Disgust at the way big interests were trying to influence the way the previous newspaper they were connected with was covering the Central Azucarera de La Carlota strike at the start of the 80's drove a group of journalists to band together and start the Visayan DAILY STAR.

The three were Ninfa Leonardia, Modesto Sa-onoy and Primo Esleyer who in March 1982 decided they did not want to be dictated upon by business and political interests and would rather venture into their own newspaper. Saonoy and Leonardia were glumly sitting in a car in front of her house discussing their disappointment at how the newspaper they were connected with was going when he half-seriously broached the idea of their starting their own paper.

But Leonardia was apparently of the same mind and approved his suggestion immediately. They then brought Esleyer into their plan.

The "Three Musketeers" rallied friends and relatives to invest P5,000 each along with them, and in a few weeks launched the Visayan DAILY STAR on April 12, 1982, amid snickering from the powers-that-be that they would not be able to make a go of it.

Later members of the staff and other writers also took pay cuts in exchange for stocks in the newspaper. When the STAR began it was called the Newsmen's Newspaper with Esleyer as chairman and first editor, Sa-onoy as president, Leonardia as treasurer and chairman of the editorial board, Albert Lim as manager and printer, and Rafael Golez as office manager.

College journalism professor Allen del Carmen actually did the editing work and Leonardia, who was working at a local bank, squeezed in time from her work there to mentor reporters and the staff.

She also used her salary from the bank on many occasions to pay the salaries of the staff when the paper was not making enough money until she retired from the bank and took on the role of editor-in-chief of the DAILY STAR full time.

Aside from Leonardia, Esleyer and Saonoy other stockholders of the DAILY STAR now are Emma Guatelara now represented by her daughter Ma. Theresa Guatelara-Ancheta, Eduviges Gasataya, Andres Leonardia, Coo By Giok (Roberto Uyquiengco), Segundo Chua, Carmen Lim, Rafael Golez, Rodolfo Señido;

Teody Lopingco, Virgilio Arisola, Simplicio Gamboa Jr., Josefa Puentevella, Roberto Espacio now represented by Corazon Espacio, Hugo Corral Jr., Nestor Jalandoni Jr., Judge Edmund Palermo represented by Ann Marie Palermo;

Fely Vergara, Benjamin Ortega, Erlinda Jara, Ruperto Go, Santiago Alacapa represented by Bella Alacapa, Enrique Dy, Romeo Uy , Virgilo Duyongco, Rafael Salvador;

Larry Tronco and Romulo Ramos now represented by Joan Tronco, Ramon Ledesma, Rolando Espina, Ruperto Toga, Star Printing Corporation, Mary Ann Barcelona, Carla Gomez, Maja Dely, Eli Francis Tajanlangit and Glenn Vincent Leonardia.

Two years after the newspaper started, mounting costs of printing and supplies almost drove the STAR to the ground.

It was the height of the Marcos rule and Negrenses wanted their independent local newspaper to survive, so when the STAR officers went to relatives and friends to once again ask for funds to start a printing press, they came across.

The investors were warned not to expect to make a profit as they were investing in the printing press to help subsidize the costs of producing the DAILY STAR.

It was largely through the efforts of Sa-onoy and Andres Leonardia that Star Printing Corp was born.

Its investors are Ninfa Leonardia, Primo Esleyer, Modesto Sa-onoy, Armando Arceo, Roy Aguilar, Eduviges Gasataya, Napoleon Gonzaga, Rodolfo Lacson, Ramon Ledesma, Andres Leonardia , Cesar Leonardia, Perla Leonadia, Edgardo Lizares, Lodiffi, Wilfredo Mirasol, Fred Pflieder, Jose Ramos, Remo Ramos, Rinaldo Remitio, Engr. Rogelio Tongson, Enrique Rojas, and Carla Gomez.

The current board of the Visayan DAILY STAR is composed of Primo Esleyer as chairman, Ninfa Leonardia - president, Enrique Dy - vice president, Hugo Corral - secretary and treasurer with Ramon Ledesma, Andres Leonardia and Rafael Golez as directors.*CPG

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