๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ
Have you ever found yourself longing to return to something you truly love? The pull is just too strong to resist.
Journalism has always been in my blood. Itโs more than just a jobโitโs something I truly love and kept a longing for. Thatโs why, after two decades away from the Philippine media scene, I was honored to receive an invitation from the publisher himself, the admirable Lincoln Mendoza Baluyut to start a column in The Voice. This opportunity makes my return even more special because The Voice is not just any paper. It is the oldest running publication in Central Luzon. In this column, I will not just be sharing my thoughts; itโs about touching on stories that matter, amplifying the voice to those who need to be heard, and starting meaningful conversations.
My Journey: From the Newsroom to the Digital World
My love for journalism started early at home, thanks to my father, the late veteran journalist Jerry Lacuarta. Alongside children’s books, I also read his news clippings from Tempo and Bulletin. Stacks of Panorama magazines in our storage room opened my eyes to current events as a curious young child flipping through dusty pages.
Back in high school at Chevalier School, I got my first taste of the newsroom as the editor of our school paper, The Clarion. My stint took an interesting turn when I found myself under scrutiny from the school administration. I had written a small investigative article about our ill-equipped school laboratory, which drew the ire of the school Rector. This led to a successful student petition to remove the administrators as advisers in the Clarion staff box to avoid censorship.
In college, I enrolled in the College of Mass Communication at UP Diliman and became the news editor and later, the managing editor of the Philippine Collegian. That was in the mid-โ90s.
My years at the Collegian were transformative as I practiced campus journalism with UP-style activism. I worked alongside campus journalists and eventual newsmakers like Barry Gutierrez and the late poet-musician-activist Ericson Acosta, both of whom were also briefly my housemates in a Krus Na Ligas apartment.
My formative years in campus journalism spanned the EDSA Revolution in 1986, the Cory Aquino years, and the rise of the Eraserheadsโour generationโs soundtrack.
In 1995, I left the University of the Philippines to enter the “real world” just as Ely Buendia and the eHeads became mainstream. I was recruited as an editor for a lifestyle magazine based in Intramuros, where I worked with journalists like Manny Marinay, Patricia Esteves, and Lira Dalangin, all fresh out of college. I eventually joined the Philippine Daily Inquirer as a Pampanga correspondent under Nation Editor Jun Bandayrel. By 1997, I was invited to fill a city reporter slot in Manila, covering the police beat, Foreign Affairs, the Senate, City Hall, and the courts.
I worked alongside my Collegian contemporaries Donna Pazzibugan, Norman Bordadora, and the late Dennis Sabangan. Those were the years of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, and Presidents Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
I remember writing an investigative story that led an angry Mayor Lim to padlock an entire red-light district in Santa Cruz. Another piece angered then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo after I reported a critical story. A PAGCOR exclusive I coveredโthanks to a well-placed sourceโportrayed then-President Estrada in a bad light, highlighting his close ties with Atong Ang. The report was so controversial that PAGCOR Chair Alice Reyes cursed me over the phone when I sought her comment. For a young reporter, that was a shocking yet eye-opening experience.
Before that, I had the privilege of working at SunStar Clark (now SunStar Pampanga), learning the ropes from provincial press veterans like the late Ody Fabian and Jose Pavia Sr. In the early days of SunStar in Pampanga, I worked alongside fellow budding journalists Arlyn Ente, IC Calaguas, Joey Pavia, Peter Alagos, Cris Navarro, and Rey Navales. The SunStar office was then in Dau, Mabalacat. SM Clark was still a vast grassland, and Clark Airport was in its infancy. Yes, those were the early days before the โeconomic boomโ in the Clark corridor.
These experiences shaped my approach to storytelling and deepened my connection to the thrilling (and sometimes dangerous) world of Philippine journalism. I enjoyed every day that I covered the newsbeat and pounded the keyboard to beat the deadlines.
Then in 2003, life took me to the U.S., where I left my newsroom job to start a new chapter in America. While I didnโt work in mainstream media in New Jersey, I stayed connected by running a few news websites while pursuing a new career in IT and web programming. The digital world was exciting, but I always missed the thrill of real reportingโthe chase, the responsibility, and the ability to give people the stories they deserve to know. So, when The Voice Newsweekly invited me to write this column, I knew I had to say yes.
What This Column Is About
Now at 50, working in IT and eLearning development, Iโm making my way back to journalism. But instead of focusing on just one beat, I want to cover a little bit of everythingโpolitics, international affairs, business, local events, and even how technology is changing the way we consume news.
Most importantly, I want this column to be a conversation. Iโll discuss issues that impact our everyday livesโhow global events affect the Philippines and Filipinos, how decisions made in Manila trickle down to our province and Central Luzon, and how digital media is reshaping journalism in the country and beyond. And I want to hear from you, too! If thereโs something you think we should be talking about, let me know.
Coming Home to Journalism
Starting this column feels like coming home. Writing, storytelling, and journalism arenโt just things I used to doโtheyโre part of who I am. As I step back into this world and find my way back home, I do so with the same excitement, curiosity, and hunger I had when I first started.
I canโt wait to share stories, ideas, and experiences and dive into the issues that matter to us all from a perspective shaped by my own journey. Journalism is alive, even as it evolves, and my passion for writing and discovery is stronger than ever.
Do you have a topic youโd like me to write about? Let me know!
You may contact me at glacuarta.ers@gmail.com