IT WAS four years ago when I met (again) Punto editor Caesar “Bong” Lacson at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in an occasion organized by the Central Luzon Media Association (CLMA) where he was the invited guest speaker.
His speech tugged me at the heart as it was a recollection of the early days of the CLMA – from its founding date and its yearly convention.
That gave me occasion to recall those years of good camaraderie, close relationships, and savoring of the endless talks, drinking, exchanges of pleasantries, and indulging in activities for the “boys only” and for having tete-a-tetes with the lady reporters of note who were also with us then.
Bong was one of the founding proponents of CLMA. In fact, he was the one who sought us correspondents of Manila papers and staff members of local publication in Cabanatuan City to join the organization. For sure, the organization was a conglomeration of the established names in journalism in Central Luzon, both print and broadcast.
For some reasons, the CLMA lost its sheen. Probably because the correspondents switched jobs with the attrition in the number of local publications and radio stations, as well as in the leading Manila papers.
Since then, we didn’t know what happened to our other colleagues in Central Luzon. It was Bong who narrated what happened to our other colleagues.
The CLMA was revived. But none of our former colleagues have something to do with it. New names and faces in journalism in Central Luzon are in it. Certainly, how we wish we could gather them again (the surviving and active ones) to be joining it.
But that is not my story for this the 11th year of Punto Central Luzon.
Bong invited me to write for Punto!. But I thought Punto! was like the other local publications who invited me to write for them. As they were seeing my stories in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, they asked me to share all my stories to them. Or sometimes, they just cut and paste my story in their paper. Then they show me their papers with my story and byline, as if it was a big favor for me. And that’s it, nothing more from them.
Bong said Punto! is different: “We will pay you for your articles published. If you maintain a column, the pay is bigger and regular.”
True enough, as I wrote for this paper, the “salary” kept coming to my bank account.
Also, when I attended once the anniversary celebration of the paper, there were lots of give away. And before departing for home, there was even an envelope. In it was an “anniversary bonus”.
More importantly for me was when I received financial assistance from Punto! when I got sick. I was surprised when informed by Ning thru a text message that Punto! had just forwarded to my bank account financial aid.
That was really “cool.” I didn’t expect it but definitely it helped me and really buoyed up my spirits.
It was a good feeling to have the “remuneration” and the financial aid from a regional newspaper. But certainly, it was more fulfilling to be published in Punto! which I found out is patronized by many both for its printed copies and for its on-line edition. The on-line edition was of late improved, and what improvement it has undergone. Also, it’s in Facebook and Twitter so the audience has been getting bigger and bigger.
What I found more fulfilling to me is that Punto! is publishing development stories, stories that are difficult to be seen printed in the big papers.
Thus, my carabao, rice, goat, farm machines, research results and technologies are getting printed and sometimes front-paged at that. Thus, some of my stories in Punto! received recognition from the Binhi Awards of the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc., an organization of big-time agricultural journalists in the country.
Recently, I noticed that Punto! has become thicker and thicker in terms of number of pages.
Also, several advertisements are coming out with the issues of Punto!. This proves that the paper is relied upon by many establishments and advertisers and its marketing manager is equally connecting excellently well and good to its clientele.
It has also many correspondents from the different provinces of Central Luzon. And they, too, dish out beautiful and significant stories, not those that are just results of “visits to morgues of hospitals” from disheartening crime incidents.
I just hope that Punto! will find bigger circulation, too, in different provinces like Nueva Ecija. It can truly help a lot in information dissemination and prove that a regional paper near Metro Manila where the big papers are published can be a significant medium of information of that which happen in Central Luzon.
On the 11th year Punto!, happy anniversary and let’s keep up the good work!
