‘Papa Toy’ remembered

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    MABALACAT CITY – He was born in Bacolor from a genealogy of literary greats and poets but Hector “Papa Toy” Soto chose this newly converted city as his home becoming OIC-mayor on December 4, 1987 during the revolutionary government of President Corazon “Cory” C. Aquino.

    On Holy Tuesday, March 26, Soto never woke up from his sleep. “It was a peaceful death,” said Mirasol his second youngest from a brood of 11. He was 85.

    The day before he died, Soto was able to pray the Holy Rosary at the “Pabasa” which was just a few meters away from his house in Sitio Talimundok, Barangay Dau.

    Edilberto “Boy” Santos, his stepson, driver and constant companion, said there was never any inkling of his demise. Boy said Papa Toy went about his usual way the day before he died striking conversations with his neighbors just as he always did.

    Boy said whenever Papa Toy was feeling sick he would make sure that he slept with a bell near his bed.

    In case something happens, he can always ring the bell to call anyone’s attention, Boy said. But the night before he died, Papa Toy did not placed the bell near his bed, an indication that he was alright, he said.

    Hector Soto, Jr. said his father routinely sleeps early and wakes up early. But on that fateful day, Jun said, he saw his father still in bed at around 5:30 a.m. Wondering why he was still in bed, Jun said he went closer to check on him and noticed that he was not breathing. Jun said Papa Toy was already cold when he touched him which indicated that he died sometime during the night.

    Born October 28, 1927 in Bacolor, described by historians as “the Athens of Pampanga,” Soto is considered a “pillar” in Pampanga journalism.

    Fondly called Papa Toy by many of his younger colleagues, Soto was the oldest active media practitioner in Pampanga until his death with his regular column “Point Blank” in The Coffee Punch, a Pampanga newsweekly.

    Soto started his career in 1954 – 1955 as an advertising solicitor of the Philippine Defense Review Magazine.  From 1956 – 1960, he was news correspondent of the Philippine News Services.  From 1961- 1963 he was a staff member of the Evening News.

    From 1964- 1974, he was editor of the Luzon Courier. In 1975, he became press relations officer of the Mabalacat Water District. From 1975 to 1978, he became news correspondent of the Philippine News Agency.

    From 1979 to 1988, he was a news correspondent of Times Journal and at the same time published the local weekly Town Crier.

    He also became a barangay councilman of Dau from 1989 to 1991 while a news reporter of Headline Manila for Pampanga and Angeles City.

    From 1992 to 1994, he became news correspondent of People’s Tonight.

    From June 1993 to February 1995, he was the executive assistant of then mayor Catalino Domingo.

    Soto went back to mainstream journalism in July 1995 as a correspondent of the Manila Standard. Then in 1998, he became a correspondent of the Manila Journal.

    Soto was appointed director of the Mabalacat Water District from June 1995 to December 2000.

    In 1998, he joined the defunct Philippine Post then on March 1999, he joined Manila Times as a correspondent.

    Soto also edited a host of local newspapers.

    Soto was buried on Easter Sunday, March 31, at the Tierra Santa Memorial Park in Barangay Mabiga here. He is survived by his children, in-laws, and grandchildren.

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