, coeditors and reporters. And another memorable pa with reporters naman, those with dedicated to the craft . You wouldn’t know there’s a death in the family, they have a dying husband, they have a dying wife, dying kid in the hospital yet they still report for work and write news kasi nga ‘yun nga they know that that newspaper can’t run without news. ‘Yun may dedication to their jobs.

Q. What significant events, did you cover?
A. ‘Yun nga yung state visit to Europe with President Fidel Ramos, state visit to Indonesia with President Arroyo and I have numerous environment- kasi I’m an environmental journalist. I’m into environmental reporting. I’ve been abroad na ‘yun nga mga environmental seminars, environmental workshops, writing.

Q. So you go there alone or with coworkers?
A. No usually from- usually with reporters from other publications.

Q. Could you tell us something about the coup attempts?
A. There are several coup attempts kasi ‘yun kay GMA na, talking about GMA. We have several reporters covering the coup attempts. Once it breaks out, we send almost all the reporters to cover story kasi it’s of national interest. That’s what I’m telling you the exemption to the deadline, deadline rule. Now wait-

Q. Even the correspondents?
A. Yeah, hmm-mm, and we have all kinds of- all the photographers cover the event cause it’s a photo opportunity eh and we don’t- ‘yun nga we monitor the situation until it’s over especially ‘yun sa Oakwood Mutiny dyan sa Manila Penn it was just here eh tsaka ‘yun mga blast. The recent Glorietta mall blasts, We have to send the reporter immediately eh, time is of the essence eh because pagna-late na sila mascooscoopan na sila ng ibang reporters so we have to se- if there’s a big event like ganyan, of national in- of national news, we have to send the reporters immediately kaya nga on-call sila lagi eh. They are on call, “Oh you go here”, “You go there”.

Q. Pero usually saan sila nagsta-standby?
A. Usually there’s always- uh there’s always space for the press naman usually eh. Pero ‘yun sa Oakwood mutiny yata kasi I wasn’t there eh. Ano they jostled against each other. That’s where skill comes in. Kasi syempre magulo eh. That’s where skill comes in tapos they were not, I think the media was not allowed to enter but still our photographers managed get photos of the event. That’s where talent, skill comes in. even the photographers ‘yung uh people who do not want to get to be interviewed they managed to interview. That’s why si Ces Drilon, it was very memorable she was hold off to jail eh ‘yung sa Oakwood mutiny. She was handcuffed along with the others then hauled off to jail.


(Message to aspiring journalists)

Miss Tess: Well first of all you must love writing, you must love journalism. You won’t survive in the- in this field if you don’t love the craft. In the first place it does not pay that well but it has its perks, it has its prestige, which is uh a good trade-off. And ‘yun nga you must love- you must continue learning it’s a never ending learning process, uh journalism writing so you have always have to read to upgrade your writing skills and then be updated on the current news events that surround you ‘yun lang basta you should be dedicated to craft kasi if you don’t like it, if you don’t like journalism as it is you won’t last in the ano eh you won’t last in this field eh like me I lasted for nineteen years it is because I genuinely love the craft despite its ano, despite its meron siyang letdowns like in any other field naman eh nursing, medicine, teaching. You should have a heart for the craft above anything else not love for what it pays or what it gives you in return kasi the satisfaction of seeing your- your work printed is enough ano na eh to reward eh.
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Ma. Teresa Lardizabal was born in Manila. She holds a degree in Mass Communication, major in Journalism, from UP Diliman. At the time of the interview, she was news editor at People's Tonight.