I’ve been opinion editor of this paper for more than 13 years, so I have been editing Atty. Emil Jurado’s column for that long. He has been with this paper since it started, 32 years ago—and in journalism for decades before that. That’s some staying power.
He writes three columns a week, so if you multiply three by 52 weeks in a year and again by 13 years, this means I have read at least 2,028 of To The Point pieces—mind you, all of them written using a manual typewriter. Earlier on, Mr. Jurado sent these typewritten columns to the office via fax; later on, he found somebody to scan them and then send them to me via email—as JPEG or PDF attachments. This is still how we roll and I don’t expect any belated migration to a word processor. It’s part of his charm.
Going through somebody’s copy, regularly and for a long period of time, is an unusual way of getting to know him even though there is little person-to-person interaction. I feel that over the years, I have gotten to know Mr. Jurado well—in terms of the issues he chooses to write about, how often he writes about them, and of course, how he expresses himself. When you’ve read someone as closely and as often as I have Mr. Jurado, you can feel like you’re carrying their voice in your head.
I’ve been adequately informed about numerous aspects of his life story. Over the years he has written about his time as a student at the Ateneo when it was still on Padre Faura, as a young journalist for a newspaper in Cotabato City, as a young man so smitten by the woman of his dreams, whom he pursued doggedly until she agreed to be his wife.
I have followed, and know all too well, the story of his pursuits as a business reporter and how he has managed to go full circle in print, radio and television over his decades-long career. I know which big figures in business and politics he came into contact with. I can guess pretty much his political leanings and where he stands on many issues.
And now these stories will be in a book—The Road Never Ends.
It never ends, indeed. At his age, Mr. Jurado continues to write about his observations of what is happening in the Philippines, from the lens of somebody who has seen much, and done much. Talk about gravitas.
His book, which will be launched in January, is a fitting summation of a life well lived and a career well executed. You really can’t separate Emil Jurado the man from Emil Jurado the journalist. Who he is is informed by his experiences and insights in his nearly 70 years in journalism.
The stories are compelling. They tell of the journey of a young boy from the province and who saw the best and worst of people during definitive times in Philippine history.
They are instructive. Mr. Jurado had a way of getting into scrapes—and a flair for getting out of them, emerging better than before.
They are inspiring. They have a clear message to younger journalists like me and those who will come after. Atty. Jurado had the opportunity to practice a lucrative legal career, but didn’t. He stayed in journalism instead. It tells us that there are truly some things money cannot buy, and that journalists have a real chance to make a difference, no matter how small.
Congratulations, sir. It is quite an experience, knowing you from the copy you send me thrice a week, and being part of this book project. Let’s stay true to your book’s title—and keep the stories coming, Santa Banana!