Draft:Raul Locsin
Raul Edmundo Lacson Locsin (September 19, 1931 – May 24, 2003) was a Filipino journalist, editor, and publisher. Born to an affluent family in Negros Occidental, Locsin became a begrudging but well-paid salesman after dropping out of Ateneo de Manila University. In 1963, despite the much lower paycheck, became a business reporter at the Manila Chronicle. He helped establish the Economic Monitor, the Philippines' first business weekly, and founded Business Day, its first business daily, in 1967.
Raul L. Locsin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Raul Edmundo Lacson Locsin September 19, 1931 Silay, Negros Occidental, Philippines |
| Died | May 24, 2003 (aged 71) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1963–2003 |
| Organization(s) | Founder and editor-in-chief of Business Day (served 1967–1987) and BusinessWorld (1987–2003) |
| Spouse |
Leticia Martillo (m. 1957) |
| Relatives | Arsenio Lacson (uncle) Rose Porteous (cousin) |
| Awards | 1999 Ramon Magsaysay Award in Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts |
Business Day was the only independent newspaper in Manila during martial law under Ferdinand Marcos. Locsin's standards of impartiality and reportage comprehensible to the general public earned Business Day a reputation for accuracy in an era of misinformation, and the paper published critical views of the Marcos administration. In 1987, an internal dispute led Locsin to resign as editor-in-chief, but the majority of his former staff picketed his house to convince him to return. Locsin became publisher and editor-in-chief of Business Day's successor, BusinessWorld. In 1999, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts. Under his tenure, BusinessWorld became the fourth most-circulated newspaper in the Philippines. His wife, Leticia Martillo, succeeded him after he died.
Early life and education
Raul Edmundo Lacson Locsin was born in Silay, Negros Occidental, on September 19, 1931. He was the fourth of Aurelio and Maria Soledad (née Sison Lacson) Lacson Locsin's seven children. Aurelio published El Civismo, a Spanish-language daily, and the local papers Kanlaon and Paghimawa.[1] Soledad is best known for her English translations of José Rizal's novels Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo, which are still used today.[2]
Locsin spent most of his childhood in Bacolod, the provincial capital. According to his profile by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, despite his family's affluence, Locsin's mother managed her household very strictly. She required him to do chores[1] and was in charge of his early education.[3] Although Lacson attended an American private school in Manila, he soon returned to Bacolod.[1] Locsin's mother taught him in English and Spanish, using the Calvert School's curriculum. According to the profile, under her tutelage, Locsin was reading the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Tennyson in English before he turned ten. During World War II, the family sought refuge from the Imperial Japanese Army in the mountains. After the war, they returned to Bacolod and Soledad started Casanova School, using the same methods when she taught Locsin.[1][4]
Locsin was sent to study at the Ateneo de Cagayan, but got expelled after getting into a fight. When he informed his parents that he did not want to continue his studies, his father told him to find his own way to make a living. He moved to Sampaloc, Manila, when he was 17, going through various jobs to support himself. He eventually reconciled with his family. Staying with his maternal uncle, Arsenio Lacson, Locsin enrolled in a liberal arts course at Ateneo de Manila University.[1] However, he dropped out after two years and learnt how to fly planes.[5]
Career
Before university, Locsin had his first journalistic foray as a reporter for his father's El Civismo.[5] As a youth in Bacolod, he published a local newspaper, the Provincial Weekly, with his brother.[3][6] After dropping out, Locsin entered an 11-year career working in sales for various multinational companies. Though it paid very well, he hated the job. In 1963, he became a reporter for the now-defunct Manila Chronicle's business section, despite it paying less than a twentieth of what he was paid as a marketing executive.[5]
Business Day
In its debut issue, released on February 27, 1967, Business Day promised "competent and responsible reporting of the news."[7] As editor-in-chief, Locsin aimed to demystify business and economics and make the subject more accessible to the general public. During martial law under Ferdinand Marcos (1972–1981), Business Day was the only independently owned newspaper in Manila. It gained a reputation for accuracy in an era of misinformation,[3] as Locsin was committed to the tenet that "a newspaper is a public trust" and promised editorial freedom.[5]
Business Day ran articles critical of President Marcos,[8][9][10] but was allowed to keep operating. Locsin attributed this to "fortune and brinkmanship". As Business Day was a specialized periodical with a small circulation, Marcos not only tolerated it but once cited it to prove the freedom he gave the press to an American reporter.[11]
After a labor strike by leftist staff, Locsin resigned and closed Business Day in 1987. Four months prior, he had finished repaying the newspaper's accumulated debt. The majority of his former staff picketed his house to convince him to return. They set up a new corporation, BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation, with Locsin accepting the position of publisher, president, and editor.[5][11]
Business World
Death and legacy
Following a protracted illness, Locsin died at St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City on May 24, 2003. A commemorative service was held at Ateneo de Manila University.[12]
References
- ^ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Dizon, Erika Denise L. (July 6, 2015). "One of a kind". BusinessWorld. Retrieved June 4, 2024 – via PressReader.
- ^ Gonzalez-Ventura, Barbara (August 13, 2011). "Locsin's 'Noli Me Tangere'". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Locsin, Raul". Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. 1999. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ Wainwright, Robert (2002). Rose. Allen & Unwin. p. 18. ISBN 9781865089348.
- ^ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Lopez, Antonio (August 6, 1999). "Man of His Word: Raul Locsin". Asiaweek. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ Rilla, Katerina; So, Erika (2000). "Raul Locsin: Philippine Journalism Oral History". 4mg.com. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ "History | Editorial Staff". BusinessWorld. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Reed, Jack (February 3, 1984). "Business, labor leaders appeal to Marcos". United Press International. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ "Marcos Called Golf Cheat". Los Angeles Times. March 20, 1986. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Branigan, William (August 15, 1984). "'Crony Capitalism' Blamed for Economic Crisis". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ 11.0 11.1 Santos, Vergel (May 26, 2003). "In memoriam: Producing a newspaper standing straight". BusinessWorld. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Sison, Norman (May 29, 2003). "Locsin necrological rites today". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 6 June 2024.