FOR the third time in close to three decades of media engagements, two of those in freelance, I’m back to writing Stage Five.
It’s a familiar feeling: the unstructured sensing of significant issues needing amplification or challenge, the mingling of excitement and dread hours before deadline, and the exhilaration of peeling open a freshly printed edition – for those like me who still favor paper over posts – the following day.
It is sad though that this third chapter opens without one of the most respected journalists in the country, Cebu’s Juan L. Mercado (JLM), a towering figure among those called opinion makers or – a daring term – thought leaders.
As a new columnist in 2003, I struggled long and hard to find my “voice.” But in a conservation that started with something totally unrelated, Mr. Mercado, Johnny to friends, gave me six tips that he, in his own writing, clearly heeded.
1. Be an authority. And if you are not, be sensible enough to look for one… or two… or three… that you can cite.
JLM never claimed to have had mastery of anything; not even of journalism, though we who were in awe of him know otherwise. His columns singularly reflected this. He cited persons, documents. He quoted facts and figures, and incorporated them thoughtfully in carefully-crafted arguments. Authorities indeed make for compelling support to arguments and arguments are the essence of opinion pieces.
2. Acknowledge alternative views. While you may not subscribe to certain views, others might. Blend the narratives without losing the differing voices, state your case, state why you do or do not agree.
In a piece that he published in the Korean Herald, May 14, 2014, JLM explored the competing narratives around territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He cited Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean approaches to peaceful resolution, contrasting them with China’s assertive stance.
He noted a common theme amongst China’s experience with her neighbors: China’s tendency to anchor claims in “history”, while ignoring the rich maritime traditions of Southeast Asian nations, and her Han-centric attitudes, referencing past beliefs in genetic superiority and reluctance to treat neighbors as equals.
3. Never fail to point out what is at stake, what could potentially be lost. An issue becomes an issue because there is something to lose.
In his last column for Sun.Star Cebu, ‘Writing 30’, published on December 27, 2014, JLM announced he was quitting. He did say it was because he was tired, which could have also been the case because he was already 83 at that time and had clocked over 40 years of journalism work.
But had it been the case, he would likely have not written about it at all, because that would have been too trivial… not of public interest.
I proffer that he wrote about it to give word that there would be a void left in the public space shared by those needing to understand better the world around them and, more importantly, to call upon the next generation of journalists to step up and speak truth to power, as it was now their turn.
4. Don’t be too far removed from your readers. Know who they are and constantly remind yourself that you are no different from them. Use familiar language. Let them identify with you that way.
JLM wrote in a reflective, principled, and conversational voice—marked by clarity, moral conviction, and a deep sense of civic duty. His columns often blended journalistic rigor with personal insight, making complex issues accessible while never losing sight of their ethical stakes.
5. Acknowledge reader views, even those that are divergent from your own. If you can dish it out, you should be able to take it.
In a November 4, 2011 Inquirer column titled “An Afterlife? Yes”, JLM lent space to Social Weather Stations’ Mahar Mangahas who responded to Mercado’s earlier column and challenged his interpretation of survey data on belief in the afterlife. In doing so, and doing the same in many other incidences, Mercado displayed openness to scrutiny and dialogue.
He did not dismiss dissenting views. Instead, his writing invited engagement, even correction, and all the while inviting connection, conversation, dialogue, discourse.
6. Try to make your readers commit by cultivating, feeding, and, in a lot of cases, challenging, the voice in their minds, spurring them thus into action.
JLM did this by not preaching. Instead, he posed questions, offered context, and helped readers arrive at their own conclusions, but then giving subtle nudges, encouraging reflection and action, all the while avoiding being didactic.
I am not JLM, though like many others whose names you’ll read in these pages, I have a lifelong and heartfelt yearning to learn the craft, egged on by the example of his dogged pursuit.
I can only hope that in my own journey of observation, reflection, and narratives fills some void in our public spaces and address some of the needs of those seeking to understand their world better; and, equally important, speaks truth to power. (knrama@gmail.com)