Press freedom icon Eugenia Duran Apostol dies at 100
MANILA, Philippines — Veteran journalist and newspaper publisher Eugenia Duran Apostol, a prominent figure in the fight for press freedom during the Martial Law era, died on Sunday, September 13. She was 100.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation described Apostol as a “fearless champion of truth and press freedom” in a Facebook post announcing her death.
Apostol received the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts for her contributions to Philippine journalism.
The foundation described her as “a courageous Filipino journalist whose various writings and publications were instrumental in planting seeds of hunger for democratic rights during the Philippine Martial Law era.”
In 1981, Apostol became part of the so-called “mosquito press,” a group of publications that carried reports and commentaries critical of the dictatorship of then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Following the assassination of former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. in 1983, Apostol published a special edition of Mr. & Ms. that documented Aquino’s assassination and burial amid growing opposition to the Marcos administration.
Two years later, in 1985, Apostol, Betty Go-Belmonte and Max Soliven founded the Philippine Daily Inquirer as the country faced a deepening political crisis.
Apostol also served as an editor of The Manila Times and The Manila Chronicle.
She later founded Pinoy Times, a tabloid known for reporting allegations of corruption involving the administration of former President Joseph Estrada.
For her contributions to journalism and press freedom, Apostol received numerous honors. In 1999, the University of Santo Tomas recognized her with the Outstanding Thomasian Alumni Award for Media.
Apostol was born on September 29, 1925, in Sorsogon.
She graduated magna cum laude in 1949 with a Bachelor of Literature in Journalism degree from the former Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Santo Tomas.
As a student, she was also a writer and columnist for The Varsitarian, the university's official student publication.
Apostol's career spanned decades of Philippine history, with her work often reflecting her commitment to independent journalism and the defense of press freedom.
