How did you get to Thailand? Why this country, of all others?

It was March 1993 -- a mere four months after the Americans withdrew from the Philippines -- when I came to Thailand.  I -- along with thousand other Filipino base workers -- lost my well-paying day job at the U.S. Facility Subic; I was editor-in-chief of the base newspaper, Subic Bay News, and worked directly under the Commander-in-Chief of the US Naval Forces in the Western Pacific.  With the base closed, I was thinking of moving back to my birthplace Manila but not to Bangkok or any other city overseas.  

I wasn’t too keen on going  abroad at the time because I still have a job as editor-in-chief of the city newspaper, Olongapo News; the provincial newspaper, Zambales News; and was concurrently also a stringer for Kyodo News Japan. Going abroad was farthest in my mind.

But the owner of Asean Journals Co., Ltd., the publisher of What’s On group of magazines in Thailand, was a very persuasive man.  When I did not report for the first interview in Manila, he sent me three telegrams until I finally relented.  He thought that with my background in Olongapo, a city that was also an R&R camp town of the Americans, I would be perfect for the Pattaya Mail, which he was just starting then with a partner as the “first English language newspaper” in Pattaya.  

Anyway, I did not become editor of the Pattaya Mail and instead stayed in Bangkok to become group   editor-in-chief of Asean Journals’ travel magazines across the country. I have been a travel and tourism journalist since then.   

Why did I go to Bangkok?  I guess I was always willing to test the limits of my talent and capabilities. I consider myself first and foremost a journalist and would rather write hard news  than frivolous lifestyle capers but I don’t’ say no to anything so I’ve worked with all kinds of publications already – from weekly papers to trade journals, from entertainment rags to lifestyle magazines. :) I can’t fool myself that the future of Olongapo looks bleak after it was out of the American wings, so to speak.  I wanted to stay a humble smallville editor – but was easily persuaded to seek greener pastures.  It seemed a logical career choice, too – becoming a regional journalist.   

Crap aside, my reaction was more like, “What the heck, everybody’s going abroad, maybe I can give it a try for one year.”  I said one year?  That one year became 14 years, and today I’m still here.  I’ve learned to love Thailand and its people, and haven’t regretted making the move, except perhaps sometimes on the family level – I wish I was with my kids all the time (but that’s another story).  

What do you do now? What were the steps you went through to get where you are now?

I am presently editor-in-chief of Lookeast Magazine, one of the longest running publications in Thailand (37 years), and the oldest travel magazine in the kingdom bar none.  I have been a working editor-in-chief for more than 20 years now; starting in 1982.  Journalism is the only career I’ve had in my life. It’s the only job I have been doing since 1982; it’s my life.  I eat, sleep, breathe, dream, live journalism.

I started as a proofreader for the weekly newspaper The Guardian in Olongapo in 1982 then quickly became reporter, news editor, even did cartoons for a while, and went on to become  one of the most popular local journalists at the time. I have written or edited for practically every local English publication in the city until I took nest with Olongapo News in 1986 and later, Subic Bay News.  

Paycheck in the Philippines was abysmal, as I’m sure you know, but I was fortunate to earn decent bread: first with my employment with the Americans, and then with my employment abroad.  But even if I were a “starving journalist” I don’t think I would have stopped being a journalist. Journalism offered me something that helped me get through the years.  I love what I am doing, I love to help make a difference in the world and that I may be able to do it through the world of ideas, through a world of creativity and talent, makes me feel blessed.  I may not be a Rico Hizon (BBC) or a Veronica Pedrosa (CNN) but I’m proud of what I have achieved.  

But I’m proud not only of my writing and editing record. I was proud that for 10 years (from 1982 until I went to Bangkok), I was helping train young journalists. I was a fixture resource person in journalism conferences   and workshops; I conduct private lectures in schools that invite me; I try to inspire aspiring journalists about the craft. One of my students even became a famous TV news personality Arlene Dela Cruz-Bayagbag (I think her surname has changed twice already).  Before going to school in Manila she used to come to my office at Olongapo News for training.

I was also proud to be a part of administration then of Gordon because it allowed me to do help in many ways.  I was member of the Peace and Tourism Council of Olongapo. And because I was close to the mayor’s office, I found myself doing things like helping save people during disasters and participating in city events. I was even emceeing during city fiestas.  

I was also doing charity work with the Jaycees, Rotary, and YMCA. I may not have given much money to causes but I have given much of my energy, time, and even I’m the one saying it, talent.
On  one   side, I was also doing stage and other work with the Kabataang Barangay; I was president of Dularawan Experimental Theater of Olongapo, and I performed, directed, organized and marketed several plays in our city.  Later I became president of the Olongapo-Zambales Media Association.  

