FIRST, EJ Obiena, the pole vault ace from Tondo, Manila, was called a thief. That he stole the salary of his Ukrainian (not Russian) coach, Vitaly Petrov. That’s a charge as serious as it can be. Next, Obiena was accused of not giving Petrov’s salary on time. That Obiena must…
Published April 13, 2021, 12:08 AM
The quiet general, who was the source of his troops’ quiet confidence in battle, that was what Crispulo Julio “Jun” Icban, Jr. meant to the Manila Bulletin reporters.
Now that the “general” is gone, MB reporters can’t help but reflect on how their beloved “Sir Icban” made them believe that they were each extraordinary, even if all one did was perform a job.
“Reporters, like a normal person, have insecurities. For a bunch of reasons, I sometimes feel limited or not as good when compared to my colleagues from other media outfits,” said Ellson Quismorio, an MB reporter since August 2003.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Senator Richard Gordon said Icban’s death is a “very irreparable loss to the media industry.”
“So very sad that my very dear friend Jun Icban of the Bulletin has passed on. He was a journalist for all seasons. His death is a very irreparable loss to the industry,” Gordon said on his Twitter post.
“He was soft-spoken and totally respected for his kindness and took his job very professionally,” he further said.
According to Gordon, he has known Icban, a former Press Secretary during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration, for the last 50 years.
“I am sure that we will all feel the deep void from his loss. We condole with the family of Jun Icban and the Bulletin folks. We pray for the repose of his soul and that may he rest in peace,” he said.