Amando doronila biography of abraham

went on to join other news outlets, including Probe Productions, and is among the founders of Vera Files.

Doro often asked her to pop into his room and help him save the file he was writing in diskettes (both the 5 1/4-inch floppy disk and the 3.5 inch diskette). He could look intimidating with his eyebags that gave him something like a semi-scowl, but he had this almost shy look around him too.

Weeks after Doro’s birthday on 6 February this year, I texted a greeting to him through his son Augustine after another colleague, Margie Logarta, encouraged me to say hello.

In other words, it’s not about ‘me, me and me’ or ‘we, we, we’ (like news organisations that, in today’s selfie culture, can sound like publicity promoters for their editors or managers). Looking back now, it seemed that it was time for them to be together again more in spirit,” Agustin said.

This year, Doronila, who never gave up his Philippine passport despite his Australian residency, launched Part 2 of his memoirs, “DORO: Behind the Byline” published by The University of the Philippines Press, at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.

Accolades from colleagues

Fellow journalists rained praises on Doronila on social media.

Veteran journalist and editor Manuel “Manny” Mogato said the late journalist was in a class of his own.

I saw that he had turned 95, meaning that he was about the age of my father, whom I lost not too long ago. At times, when Booma was not around, I got to take on that role.

More bits and pieces of memory have nudged me in recent weeks. (If you’ve read Doro’s memoirs, you’ll realise that he practiced investigative and accountability journalism even before we used those terms,” reflected Booma Cruz, one of the editors of his memoirs and an ex-‘Chronicle’ staffer who was Doro’s go-to and trusted researcher since the eighties.

This was pre-internet, cable TV days.

But I found myself thinking – with introspection and hopefully some wisdom from more than three decades in news work – about what I learned from him and from being around him, during quite interesting times in Philippine history.

There is also the point, expressed too by other colleagues in Doro’s ‘Chronicle’ team, about appreciating what a true-blue newshound he was, particularly when seen against the backdrop of the polarised, at times muck-filled information spaces of today.

You could almost see Doro’s always curious mind processing information as he spoke to other people, whether interviewees or reporters in the office.

I wondered again. Who said that all reporters ought to become editors (the two roles do not always involve interchangeable skills and some are better at one but struggle at the other), or columnists? He did, adding that he was waiting for his wife to arrive from overseas.

Connections

Married Lourdes Silverio, June 2, 1957.

He did so by living – and in the process showing us – a news work ethic that was professional and steeped in integrity, without fanfare and yes, still possible in a sometimes jaded profession.

“Kung nabasa mo na yung memoirs ni Doro, you’ll realise na he practiced investigative and accountability journalism even before natin nagamit ang terms na yun.

“He did not want to admit he was sick and did not want to go to the hospital.”

“We will inform you of the Zoom link.