CEBU lost not just another journalist with the death of Job Bonotan Tabada last Friday afternoon. The 58-year-old member of the Cebu press of four decades was a perceptive and reflective writer who never lost track of the youthful ‘70s idealism that inspired him to become a journalist during the martial law years.

“I thank Nong Doroy for giving me the chance to become a journalist,” Job told me once again while having dinner inside our room at the Riviera Mansion in Malate, Manila the night before he had a heart attack and went into a coma. We were with a group of Cebu journalists who went to Taiwan for a study tour on the country’s power industry courtesy of Global Business Power Corp. The two of us stayed behind in Manila while the others went ahead to Cebu. Job was talking about my late father Eleodoro “Doroy” Mongaya who was then editor-in-chief of Cebu Daily Times during the early `70s at the height of martial law. Tabada was new in Cebu, fresh from the martial law stockades because of his involvement with the Student Christian Movement chapter in Duma-guete City.

The alternative was a life underground as he had a standing invitation from former student leader Art Tabara who later rose to become head of the Leftist rebels in Negros Island. Tabara was later killed years after the ‘90s underground split when he broke away from the “Reaffirmist” leadership of Jose Ma. Sison.

For Job Tabada, the life of a journalist gave him the opportunity and venue for exposing the truth and pushing for pro-poor and pro-freedom advocacies but short of taking up arms as Art Tabara and the underground then offered.

During his stint in several news outlets in Cebu like RPN 9, Cebu Daily Times, The Republic News, The Visayan Herald, Cebu Advocate, The Freeman, Sun.Star Daily, and Cebu Daily News, he never lost this youth idealism and the values of Christian liberation theology of SCM. This I sensed while listening to episodes in his life as we waited for the call of Benny Antiporda, the incumbent president of the National Press Club who wanted to meet us that night. I am the present president of reorganized National Press Club Cebu while Job was the treasurer.

Though he excused himself from going out that night because he wanted to write an e-mail for his son Jobannie, Job had been instrumental in convincing me to accept the challenge of reorganizing the club in Cebu. He was one of the original members when Manuel “Maning” Satorre Jr. formed the chapter during the martial law years during the time of NPC president Tony Nieva. To recall, Nieva helped rebel journalist Satur Ocampo escape from the clutches of Marcos agents during a celebrated visit at the National Press Club building. The Cebu chapter however became dormant after Satorre left for the US and his successor sports columnist Manuel Oyson Jr. died a few years ago.

Job also wanted me to write a book about his experiences during those exciting years when some journalists openly collaborated with the dictatorship for gain or for survival while others secretly met in dingy backrooms to plot moves for press freedom and democracy.

In fact, he was a key personality in secret meetings inside the Cebu Advocate office at Zulueta St. involving journalists from various news outlets then who kept the flame of press freedom alive during those dark years.

At the new Manila domestic airport Monday morning, I presented him with an outline of the book. I wanted to focus on that after an ongoing history book project on Naga City, Cebu. The project excited me. Job was equally electrified by the prospect and several other things we discussed. We planned to meet again in a few days.

Unfortunately, we never got to discuss the project again. That night after we arrived, he went out to meet other friends. He suffered a heart attack at a coffee shop a little after midnight and went into a coma. He died four days later.

I lost a friend and a mentor in the passing of Job Tabada. But I hope to carry out what he wanted me to do in his honor and that of Cebu media.

(Check out my blog “In Between Columns” at www. inbetweencolumns.wordpress. com)

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(November 24, 2008 issue)
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