Pangilinan, former PDI president; 86

PANGILINAN: From alternative press to most widely read paper INQUIRER PHOTO

VETERAN newspaper executive Bienvenido “Ben” Pangilinan passed away on Oct. 5. He was 86.

Pangilinan, the Inquirer president from October 1992 to April 1998, had a long career in the newspaper industry. He joined the Inquirer in September 1987 as vice president for marketing.

It was during his stint in the Inquirer that the newspaper overtook another daily to become the country’s biggest-circulation broadsheet.

Writing for the Inquirer’s 1997 anniversary supplement, Pangilinan shared the “untold story” behind the newspaper’s rise.

“In a period marked by sudden changes and convulsions in the nation, the Inquirer managed to make the transition from an alternative press in a dictatorship to mainstream medium and now the country’s most widely read newspaper in a democracy,” Pangilinan wrote.

He noted that in seven years, the Inquirer reached a most coveted point: The No. 1 position in terms of readership and influence.

“With circulation growth came profitability and then the financial stability that guarantees security for the management, the officers and the rank and file,” Pangilinan said. “This is an achievement that is unprecedented in local newspaper publishing history.

“And what makes it more remarkable is that we achieved such success without compromising the editorial integrity and independence of the newspaper,” he said.

Pangilinan hailed from Macabebe, Pampanga, where he was a respected leader. He was a member of civic organizations, such as the Rotary Club of Manila, Club Maharajah and Arellano Alumni.

He is survived by his children Gil Pangilinan, Gina and Alex Hua, Dr. Ben Jose Pangilinan, Mac and Tricia Pangilinan, Franco and Rose Pangilinan, Alma and Gary Cruz, and Carina and Ayel Orlina.

Burial will be on Oct. 9 at Himlayang Pilipino in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, after a  9 a.m. Mass at Della Strada Church on Katipunan Avenue.