HOTSPOT
Tonyo Cruz
A lot has been going on, especially as we went into full election campaign mode. I forgot to remember and to mark the eighth anniversary of this column here on the Manila Bulletin. I started this on Jan. 5, 2014, initially coming out twice weekly.
Yes, folks, it has been eight years and two months already since I accepted the invitation to be a columnist in what is known as a very conservative newspaper. Sorry to those wishing I would be gone from these pages: I’m not saying goodbye. I promise to keep on writing, and to be more audacious and progressive as the situation often demands. I miss writing twice a week though. This column started as a twice weekly occurrence. I sure hope to be able to do that again, depending on the availability of space and, of course, the approval of editors. The election period is the fiesta time for opinion-editorial writers like myself. Our readers and the public look to pundits for analyses and observations that many might miss. This is especially true in these elections as voters try to make sense of the continuing past and the turbulent present, and navigate through the long list of candidates vying for votes. The usual warning applies though: Caveat emptor, as political PR operators, supporters and the candidates themselves are also working double-time to influence the influencers. I am often asked how columnists choose the topics. That’s actually not easy. A columnist has to carefully pick and choose from among many possibilities. The harder part is what kind of analysis or commentary would be drafted and offered, and whose point of view would be taken. As a self-professed progressive, I take what could be viewed as the radical POV, compared to my peers. And by radical, I mean pro-worker, pro-farmer, pro-poor, pro-entrepreneur, pro-consumer, and consistently pro-change. To be able to choose and react to a wide-range of possible topics, one must try to read as widely and as deeply, listen to the murmurs (or shouts) of the public, and interact with people. The last is the most important. This explains why I value events like fora and symposia where the audience could have the opportunity to raise questions or share their views. I also get and read a lot of press releases and statements, and attend press conferences. The motherlode though are people’s activities like assemblies, rallies, demonstrations, fact-finding missions, and the like. Another is my own social involvements, which is why I maintain a lot of contacts and help form or maintain many communities and organizations. They’re my connections, my sources, my sounding board, and my testing ground for some column ideas. I credit my background as a sociology major, as an advocate, and as a journalist for this reliance on the power of community. As any journalist and columnist would attest, the hardest part is always beating the deadline. I am also asked if I receive threats because of my columns. Yes, a lot, especially regarding criticisms of the president, his statements and his policies. There’s also unrelenting red-tagging from certain public officials. I document these threats, and inform my lawyer. I remain undeterred though. In our petition questioning the constitutionality of the anti-terrorism law, our counsel mentioned these threats, along with those received by co-petitioners in the Concerned Online Citizens. What keeps me going? My nieces and nephews, and our apo. Friends like Chad Booc, Randy Malayao, Randy Vegas, and others whose heroic lives ought to be honored. The communities they went to and served are mostly marginalized or unheard of. The other friends disenchanted with “politics as usual” and are looking for something new. The workers caught in the endless cycle of “endo.” The nurses who volunteer to work, and who pay to be able to practice their profession. The farmers forced to throw away their produce due to destructive importation and unhampered smuggling. The platform workers denied legal protection. They keep me going so I always try to write for them. The writing continues because the struggle continues, as I approach my ninth year as a Manila Bulletin columnist.(Follow me on Twitter: @tonyocruz)