Soliven to receive congressional award

The House of Representatives will confer the Congressional Medal of Achievement on The STAR’s late publisher and chairman of the board, Max Soliven.

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. said yesterday he would hand the award to Soliven’s family today or tomorrow.

"We are extolling him for being one of the greatest journalists produced not only by the Philippines but by Asia, and for being one of the greatest Filipinos of our time," he said.

He was also one of the founders of "two of our country’s greatest newspapers — The Philippine STAR and the Inquirer," De Venecia said.

The Congressional Medal of Achievement is the highest award that the House gives to Filipino achievers. Soliven would be the first Filipino journalist to receive the award.

Soliven was De Venecia’s teacher in journalism at Ateneo de Manila University in the 1950s.

"We have a long association as friends," De Venecia said.

He said the last public gathering they attended together was the Congress Night of the Manila Overseas Press Club last Oct. 30.

"Max was the one who introduced me. He told the audience that I was the best student in English and his most promising student," he recounted.

"He was a character of enormous charm, an irrepressible teller of tales and anecdotes, a man who lived life fully and made a name as only a few of his generation could: to be a critic of government, of presidents, of members of Congress, and of those in society who tried to undo the way of life as we know it (like the coup plotters)," De Venecia said.

Father figure

Last Tuesday, three of Soliven’s siblings paid tribute to him, saying he had sacrificed a lot for them.

Willy fondly remembers his brother as the one who became their father figure when their father, Benito, died in 1943.

"He (was) a courageous guy. In school, he would protect us from bullies. Aside from that, he brought food to our table with his meager earnings from his first job as a plant manager," he told the crowd of mourners.

Among those who attended Soliven’s wake at the St. Ignatius Cathedral in Camp Aguinaldo were former chief justice Hilario Davide Jr., former Philippine National Police chief Arturo Lomibao, former senator Loren Legarda, singer Aiza Seguerra and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon.

"You never left us, for you are always in our hearts," Willy said of his brother.

For Vic, who was popularly known in the business community as V.V. Soliven, his brother always inspired him and kept him on the go.

"Whatever I have become now, I owe a lot of it to my brother Max," he said.

Soliven’s sister Mercy said her brother was really destined to become a journalist because, even as a teenager, he displayed an exceptional writing prowess that earned him the admiration of their late father.

"When my father was in his death bed, we were called by him. And the first one to enter the room was Max. And he told him, son, if you are thinking of moving into politics someday, you better not. You are good at writing. Spare yourself from the burden and the heartaches and sufferings that politics would bring," she said.

Mercy said her brother was then nearly 14 years old, and was the associate editor of his grade school paper.

She said their father told Soliven that through his writing, he would be able to serve both God and country.

"And so he wrote until the last day of his life," she said.

Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, the secretary-general of the Moro National Liberation Front, said while Soliven was often critical of secessionist groups in the south, he was balanced and fair in his writings.

"In most of his commentaries, he offered suggestions and opinions on how to go about with the concerns and issues he tackled. His opinions helped us a lot in the formulation of our ideas as Muslim political leaders," Sema said.

Speaker Paisalin Tago of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said while Soliven was "critical and hard-hitting... all of his commentaries about the Filipino Muslim communities were obviously aimed at improving the Moro communities. Those were constructive criticisms."

Lawyer Nabil Tan, deputy presidential adviser on the peace process, said Soliven has written so many inspiring commentaries about the Mindanao peace process.

ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan said he saw in Soliven a person with an utmost love for peace and sustainable development.

"All of his columns about Southern Mindanao gave us very important insights from a third party, Mr. Soliven no less," he said.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said Soliven was a "mentor and friend" who taught him the meaning of loyalty and "genuine friendship."

"While many remember and extol him as the quintessential journalist, I have fond memories of him as an all-weather friend who had stuck with me through thick and thin," he said. — With James Mananghaya, John Unson