Presidential bets nagbigay-pugay sa Inquirer EIC Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc

“An end of an era.”

Nitong bisperas ng Pasko, imbes na magdiwang, marami ang nalungkot dahil sa pagpanaw ng editor-in-chief ng Philippine Daily Inquirer na si Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc.

Umulan ng pakikiramay mula sa mga kilalang personalidad at mga politiko ang tanggapan ng PDI, sister company ng Bandera, sa pagpanaw ni Magsanoc, isa sa mga tinitingala at kinikilalang imahe sa Philippine journalism.

Isa na sa mga naunang nagbigay ng kanilang pakikidalamhati ay ang mga presidential bets.

Nanguna si Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte,  na kamakailan lang ay sumalang sa round-table interview with Inquirer editors kasama ang pumanaw na si Magsanoc, ang maagang nagbigay ng pakikiramay.

“The passing away of Letty Jimenez Magsanoc ironically on Christmas eve marks the end of an era,” ayon kay Duterte, kasabay ang pagkilala na ang pumanaw na EIC ng PDI ay “one of the leading lights in the struggle for press freedom during the Marcos years.”

“She continued to be a fierce advocate of public accountability and transparency in the post-Edsa period down to her last breath,” dagdag pa nito. “Unlike other freedom fighters who succumbed to indifference and sometimes bitterness, she never lost her zest for life and optimism. Unlike many whose constant exposure to the harsh realities of a fallen world have pushed themselves to apathy, she continued to hope in the goodness of people.”

Bilib na bilib din umano siya kay Magsanoc dahil “she shunned influence and privilege like a plague.”

“I believe these are the reasons why she remained credible until the end,” dagdag pa niya.

Sa pagbisita niya sa Inquirer noong Oktubre, nagtiyagang maghintay si Duterte kay Magsanoc na kailangan pang isara ang pahina ng Inquirer. Anya pa, malaki ang pagtingin at paghanga niya sa journalist na matindi ang paninindigan para sa institutsyon na kanyang pinagsisilbihan.

“I was not surprised when she asked what my position is on the Freedom of Information Bill considering her unyielding position to public accountability and transparency. Without batting an eyelash, I told her I am all for it,” dagdag pa nito.

Nangako si Duterte na sakaling manalo sa eleksyon ay tutuparin niya ang pangako kay Magsanoc na gawing batas ang Freedom of Information Bill.

“It is the least that I can do for one whose sacrifices for the cause of press freedom and the struggles towards a better nation can never be fully appreciated,” dagdag pa ng alkalde.

Maging si Liberal Party presidential bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas II ang nagparating din ng kanyang pakikiramay.

Nagbigay-pugay rin ito sa editor na lubos umano ang pakikipaglaban para sa malayang pamamahayag.

“She brought honor to Philippine journalism by her insistence on the unvarnished truth, her insistence on fairness in reportage, and her zeal for justice.”

“All these, along with her deep personal integrity, made her what she was: a Filipina who fought the dictator and grafters and crooks with an unyielding commitment to having a country where no one would be oppressed, and where all would live without fear or want,” dagdag pa ni Roxas.

“I join the reading public in mourning her passing. My family and I extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to her family and her colleagues in the Philippine Daily Inquirer,” dagdap pa nito.

Nais naman ni Senador Grace Poe, isa sa mga nangungunang presidential bet, ang nagsabi na dapat bigyang papuri si Magsanoc para sa kanyang “courage, dedication and incisiveness that significantly contributed to the freedoms that the Filipino people enjoy today.”

“Letty’s spirit will live on in the journalists, advocates and influencers she has touched with her brand of fearless but responsible journalism, as well as in every Filipino who believes in truth, transparency and accountability,” dagdag pa ni Poe.