Dirty debutantes: Young Star at 15

How long ago is 15 years? When Young Star started in 1996, we didn’t use the Internet. (Given that fact, I might as well have started with, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”) But back then, we’d have to have our columns done and ready the night before (or very early in the morning), printed out and collated into three copies for each of the section editors and sent to a) the residence of the Philippine STAR chief lifestyle editor and YS creator Millet Mananquil or b) the STAR offices at the Port Area in Manila. (The fax machine was never quite as reliable.) The copy would then be inputted into the main computer, edited and more often than not, improved upon. None of us, to my knowledge, took pictures so we were helped along by the STAR’s photography department. (Most of who were already veterans in the field and had already won major awards in photojournalism. I can only imagine their bemusement at being paired with us.) Most likely, we didn’t caption these pictures. Neither did we ever provide subheads — or decks, if you prefer — for our articles (which would’ve made the task of our editors even more exasperating). It certainly didn’t help that what we writing seemed to be very peculiar and particular to our generation. But we were encouraged to tackle things that really mattered maybe to us. It’s that, more than anything else (including the lack of access to cyberspace), which impresses upon me how long 15 years actually is.

At the time, there was no “youth section” in any major daily that was actually being written by the youth. More often than not, it was professionals who wrote for sections aimed at a more youthful market. Nothing wrong with that and a lot of them were quite good. (They’re all writing for the STAR now.) But a lot of them I can’t even imagine ever being children. That’s quite hard to imagine now, given that everything today seems to be increasingly run by kids — including a lot of institutions in government actually.

But taking into consideration what we were like (as detailed above) it was probably that way because no one else thought it would be a good idea to let a bunch of children with no prior qualifications other than their age to be published anywhere but their school papers. Or probably write except in our own diaries. (On both counts, I confess to being deficient; I never did manage to write anything further than a single line in any diary.) But the STAR did.

I think I can speak for the rest of the first batch of YS columnists as well as all the others that have written in these pages the past 15 years in saying that we’re truly grateful.

For sure, we did get a lot of guidance (and sometimes reprimands) but we were given a lot of freedom to write what we wanted. But it’s only now, working as an editor for the section and other publications, that I fully appreciate what kind of effort it must’ve taken for our “elders” during those early years. The faith they had in each of us was nothing short of extraordinary.

In my case, for which I can only speak for myself here, I would be hard-pressed to see why anyone — most especially our lifestyle chief — would think of giving me a column. Certainly it wasn’t the writing. Rereading some of my stuff in the ‘90s is particularly excruciating. (It’s comforting to know that the online archive of my articles doesn’t stretch that far back.) It was like learning to walk the trapeze, but in front of a paying audience already.

If not for their constant encouragement and reassurance, I probably wouldn’t be in a publishing. Or any field that requires both imagination and a good work ethic, not to mention a measure of intelligence without being terribly dull. If not for YS, I might have settled for running for public office

Young Star’s true legacy is not only that it was a tremendous commercial success, which it unreservedly was. (Soon after, other papers started getting young[er] writers than their usual to write for them.) Rather it’s the fact that reading the roster of people who got their start in YS is quite remarkable enough. Apart from a bunch of award winners for writing (including the Palancas), the list includes people who’ve become trendsetters, game-changers, and trailblazers in variety of fields. I’m proud to have worked in YS alongside them.

For my part, I’m still here, the only leftover from the original class of ‘96. I’m actually making a career of it. (In other words, they’re paying me for something I’d do for free.) The fact that the Young Star section today is the best it’s ever been is not only proof that it still runs on the same vision and passion as 15 years ago but that all that work and trust all throughout these years in us was not misplaced.

In a lot of ways, I think we’re just getting started.