Eugenia Apostol, Inquirer founder and press freedom champion, dies at 100
MANILA, Philippines – Journalist and publisher Eugenia “Eggie” Apostol, who fought the Marcos dictatorship and the Estrada presidency through her magazines and newspapers, has died. She was 100.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), the publication Apostol founded, confirmed her death on Monday, September 14.
“A fearless voice for truth and press freedom has fallen silent,” the Inquirer wrote on its Facebook page.
“Philippine Daily Inquirer founding chairperson Eugenia ‘Eggie’ Apostol has died at 100, leaving behind a legacy that helped shape Philippine journalism through some of the country’s most defining moments.”
Apostol — Tita Eggie to generations of journalists — founded PDI in 1985, a few months before the People Power Revolution that toppled the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. It was preceded by the Philippine Inquirer, a weekly newspaper launched to cover the trial of soldiers accused in the assassination of opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Apostol was already a prominent figure in the alternative press, which challenged the Marcos regime’s control over the media during the Martial Law years.
She was publisher of Mr. & Ms. Special Edition, which carried reports and commentary critical of the dictatorship at a time when independent journalism faced censorship and other restrictions.
One of the paper’s editors was Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, who eventually became PDI‘s editor-in-chief from 1991 until her death in 2015.
In 1999, Apostol established Pinoy Times, a hard-hitting tabloid staffed by veteran journalists that became known for its exposés on then-president Joseph “Erap” Estrada and his administration.
Apostol is remembered by her peers for her fearlessness and integrity — qualities that shaped the journalistic work of the publications she helped build.
“Eggie was a woman of extraordinary strength and courage, someone I had the privilege of knowing. She built the Inquirer on a foundation of truth and independence and fiercely protected those values through the years,” said Marixi Prieto, who succeeded Apostol as PDI chair, in a statement.
“I will always remember the many times she stood up for our reporters and editors and defended their right to expose wrongdoing, no matter how powerful the people involved. Those moments captured so much of who she was — strong, principled, courageous, and unwavering in what she believed was right.”
Apostol received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts in 2006 for her contribution to Philippine journalism and democracy.
The award citation recognized Apostol for using the press to challenge authoritarian rule, and for her role in building newspapers that helped Filipinos access independent information during periods of political crisis.
“The board of trustees recognizes her courageous example in placing the truth-telling press at the center of the struggle for democratic rights and better government in the Philippines,” it said. – with a report from Delfin Dioquino/Rappler.com