Of course, I was also enjoying the perks of the job: rubbing shoulders with the famous (and infamous), the great and the not-so-great, the politicians and celebrities, the heroes and the rogues. I was not only socializing with movers and shakers in the city and in the region, I was helping influence minds. I was in the epicenter of local history in the making.

Job-wise, success came fast, and in 1987, I was selected as one of the first four recipients of the “Outstanding Journalists” award given by the Olongapo Press and Radio Club, the first of the three “Outstanding Journalists” awards I earned in my 10 years of journalism work in the Philippines.

I was always conscious that I was doing an important job, but I wasn’t really chasing a legacy.  In fact, I was trying to continuously better my own self, and my own art and craft through self-learning. But I am aware that if I am to become a good journalist, I should always think about the big pictures, the historical perspectives, the readers, first and foremost. My job is to express not to impress, and I hold a public trust.

Looking back, I’d say I have devoted too much time in my work – I still do – and my personal life did often take a backseat.  Fortunately, my family supports me – I was separated twice but I have four great kids -- and ultimately all my efforts paid off, quite well I would say.  

Honestly, I miss the job recognition I used to get in my Philippine jobs. It’s always nice to be recognized  and modesty aside, I consider the string of awards and certificates in the first 10 years of my career both from the public and private sector, my wealth.  I haven’t received any award or certificate in my work in Thailand – except maybe those from attending the seminars and workshops of the likes of best selling author Jack Canfield (“Chicken Soup for the Soul” fame) and mind-mapping expert Tony Buzan – and yes, that one from the American Press Institute (Copyediting) in 1999.  

But my work life in Thailand has been fulfilling and satisfying even without them. A job well done is a job well done; it’s a reward by itself.  

Work-wise, I always find myself in situations where I have to test the limits of my abilities.  I always try to see how much  I can  take.  While doing full-time editing, I would accept part-time jobs. I did sub-editing with Business Day. I wrote freelance with Bangkok Post in 1994. I was freelancing with The Nation until 2005. I wrote for Business in Thailand, Siam Trade, and other English publications – all while I hold full-time positions.  Where did I get the time? I try to make time, in a manner of speaking.  I like to do a lot of things simultaneously. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don’t. But it’s fine.  

Personal-wise, I have done (and still doing) things some people can only dream about. I work with many creative people; I meet some of the most interesting persons this side of the globe: I travel like a jetsetter without putting a hole in my pocket; I enjoy the pampering of those who knew my value as a travel journalist; I get to try everything from kayaking in Tasmania and getting lost in Sri Lanka to climbing Klein Matterhorn, and a lot of things in between.   

I’ve done and tried things I never thought I would, and I know I’m making my children proud.  I can say with all sincerity and without a patina of arrogance  that, to use a cliché: “I’ve been there, done that, seen this, met many of them (people who matter) – and I’m still young enough to enjoy life with my children and grandkids.  

I also miss, perhaps more, the opportunity to be of service to others in a more direct way like I did in the Philippines, although I’m trying to remedy that. Doing something to help raise the Filipinos’ appreciation of their own culture and tradition, as Siam Pinoy hopes to achieve, would be great.   

How did I get to where I am now?   Haven’t really thought where I am now, but even when I was just sixteen, I know that I was already consciously enriching myself with what I believe can help me reach my future goals.  I am probably what they call an auto-didact and I have to learn a lot on my own in my pursuit of career excellence. It was not a royal road, indeed; it took a lot of hard work, persistence, guts, and determination.

You could say that I put in a lot. I was a voracious learner, although I don’t consider myself a nerd.  As a grade school kid, I was reading world history textbooks of my elder sister Beth. As a teenager, I drown myself with the poetry of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Alejandro Abadilla as well as with the philosophy and Voltaire and Santayana. I was reading books like Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, The Little Prince, Grapes of Wrath.  To me, they are not just entertainment; I look to them to expand my own view of the world, to find the meaning of my own existence.  

{mospagebreak} As a young busboy doing catering for the Aristocrat Restaurant when I was a working-student, I was consciously listening to Renato Constantino’s or other bigwigs’ speeches, political or otherwise, absorbing what I can when I can, thinking I will be able to use them some time; and I was right.  As a performing talent with the Bata Batuta Children’s Theatre and Television -- my first paying job incidentally – and later with the KB drama folks I was bent not only improving my personality but also learning  more about life and the world. Working with the likes of Johnny Manahan, Maria Montelibano, Bonnie Weisntein, Caloy Atayde, Bong Penera, Geleen Eugenio, Rene Requiestas, Subas Herrero, and more, was a great experience.   

