Celebrating 30 years with The STAR
MANILA, Philippines — As I mark my 30th year with The STAR, I often catch myself smiling when people ask how long I have been with the company.
When I tell them, "30 years," the reaction is usually the same — a look of pleasant surprise, followed by an enthusiastic, "30 years?!" Inevitably, they ask what has kept me here for so long.
My answer is simple: The STAR has become my second home. What has kept me here is the sense of belonging this place has given me and the pride of being part of an institution that upholds truthful and responsible journalism.
For three decades, I have had the privilege of walking through The STAR's doors each day—not just as an employee reporting for work, but as someone who has grown alongside the organization and been shaped by the opportunities it has provided. While reporters are often the visible face of journalism, I have spent most of my career behind the scenes as a desk editor for the Business section. It is a role I have embraced with pride, and one that has given me a deeper appreciation for the craft of news-making.
Over the years, I have come to understand that journalism is very much a team effort. Behind every byline is an elaborate network of editors, proofreaders, layout artists, photographers and support staff working together under a tight deadline to deliver credible information to readers. Being part of that process has been both a privilege and a responsibility.
Part of my job as a desk editor is to help shape the articles we publish. I am a proud member of The STAR’s small but dedicated army of desk editors (most of them nameless and faceless), who each day process and refine news copy and ensure that stories are accurate, objective, well-written and consistent with the publication's editorial standards and style. It is meticulous work — one that demands attention to detail and respect for the truth. But sometimes — perhaps the hardest and most painful part of the job — it means waking up to a published headline marred by a glaring error in grammar or spelling, a factual mistake in the text, or a subject-verb agreement mishap that somehow slipped through the final editing process. Those moments, while truly humbling, are part of the journey and a reminder that the pursuit of excellence is a never-ending effort.
Having spent more than half of my adult life at the company, those 30 years mean much more to me than simply the passage of time. They represent not only the countless business stories reviewed, headlines polished and refined, facts checked and deadlines relentlessly met, but also the many memories made, milestones achieved and relationships built over the years.
Those three decades were also marked by far-reaching changes — both in the print industry and within our own newsroom. The industry looks very different today from when I first joined The STAR in 1996. I have witnessed its evolution from the clunky beige desktop computers running MS-DOS (remember WordPerfect, WordStar and those floppy disks), fax machines and pagers to sleek laptops, smartphones, digital platforms and real-time news updates.
With the arrival of the internet, the way people consume news has changed significantly, reshaping the media industry and posing growing challenges to print publications like The STAR. Along the way, I also witnessed how our newsroom evolved with the changing times (work-from-anywhere setups became part of the new normal) and felt the mixed emotions of leaving our run-down yet familiar and beloved home in Port Area, Manila, for a modern, purpose-built four-story headquarters in Parañaque.
Yet through all these changes, one thing has remained constant: The STAR’s commitment to informing the public with truth, fairness and integrity. These guiding principles have given me purpose and clarity, especially in this age of fake news, changing audience habits and the unrelenting competition from digital and social media platforms. They remind me that amid all the noise, credible journalism remains as important as ever.
Beyond my professional growth, The STAR also became deeply woven into my personal life. Somewhere between deadlines and newsroom routines, I got to know the person who would become my husband. What began as an easy workplace friendship blossomed into a lifelong marriage that marks its 29th year this month (as it turned out, our civil wedding in 1997 took place just days after the paper’s founding anniversary).
Together, we built a life, raised a family, and created memories and dreams intertwined with our days in and beyond the newsroom. Our children grew up with vivid memories of our old newsroom in Port Area, always excited for the days when they could join us at work. As I write this, our youngest daughter has just graduated from college — yet another family milestone that The STAR has quietly witnessed alongside us.
That is why, whenever I reflect on my years at The STAR (a timeline that makes me proud of my loyalty, but admittedly a bit terrified, realizing how much of my life has been devoted to one organization), I know that my professional journey cannot be separated from the personal blessings that came with it. The company gave me far more than a career and a source of income; it stood as the backdrop for some of the most meaningful chapters of my life. Few people are lucky enough to spend most of their professional lives in a place they can truly call home. The STAR has been exactly that for me— a second home where I built a meaningful career, found love, developed lasting friendships and created memories I will cherish for a lifetime.
And for that, I will always be grateful.