IN ONE of his essays about me, Ram Mercado indisputably one of the best English writers among us journalists in Pampanga, said and I wanted to thank him from the bottom of my heart for writing what you will read below.
‘To those who know Max Sangil as a newspaper columnist, one is familiar with the tools of his trade-the axe that opens many a Pandora’s box.’
‘By confining himself to subjects purely Pampango, he is not likely to weary the Capampangan readers whose own recollection of, and knowledge about, what he narrates, inevitably coincide to a serependitious conclusion.’
‘Max Sangil’s knowledge of events and his vast information are derived from his varied long experience credentials as reporter, publisher-editor, columnist, broadcaster-commentator, advertising and public relations man, traveler and investigative journalist.’
Decades of writing trained me to share to readers my experiences, my views and certain historical details in the past not necessarily to create an impression rather I view it as my little contribution in more ways than one to interested generations.
Sometime in 1993 I sat down on early mornings pounding on my Underwood and wrote my first book titled ‘Somewhere In Central Luzon.’ Though it wasn’t a hit , yet some who happened to read it may have shared some episodes to their friends and became curious and up to now I still get requests if the book is still extant, and wanted to buy a copy.
Many of my reporter friends like my Cumpadre Bong Lacson are encouraging me to come up with a book on the articles that saw print in the op-ed page of SunStar. And I intend to heed the advice. Today, with the advent of internet, a sizable number of book readers decreased greatly, and selling a book to recover printing cost and all is almost an impossibility. Particularly among Filipinos, they are not really much in reading books, unlike the Americans and Europeans. Selling books in the country even written by known writers cannot expect profitable cash flows.
To continue what Ram Mercado said: ‘Sangil views his immediate horizon by seizing up men of power, wealth and influence in the community under the magnifying glass of his journalistic curiosity. He paints realism through a vivid one-liner stroke to picture the external man. His method of narration is vigorous with its business-like simplicity and clarity, stripped of philosophic evaluation, but a striking portrayal of motives nevertheless.’
With all what was written and with all the encouragement I will be forced to roll my sleeves and sit again and pound now my IPad, instead of the ‘primitive’ Underwood which my daughter lawyer Atty. Catherine took with my muted protestations. I have the highest hope that I can finish this project before I forget all those important details what happened.