'Maximo V. Soliven: The Man and the Journalist'
MANILA, Philippines - In a ceremony loaded with history and nostalgia, Ambassador Preciosa Soliven and Sara Soliven-de Guzman welcomed friends, admirers and colleagues of the late STAR publisher Max V. Soliven to the Peninsula Manila recently for the launch of his biography, Maximo V. Soliven: The Man and the Journalist. The book, authored by Nelson Navarro, chronicles the life and times of the man behind the hard-hitting columns, with insightful glimpses of the significant episodes in the country’s history. Max founded The Philippine STAR, together with Betty Go-Belmonte and Art Borjal, in 1986. Max, who always upheld “faith in the Filipino” as his guiding principle, died on Nov. 24, 2006.
When he was still alive, Max told Nelson that he wanted the latter to be his biographer. And so Max had three instructions to him: Write everything, spare nothing and please exaggerate. “But I don’t have to exaggerate,” says Nelson, “because he is larger than life.” According to Nelson, Max considered journalism a profession second to none. “For our generation of journalists, Max will always stand out as a role model. He is one of a kind and can never be replaced.” What he admired most about Max, Nelson says, was his faith in the Filipino. “He believed in a greater destiny for the Filipino people. No matter how dark the day may be, Max always looks for the silver lining.” 
Sara, who closely worked with Nelson to produce the book, expressed her gratitude to all the guests — most especially to her late father’s closest friends, who made the production of the book possible. Mrs. Soliven, for her part, said, “It’s a wonderful day, a reunion of friends.” She furthered that her meeting Max was destiny and that “I found myself more courageous when Max was in the deepest crisis. I think that’s really a rare blessing and I thank God for that.”
The event was hosted by Johnny Litton. An audio-visual presentation was shown, highlighting the important events of Max’s life and legacy. Sharing their memorable moments with Max in the AVP were Preciosa and Sara, siblings Willie Soliven and Ethel Soliven-Timbol, biographer Nelson Navarro and friends and colleagues Onofre Pagsanjan, National Artist F. Sionil Jose, Oscar Orbos, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Dr. Ricky Soler, PeopleAsia publisher Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, Arthur Lopez and STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte.
(The book is available in Fully Booked, Powerbooks and Solidaridad. You may e-mail maxv.solivenbook@yahoo.com)
