Manila Bulletin reporters pay tribute to ‘Sir Kiko’
By MB Special Reports Team
Brilliant, fun-loving, endearing. That's how former colleagues and students describe former University of Sto. Tomas (UST) journalism professor and long-time Manila Bulletin associate editor Ramon Francisco – a genuine icon of contemporary Philippine journalism.
"Capisce (pronounced cah-PEESH)"--an Italian slang for "Do you understand?"--was Francisco's familiar parting word to his students after class.
In class, Francisco, who students fondly called “Sir Kiko,” always spoke clearly and enthusiastically, like a learned uncle eager to unload his abundance of anecdotes to the generation after him.
It was his love for teaching and sharing of his experiences in the field that encouraged his students to keep on attending his classes. Learning about journalism with a teacher like him was like an adventure.
Francisco's unfortunate passing on July 27, 2020 at the age of 73 triggered many memories of "Sir Kiko" from his students who are now journalists, whose lives he gave direction to.
"To the young college students at the UST who did not know him, Ramon Francisco was an intimidating figure in the halls of the College of Arts of Letters for the most part of the 1990s," said Jeff Damicog, MB's Department of Justice (DOJ) reporter.
"During my first two years in college, he stood out from among the professors as a 'terror' teacher. He was a quiet, heavyset man whose signature aviator-style tinted glasses gave away no expression," he recalled of the former UST Journalism coordinator.
Being the professor who taught "Journ 101," many aspiring journalists in the university went through his tutelage. Back then, students from the College of Arts of Letters, now the Faculty of Arts and Letters, were only made to choose a major when they reach third year, Damicog said.
"While other professors enticed students to apply for their respective majors by giving long inspiring speeches, Francisco only said a few words which included an emphatic declaration that only 18 to 20 students will be selected among the applicants for journalism,” Damicog said.
"Despite the anxiety the statement caused, I still applied and took an exam to be admitted as a. journalism major. Later, it turned out that was his way to encourage us to do better; 45 of us, including me, were accepted,,” he related.
Damicog now looks back to that “inspiring speech” as the mischievous side of Francisco. “He was a fun-loving prankster,” he said.
Another student of Francisco, Nate Barretto, former MB provincial editor and Tempo deskman, shared another “Sir Kiko” classic prank: "There was a time in the early 90s when he introduced himself to the class as James Bond.”
He also loved to dance. “He can dance for an hour straight. He said he wasn't able to go to the disco when he was a student," Barretto said.
Aside from "capisce," Francisco's other signature catchphrase was "brilliant!"—delivered with a British accent – his way to acknowledge a correct answer in class.
"Sir Kiko did not demand it but he encouraged you to be 'brilliant' in class," Damicog said.
In December 1996 or midway through his junior year, Damicog said Francisco suffered a stroke that would eventually leave him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. The aviator shades were replaced by prescription glasses.
Despite his condition, "RamFra" still taught journalism for 10 more years, and continued to influence many budding writers.
"You had to like and respect your professors to a certain degree if you ultimately decide to follow his footsteps. Sir Kiko and his mastery of journalism made being a reporter sound cool and appealing to me," said Ellson Quismorio, MB's House of Representative reporter.
Another student was former MB reporter Leonard Postrado who belonged to batch 2007, the last batch of journalism majors that Francisco taught at UST. Postrado admired Francisco's passion as a teacher.
"He was already on a wheelchair and yet this didn't hinder him from coming to classes on time. He was very patient with our batch and would always tell us about his favorite food--Ma Mon Luk siopao," he said. It's not odd that Francisco professed his love for Ma Mon Luk to every class that he handled.
Sir Kiko was no different in the newsroom, where he was a father figure to many staff members.
"MB was my first job. The first time he saw me in the Bulletin newsroom, he gestured for me to approach him. He gave me a thumbs up and wished me good luck," Postrado said.
And then there's Francisco's reputation as an astute grammarian. According to industry veterans, he and MB Editor-in-Chief Dr. Crispulo J. Icban, Jr., his good friend, are "No. 1 and 1A" in this regard. Icban, who served as Press Secretary to then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is now the EIC and publisher of MB.
"When in doubt about grammar, always ask RamFra. He is a walking AP stylebook," Postrado said.
MB Senate reporter Hannah Torregoza, who was mentored by Francisco during her time at the desk as an editorial assistant, agrees with this description. "Siya kasi ang go-to editor ng lahat ng editor sa desk (It's because he is the go-to editor of all editors at the desk)."
She also said RamFra provided life to the office with his brand of comedy.
Francisco kept a close eye on her work after she was designated a beat. "Sinasabi niya saken ano yung mga stories ko na inedit niya, pano niya inedit and yun, natututo ako sa kanya (He told me which of my stories he edited, how he edited them, and that's how I learned from him). He would point out where I could improve," Torregoza said.
And when one had a scoop or a good story, Postrado said Francisco would personally call him and say he liked the story.
“Sir Kiko always reminded me to keep calm and to eat first before going to work since the news won't be going anywhere," he added.
Francisco retired from MB in 2005.
He was the old-school journalist who ensured that hundreds of aspiring reporters would get as much real-world knowledge as possible. He will surely be missed.