A quarter of a
Century with the STAR

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor CEDELF P. TUPAS Sports Editor (On Leave) RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Has a quarter of a century really gone by since the Visayan DAILY STAR first glimmered in the horizon of this region? It was on Easter Sunday, in the year 1982, when the maiden issue of the STAR first hit the streets of Bacolod City. Later, it was to reach out to the towns and cities of Negros Occidental, and Iloilo City, Oriental Negros, and eventually to other provinces in the Philippines, and major cities of the United States and the world, through its online edition.

But the journey of the STAR was not that easy nor that fast. It had to go through years of extreme sacrifice on the part of its founders and staff, during which they had to give thanks everyday that it could still come out.

Not the least of its problems was, naturally, financial, having started publication in what were the worst of times in Negros Occidental, with the price of sugar at its nadir, and the insurgency at what may be called its peak.

Those were the days when Negros was called by no less than Time Magazine an "Island of Fear", and when international media focused heartlessly on the hunger and poverty stalking the hinterlands of the province. The DAILY STAR, no less, also existed in constant fear, not only of being unable to sustain itself, but also, like so many other publications both in Manila and in other cities and provinces, of being harassed or even shut down by the dictatorship then ruling the country.

Somehow, some way, through sheer grit and prayers, the STAR kept on going, surviving threats, intimidation from outside and even conflicts over policy from within.

Through the grace of God Almighty, and the inspiration and prayers provided by our staunchest spiritual supporters like the late Bishop Antonio Fortich, our ever constant friends like Msgr. John B. Liu, Msgr. Guillermo Gaston and Fr. Felix Pasquin, who must have blessed our offices and equipment dozens of times, the STAR has persevered through the years.

And here it is, still shining as brightly as ever, one-fourth of a century after - and raring to go on serving this beloved community, with the grace of God and its support - up to its Golden Day, and even after.*