Presidential aspirants pay tribute to Inquirer’s Magsanoc

Davao City Mayor Rudy Duterte visits Philippine Daily Inquirer for a round table discussion with some of its journalists including editor in chief Letty Jimenez Magsanoc. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ KIMBERLY DELA CRUZ

“An end of an era.”

On Christmas eve, journalists and politicians alike were gripped by the passing of Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, Philippine Daily Inquirer’s editor in chief.

READ: Magsanoc, who led the Inquirer for 24 years, writes 30

Presidential candidates were also quick to send their messages of sympathy, recognizing Magsanoc’s pivotal role in the development of the media industry and in setting the news agenda.

Leading light of press freedom — Duterte

Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte, who recently sat in a round-table interview with Inquirer editors including Magsanoc, said, “The passing away of Letty Jimenez Magsanoc ironically on Christmas eve marks the end of an era.”

The no-nonsense mayor called her “one of the leading lights in the struggle for press freedom during the Marcos years.”

READ: Esteemed PDI editor in chief Letty J. Magsanoc passes away

“She continued to be a fierce advocate of public accountability and transparency in the post-Edsa period down to her last breath,” he said. “Unlike other freedom fighters who succumbed to indifference and sometimes bitterness, she never lost her zest for life and optimism. Unlike many whose constant exposure to the harsh realities of a fallen world have pushed themselves to apathy, she continued to hope in the goodness of people.”

Duterte said Magsanoc “shunned influence and privilege like a plague.”

“I believe these are the reasons why she remained credible until the end,” he explained.

The presidential candidate recalled his last sound-table discussion with the Inquirer when he willingly waited for Magsanoc to close the paper. He said he had “so much respect for her, the people who work for her and the institution they serve.”

“I was not surprised when she asked what my position is on the Freedom of Information Bill considering her unyielding position to public accountability and transparency. Without batting an eyelash, I told her I am all for it,” he said.

Duterte said he will honor his commitment to Magsanoc if he wins the election “because I know she wanted it not for herself but for the country she committed all her life to.”

“It is the least that I can do for one whose sacrifices for the cause of press freedom and the struggles towards a better nation can never be fully appreciated,” he said. “I hope to face her in another life and to be able to tell her I delivered on that vow.”

“Letty Jimenez Magsanoc is no longer with us, but she left behind a wealth of memories and philosophies that can guide us as we try to collectively pick up from where she left off,” he said.

Honor to Philippine journalism — Roxas

Liberal Party presidential bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas II also lauded Magsanoc’s commitment to press freedom.

He said the Inquirer EIC “brought honor to Philippine journalism by her insistence on the unvarnished truth, her insistence on fairness in reportage, and her zeal for justice.”

READ: Aquino on Magsanoc: ‘She always spoke to me frankly’

“All these, along with her deep personal integrity, made her what she was: a Filipina who fought the dictator and grafters and crooks with an unyielding commitment to having a country where no one would be oppressed, and where all would live without fear or want,” he added.

“I join the reading public in mourning her passing. My family and I extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to her family and her colleagues in the Philippine Daily Inquirer,” Roxas said.

Brand of fearless but responsible journalism — Poe

Senator Grace Poe, another presidential aspirant, said she wants to “pay tribute to [Magsanoc’s] courage, dedication and incisiveness that significantly contributed to the freedoms that the Filipino people enjoy today.”

“Letty’s spirit will live on in the journalists, advocates and influencers she has touched with her brand of fearless but responsible journalism, as well as in every Filipino who believes in truth, transparency and accountability,” she said.

On Twitter, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago posted, “I offer my deepest condolences to the loved ones Ms. Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc left behind, including the men and women of Inquirer.” IDL