I received a book from a stranger 21 days into the new year. And it kept me up nights.
For from its leaves leaped the angst and bravura of titans Enrique Zobel, Lucio Tan, John Gokongwei Jr., Andres Soriano Jr., Roberto Ongpin. Fierce rivalries and the bold bets of other big names—government ministers, bankers—from the Martial Law era formed in ink.
The plans and rants of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, tales of vanishing millionaires—all these were deftly woven into the memoirs of a former business journalist named Miguel Zoleta Patolot.
Patolot was a journalist for Business Day, Southeast Asia’s first business daily, whose birth in 1967 he had helped bring about after throwing his lot in as a rookie reporter with the legendary publisher Raul Locsin.
He had chronicled his life as a journalist and the business coverage he undertook from 1967-1982, Patolot said in his Jan. 11, 2022 email asking if I’d like a copy.
“Your name was endorsed by the Philippine Press Institute’s Ariel Sebellino and Sunday Punch editor Ermin Garcia. Let me know if keen. I will courier,” the now 76-year-old wrote.
The book arrived 10 days later. And into the world of this stranger I dove, discovering his personal journey laden with challenges and street smarts to be fascinating for its heartfelt rendering.
Days later, I emailed him:
“Dear Mr. Patolot,
“Your book gave me sleepless nights. It deprived me of sleep because I could not put it down.
“It is informative, educational, funny, poignant, relatable, suspenseful, and rich in quotes and insights on the economic personages and upheavals of our times. Your recollections of your childhood and life as a journalist, delivered with self-deprecating humor made the book an engaging read, as they provided a balance for the family, business and national tragedies also documented therein.
“I will now have to see for myself that Taal Church, scene of your first confession, if I ever get the chance to visit Batangas, as well as the Paco chapel where you said you took a bride ‘at the shortest time possible.’
“The sacrifices you made as a journalist are heartbreaking yet familiar. I marveled at the creative solutions you devised to meet life’s challenges, from forming a relay team to keep water hot in Baguio, to reserving your wedding venue, to financing your house purchase.
“You’ve lived an extraordinary life. And the candor with which you share the highs and lows of it, makes the book a beautiful gift to the world.”
Four hours later, he replied: “I read your mail several times and I felt the long nights of writing were worth it. There were times I wanted to give up, but I thought I must share my journey not only for the insights I have harvested but for the hard lessons I learned.”
Patolot titled his memoirs “Under the Bridge,” calling himself an observer, a chronicler, a passive bystander.
But there is nothing passive about his writing, as the man who watched many historic events from ringside will take the reader on a fantastic ride infused with drama, laughs, and more importantly, lessons on never underestimating an observer.