But I don’t think I would get to where I am now without the help from my parents. By allowing me to be myself; by believing that I can do what I want if I truly put my mind into it, they made me who I am today. My father was a smart, funny, creative, kind, nurturing  soul and so was my mother.  

My mother’s bedtime stories became the rock bed of my love for stories and books. My father’s music became the strength that gets me through during the bad days in my life.  They inspired the left and right sides of my brain and all the nook and crannies of my heart. Their love and liberal ways encouraged me to find my own way in own way and fill my spirits to this day. My parents were my first idols (I just hope my kids would have similar good thoughts of me, an absentee overseas worker father that I am).

By the way, I must mention the guy who was a big influence in my becoming a writer: Mr. Renato Saballo, my English teacher at National Teachers College, Manila.  After “discovering” my “writing talent,” he encouraged  me  to write more, read more, and live more. He entered me in competitions – I was the national essay writing champion in 1978 -- brought me to see stage plays and concerts, gave me books and magazines way beyond my age to read.  

I’m not sure I would have the confidence to be a writer had he not given me the tools to gain that confidence.  Once he gave a book by Nick Joaquin – “Portrait of the Filipino as an Artist” – he scribbled: “In my dreams, I saw a certain Percy Roxas surpassed Nick Joaquin…”  I know I can never surpass or even equal the greatness of Nick Joaquin but I know I should not stop trying.

What challenges did you face or are facing in your line of work?

Everything is a challenge; even just trying to be physically fit all the time for my kind of work. J

Seriously though, it’s a difficult question. The role of an editor has changed drastically through the years. The Age of Intelligence, as experts call this era, has brought so much change in the way things are done, and in the editorial office, in the way a newspaper or magazine is designed and created, in how information are being disseminated and gobbled up, and more.  But to these things, the editors can adapt and adjust. I consider job  challenges normal.

By itself, it’s already a challenge to write not just  good  but  better in a language that is foreign to you. It’s a challenge to compete in a multi-racial, multi-cultural work environment and with different perceptions of what is true, good, and beautiful. It’s a challenge to get ahead.

More daunting perhaps is earning the trust of your co-workers – both Thai and otherwise -- as a worker and as a person; showing that you are worthy of respect, proving that you deserve your title and position.  As a stranger in a foreign country, you walk a thin line; whatever you do, you are always a second  class citizen. Still, this should not stop you from performing your best. I always try to do my best and give 101 percent all the time.

An eternal challenge is keeping up with all the developments in my career. But editors don’t stop learning, nor should every one. As an editor, I always try to follow the best practices of the trade. I try to keep myself updated with the knowledge and issues around the world. I try to constantly develop myself (thank God to the Internet for making that easier) and remain as competitive as ever.

I’m sorry to say this but sometimes I rue that it’s rather difficult to practice “real journalism” in the Thai milieu, particularly in the travel and tourism magazines, which are so advertising-oriented. Often we bend the rules to accommodate the wishes of the advertisers because we need the revenue.

I use to pull my hair in frustration when my writers, subs, page designers and other co-magazine workers (even publishers sometimes don’t know anything about proper journalism) fail to live up to accepted journalistic standards.  I still do, in fact. But one can only ask so much.  We must do our best with what is given us.  Work must be finished whether it’s perfect or not. We do not live in an ideal world.  

Speaking from experience, and without elaboration, I think the best journalistic practices, in my present publication for example, is yet to happen.  I can cite a litany of other factors but I’d rather not bore you or your readers. There’s an appropriate forum for this.    

To this day, I’m still waiting for my dream magazine or newspaper.  But I loved my previous stint with Travel Asia (one of the trade publications I did for Singapore-based Venture Asia Publishing as regional correspondent for Thailand and Indochina). And my years with Subic Bay News were among the best years of my working life; this is where I learned to be a “serious” journalist, thanks to Felan Esguerra.

How about the dream job?  Don’t’ I have it already? My life’s been a dream, really.  I cannot ask for more.  My work gives me the right dose of stress to make my adrenalin juice flowing, the right challenges to keep me on my feet at all times, the right attitude to keep me both strong and humble, the right conflict to help me become a sensitive and caring, the right perks to make career rewards more honey sweet.

