MY EXPERIENCE WITH "JOURNALISM"
By Graham C. Lim
This is a story that has never been told until now.
I was slated to see old friends in the media, allowing me to bring me back to where I belong. I was full of life for we were all on one agenda: sports talk.
It was the year 1990 that the Philippines participated in the Asian Games in Beijing, China. The basketball competition was to be represented by the professional basketball players and this development became the talk of the town in all walks of life.
Then and now, it is media that makes the newsworthy for discussion as it marked the first time in local basketball history that the Philippines was sending professional players to international competitions and the Asian Games was its maiden campaign.
That made it excitable for local hoop fans, confident that our boys would win the gold medal, and most of all, sponsors would start coming in to support the team.
Filipino-Chinese businessman-sportsman Mr. Go Teng Kok went immediately to work and sought a meeting with the then-president of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), Mr. Gonzalo ‘Lito’ Puyat, a two-term president of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) in the late 1980s.
Puyat was impressed with Mr. Go Teng Kok's plans to support the preparations of the Philippine National Basketball Team and up until the actual competitions in Beijing Asian Games.
Puyat, with his witty and insightful mind, immediately appointed Mr. Go Teng Kok as the Philippine basketball team manager.
This writer was privy to all the transactions consummated between Mr. Go and Mr. Puyat for I was the trusted right-hand man of Go Teng Kok.
Also present during the gathering was then-BAP Secretary General Carlos Manzanillo, who subsequently disappeared even before the start of the Asian Games campaign.
Go Teng Kok was well known in the local sports community, even bringing in his young buddy, Mr. Alvin Tai Lian, to partner with him as the Assistant Team Manager.
A Filipino-Chinese businessman and philanthropist, Tai Lian was closely with the Philippine Integrated Chinese Athletic Association (PICAA), where both Mr. Go Teng Kok and Mr. Tai Lian took part in the PICAA’s basketball championships.
Allow then to mention the sports editors from the national dailies that met with this writer and others a few months before the Beijing Asian Games held in October 1990 in this classic photo.
Here are my observations of the sports editors based on their personality and perception of Mr. Go Teng Kok as the Philippine basketball men’s team manager.
Most of the editors have since passed away at different times while the others I hope to see them once more in God’s time.
• Enrique ‘Iking’ Gonzales (Philippine Journal)
Iking was the sports editor of the Philippine Journal where I started to learn the ropes in journalism, particularly in the area of ethics, in 1989. Iking brought me to the National Press Club to become a member until today.
I may not have been a good writer for I did not take up journalism in college and instead graduated with a degree in management. From him, I learned the nuances of sportswriting. He helped me come out with press releases by my own sports organization and was the Press Relations Officer (PRO) for many Filipino-Chinese corporate businessmen.
Mr. Gonzales was once the president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA). During the PSA Awards Night, the Guest Speaker would usually be the Head of State, as it was President Fidel Valdez Ramos at the time.
This writer was tasked by Iking to look for sports-minded corporate businessmen willing to sponsor the PSA Awards Night. YKL Color Films and Makita Power Tools led by its president Yang Koc Le and Eduardo Chua, respectively, gave their full support for the Awards Night.
• Antonio ‘Tony’ Siddayao (Manila Standard)
Tony was a friend and a partner whom you could trust always. I have so many fond memories of him during our trips to various countries together.
His close relationship Iking Gonzales and yours truly was the envy of some writers. Tony, too, was a former president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA).
• Rudy Navarro (Tempo)
Rudy was the sports editor of the popular tabloid Tempo. He also handles the public relations work of Mr. Go Teng Kok. He was gung-ho over the true character of Mr. Go even when some would criticize him as somewhat of a spoiled brat.
It did not take long that Iking Gonzales and I would warm up on some projects. In 1992, when Rudy was president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), Rudy would appoint me as the co-Chair of the PSA Awards Night.
• Lito Fernandez (Manila Bulletin)
A gentle and amiable person in his own right. Lito was the sports editor of the Manila Bulletin at the time. Often, Lito would reserve a space in the sports section of the country’s then-No. 1 national daily newspaper for the PR stories that I would submit to him.
