THE PUBLISHER

Batangan out to sensationalize the good news

Editor's note. -- The following article was published in Batangan on October 28, 1990:

VERITAS GLORY DAYS: From left: Christian Defensor, Benjie Defensor, Renato Tiangco, John-John Nery at Defensors's in Aberdeen St, Quezon City, March 1990.

From his new operating base in Batangas City, however, he carries on as editorial committee member and columnist of the weekly newsmagazine Veritas.

Indeed it is the success of the revived Veritas that gave him the inspiration for BATANGAN. The idea is to sensationalize the good news without sweeping the dirt under the rug. 

Born in the old Batangas capital town, Renato Bernardo Tiangco attended what is now Batangas City East Elementary School and was editor of the Volcano, the student organ of what is now Batangas National High School, where he was the salutatorian, Class 1956. From high school he went straight to the defunct Kislap-Graphic magazine. He has worked in mass communications ever since. One result: he dropped out of the University of Santo Tomas during his junior year in its Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. 

As copyboy-proofreader-writer at Kislap-Graphic, he interviewed the actress Rosa Rosal for his first professional story. 

He next worked with the defunct Manila Evening News, Tony de Joya's Advertising & Marketing Associates, Agence France-Presse, United Press International, and Philippines Herald.

He was a senior editor on the Herald when it was closed by martial law, in 1972. He sold life insurance briefly and then co-organized the state-run Philippines News Agency with Herald colleague Jose Pavia. From 1979 to 1985 Mr Tiangco worked as a senior editor with Hongkong and Singapore newspapers -- Hongkong Standard, South China Morninng Post, Petromin Asia, and Singapore Monitor.

Renato Tiangco with Hsinhua's Chang Chieh at the Great Wall of China on October 22, 1978.

Round the National Press Club in Manila, of which he is a lifetime member, Mr Tiangco is sometimes called the "General." This is because in the first two Gridiron shows of the National Press Club since the declaration of martial law (i.e., after the Edsa People Power Revolution -- Editor), he played the then General FFidel Ramos to Philippine Star chairman Betty Go-Belmonte's Cory Aquino.

Mr Tiangco played the General, this time Secretary of Defense, a third time, but Mrs Belmonte decided to "quit while Cory is ahead." (Batangan Editor's note. -- Mrs Belmonte died on Jan. 28, 1994 aged 60. In 1992, of course, General Ramos was elected President of the Republic of the Philippines.)

Mr Tiangco is married to the former Veneranda "Brenda" Gutierrez, herself a native Batangueña (and a former editor of the Volcano) who has taught English at Pablo Borbon Memorial Institute of Technology and Golden Gate Colleges, both in Batangas City.

The Tiangcos have seven children and, as at December 6, 2003, three sons-in-law and seven grandchildren.

The children are Rowena, Beatrice, Ruth, Margaret, only son Blas, and Mary Rose.

Four grandchildren -- Bethany (born May 5, 1993), Daniel (born June 24, 1998), Matthew David (born at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, October 12, 1999 in Golden Gate Hospital in Batangas City), and Caleb (born on March 5, 2002 in Valenzuela, Metro-Manila) -- are by Beatrice and husband Dennis Santos.

The other grandchildren -- Timothy, who arrived at 1 p.m. on Friday, January 15, 1999, in Batangas City's Golden Gate Hospital, Jonathan David, who came on October 6, 2000, and James Emmanuel, born at 3.17 a.m. on December 6, 2003 -- are courtesy of Rowena and husband Rene Magsino.

Margaret and Eric Aquino were wed on her mother's birth anniversary, Dec. 20, 1998, in Toronto, Canada.

Batangan News Service.