Yes, balancing work and personal life is always a challenge especially when you work in a foreign country. I can’t see my family all the time and homesickness slips in from time to time. I wish I can enjoy the perks and privileges of my job  with them but I’m too far away. But we must do our  best with what is given us. To quote Lennon: “Life is too short for fussin’”     

Is being a Filipino a challenge in your field of work or not? Why or why not?

In a sense, it is. Being a foreigner using a foreign language in a foreign land is not easy, to put it simply.  Even if you’re not a Filipino, you have to prove myself – to your foreign boss, to your foreign staff, to other foreign journalists, to your readers, to the world.   

Although we’re supposed to be living in a politically-correct world, discrimination and prejudices, albeit perhaps more subtly, still exist in our midst. We just have to live with them.  Sometimes, even now, in functions and events I attend, I can feel how some people, Thais and otherwise, are treated unfairly because of their color, ideas, perceived higher status, or worst, the way they look.  I can  see how some people can be unfair, biased, and judgmental.

But you can’t let this people get to you.  I don’t.’

I think in general -- as far as Filipinos in Thailand are concerned -- discrimination is hardly an issue.  We’re among the most adaptable and flexible of all peoples and we’re survivors.  We also know how to love even at ourselves.  And yes, most Thais I meet love and respect Filipinos. I have more close Thai friends now than Filipinos and I enjoy their company a lot.  

As a Filipino, I find myself being careful of my actions; I am acutely aware that things I do might be perceived as things Filipinos do and these can affect how my country  and people are perceived.  Sometimes I slip; I’m only human. But I try to show the best attributes of a Filipino as much possible.

What experiences have you had which are worth sharing to other Pinoys?

When everything else is said and done I am just a regular guy.  My personal experience is as unique  as yours.  

If you’re asking about experiences related to working and living in Thailand, I think we all have our own stories to tell.  Some may be good, some may be bad, and some may be really painful.  I almost gave my life up when my company – Bangkok Etcetera – had to shut down  in 2005. I thought I’ve lost everything and went  home in the Philippines for a while.  But after whining for a while, I realized that I cannot give up, and I must rise up where I fell down. So I returned to Bangkok to face my demons.    

Looking back, I see that experience as just another phase of life, just another learning process. I believe it made me a stronger and better person. Will I go back into business again?  I’m just taking my time.   

Let me quote an aphorism by Eric Hoffer to summarize my view of experience: “Those that are unique and worthwhile in us are felt only in flashes, if we do not know how to savor these flashes, we are without growth and exhilaration.”  

For those who want to do the same as you did, or want to get where you are now, what advice would you give them?

I am not really fond of telling people what to do – well, except my editorial staff -- but yeah, in a capsule: if you want to get where you want to go, then work hard, focus  on  your goals, strive with dedication, determination, persistence, and always be compassionate. Most importantly, never give up!  

My personal motto is imagine like a child, create like an artist, think like a scientist, feel like a lover, love like a parent, work like you’re the business owner -- and live like the world is ending tomorrow. If you have to break rules, learn the rules first. Find your equilibrium because we all need balance in our lives.

In short, work hard but don’t be afraid to play hard too. Also, don’t be afraid to fail. When you fall, try to get up fast.

What are your thoughts about Siam Pinoy and how else can we improve what we do?

I think Siam Pinoy can be a good  platform for all Filipinos in Thailand. It’s praiseworthy that you are thinking community, not  individual self. I’d like to be part of that.  But you need a good team to execute your good intentions, so find those similar-minded people, make them part of the website and don’t give up!   

I suggest that you run Siam Pinoy like mainstream media, meaning don’t wait for content, go out and get it – interview the Philippine ambassador for starters -- and present it with all the merits of good journalism. Be accurate, be clear, be fair, be consistent. Be informative, be entertaining, be educational, be inspiring.   

Easier said than done, but please don’t ever, ever give up!  Let’s talk about the specifics – and may revenues -- later. J

What thoughts do you have that you want to share with the community?

Never give up on the Philippines and the Filipinos!

I just wish we Filipinos in Thailand and everywhere can get over our petty self-interests and get our acts together for the country.  I don’t’ want to sound cheesy but our country needs heroes, and if we are “the new heroes” (sic) indeed – as they say J -- we must live up to it.

Let’s do more than just send money back  home. Here in our midst, we can probably do something to make the whole nation proud.  Let’s not wait for a leader; and we can do it in small ways, too.  

Let’s start a fire among us burning.  Let’s be Filipinos. Let’s belong!

 

By: Percy Roxas 

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