Scorn him for not publishing some of your press releases, perhaps out of his forgetfulness, but Lito was often accommodating to me, so much so that any unsavory remarks about him took a back seat.
• Robert ‘Bert’ Cuevas (Manila Times and Manila Standard)
Bert was a solid person who constantly protected me from any bad publicity mileage. Bert would protect this writer when some mischievous people from the sports media would verbally attack me, even spew racist remarks.
In the small world that sportswriters’ common responsibility, racism, or even, jealousy, has no place to exist.
How I missed Mr. Cuevas’ words of encouragement, snippets of hope that this writer will forever treasure. After the demise of Bert in the early 2000s, my godson, Mr. Riera Mallari, has since taken over the reins as the sports editor of Manila Standard until today.
My other media friends, I purposely reserve for some narratives in the future for they are still alive and kicking to date.
Among them are Philippine People’s Journal’s Augusto 'Gus' Villanueva, who is currently the Editors-in-Chief for the entire tabloid. Gus was very supportive of my cause as my stories often found their way in the sports pages of the PJ’s sister tabloid publication, “People’s Tonight”, through its sports editor, Eduard ‘Ed’ Andaya.
Known to many of my associates, this writer has gone through so many humiliating experiences, which I continue to suffer from the machinations of some sports media themselves. Most of them are allied with influential and rich sports personalities out to throw me out of the local sports family by hook or by crook.
Sadly, among them were some pen-pushers that I had once called a “friend”, not knowing they were soon to stab me in the back to please a rich businessman who has given millions of favors to them in exchange for attacking me personally for no legitimate reasons or treacherously spewing baseless accusations all in the name of what may have described as “yellow” journalism.
How I pity them. Never mind the humiliating experiences that I raise to God for I know I have not done them any wrong. The truth continues to be my ally and principles that I hold dearly until now, it remains intact. Dignity and integrity, after all, are priceless.
Money still talks in this dangerous world that we now live in due to the ongoing pandemic. But it’s not “be all and end all” for people who have principles to uphold. (gcl)
By Graham C. Lim
This is a story that has never been told until now.
I was slated to see old friends in the media, allowing me to bring me back to where I belong. I was full of life for we were all on one agenda: sports talk.
It was the year 1990 that the Philippines participated in the Asian Games in Beijing, China. The basketball competition was to be represented by the professional basketball players and this development became the talk of the town in all walks of life.
Then and now, it is media that makes the newsworthy for discussion as it marked the first time in local basketball history that the Philippines was sending professional players to international competitions and the Asian Games was its maiden campaign.
That made it excitable for local hoop fans, confident that our boys would win the gold medal, and most of all, sponsors would start coming in to support the team.
Filipino-Chinese businessman-sportsman Mr. Go Teng Kok went immediately to work and sought a meeting with the then-president of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), Mr. Gonzalo ‘Lito’ Puyat, a two-term president of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) in the late 1980s.
Puyat was impressed with Mr. Go Teng Kok's plans to support the preparations of the Philippine National Basketball Team and up until the actual competitions in Beijing Asian Games.
Puyat, with his witty and insightful mind, immediately appointed Mr. Go Teng Kok as the Philippine basketball team manager.
This writer was privy to all the transactions consummated between Mr. Go and Mr. Puyat for I was the trusted right-hand man of Go Teng Kok.
Also present during the gathering was then-BAP Secretary General Carlos Manzanillo, who subsequently disappeared even before the start of the Asian Games campaign.
Go Teng Kok was well known in the local sports community, even bringing in his young buddy, Mr. Alvin Tai Lian, to partner with him as the Assistant Team Manager.
A Filipino-Chinese businessman and philanthropist, Tai Lian was closely with the Philippine Integrated Chinese Athletic Association (PICAA), where both Mr. Go Teng Kok and Mr. Tai Lian took part in the PICAA’s basketball championships.
Allow then to mention the sports editors from the national dailies that met with this writer and others a few months before the Beijing Asian Games held in October 1990 in this classic photo.
Here are my observations of the sports editors based on their personality and perception of Mr. Go Teng Kok as the Philippine basketball men’s team manager.
Most of the editors have since passed away at different times while the others I hope to see them once more in God’s time.
• Enrique ‘Iking’ Gonzales (Philippine Journal)
Iking was the sports editor of the Philippine Journal where I started to learn the ropes in journalism, particularly in the area of ethics, in 1989. Iking brought me to the National Press Club to become a member until today.
I may not have been a good writer for I did not take up journalism in college and instead graduated with a degree in management. From him, I learned the nuances of sportswriting. He helped me come out with press releases by my own sports organization and was the Press Relations Officer (PRO) for many Filipino-Chinese corporate businessmen.
Mr. Gonzales was once the president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA). During the PSA Awards Night, the Guest Speaker would usually be the Head of State, as it was President Fidel Valdez Ramos at the time.
This writer was tasked by Iking to look for sports-minded corporate businessmen willing to sponsor the PSA Awards Night. YKL Color Films and Makita Power Tools led by its president Yang Koc Le and Eduardo Chua, respectively, gave their full support for the Awards Night.
• Antonio ‘Tony’ Siddayao (Manila Standard)
Tony was a friend and a partner whom you could trust always. I have so many fond memories of him during our trips to various countries together.
His close relationship Iking Gonzales and yours truly was the envy of some writers. Tony, too, was a former president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA).
• Rudy Navarro (Tempo)
Rudy was the sports editor of the popular tabloid Tempo. He also handles the public relations work of Mr. Go Teng Kok. He was gung-ho over the true character of Mr. Go even when some would criticize him as somewhat of a spoiled brat.
It did not take long that Iking Gonzales and I would warm up on some projects. In 1992, when Rudy was president of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), Rudy would appoint me as the co-Chair of the PSA Awards Night.
• Lito Fernandez (Manila Bulletin)
A gentle and amiable person in his own right. Lito was the sports editor of the Manila Bulletin at the time. Often, Lito would reserve a space in the sports section of the country’s then-No. 1 national daily newspaper for the PR stories that I would submit to him.
Scorn him for not publishing some of your press releases, perhaps out of his forgetfulness, but Lito was often accommodating to me, so much so that any unsavory remarks about him took a back seat.
• Robert ‘Bert’ Cuevas (Manila Times and Manila Standard)
Bert was a solid person who constantly protected me from any bad publicity mileage. Bert would protect this writer when some mischievous people from the sports media would verbally attack me, even spew racist remarks.
In the small world that sportswriters’ common responsibility, racism, or even, jealousy, has no place to exist.
How I missed Mr. Cuevas’ words of encouragement, snippets of hope that this writer will forever treasure. After the demise of Bert in the early 2000s, my godson, Mr. Riera Mallari, has since taken over the reins as the sports editor of Manila Standard until today.
My other media friends, I purposely reserve for some narratives in the future for they are still alive and kicking to date.
Among them are Philippine People’s Journal’s Augusto 'Gus' Villanueva, who is currently the Editors-in-Chief for the entire tabloid. Gus was very supportive of my cause as my stories often found their way in the sports pages of the PJ’s sister tabloid publication, “People’s Tonight”, through its sports editor, Eduard ‘Ed’ Andaya.
Known to many of my associates, this writer has gone through so many humiliating experiences, which I continue to suffer from the machinations of some sports media themselves. Most of them are allied with influential and rich sports personalities out to throw me out of the local sports family by hook or by crook.
Sadly, among them were some pen-pushers that I had once called a “friend”, not knowing they were soon to stab me in the back to please a rich businessman who has given millions of favors to them in exchange for attacking me personally for no legitimate reasons or treacherously spewing baseless accusations all in the name of what may have described as “yellow” journalism.
How I pity them. Never mind the humiliating experiences that I raise to God for I know I have not done them any wrong. The truth continues to be my ally and principles that I hold dearly until now, it remains intact. Dignity and integrity, after all, are priceless.
Money still talks in this dangerous world that we now live in due to the ongoing pandemic. But it’s not “be all and end all” for people who have principles to uphold. (gcl)