Gerry Gil was buried Sunday and by now, we have
read an impressive range of touching and eloquent praises of his impact
on the national scene and our everyday lives. I shared my own memories
with his family and friends at the necrological service last Saturday.
For our readers, let me share this tribute.
Gerry was a Stanford buddy. It was not an
easy link, because the business school had its rigorous and regimented
schedule, but the closely knit Filipino community of some 25 grad students
provided the bonding. There were the touch football (he was a good
wide receiver) and basketball (he could shoot) games, the Filipino
night at the International Center, and the weekend escapades to San
Francisco. It was easy to coax Gerry for a favor or a get-together,
at which time he would regale us with his jokes which someday, someone
should immortalize. And yes, in the relaxed California environment,
he had a girlfriend (at least the one I know of), a Korean grad student.
Gerry studied under the best, Wilbur Schramm, the
communications guru then, and he would imbibe the finest courses that Stanford
could offer, like the one by the historian Arnold Toynbee. One could
not help but feel that with his superior intelligence and his education,
Gerry was really overqualified for many of his responsibilities. Some twenty
years after obtaining his doctorate in Communications Research at Stanford,
he would still look and behave like the laid-back, grad school genius.
He was outstanding in his craft, in journalism and
in in research, and now, we can only speculate about what other careers
he could have pursued with perfection. And be more sorry for his
loss. But before the time of grieving passes, I must as his business
school buddy, volunteer for some program of action.
One is an anthology of his editorials and columns.*
Ordinarily, these publications constitute what is described as the "vanity
press," reprints of forgettable speeches and stories to be inflicted on
an unwary visitor. Gerry's book will be different. His writings
which make enjoyable reading show a great mastery of the craft. Our
once and future journalists would draw many a lesson from them.
A second project is to ask fellow businessmen and
Gerry's many friends to join together in building an endowment fund for
a faculty chair in journalism at the UP. ** Gerry was outstanding
both as a journalist and as a teacher. His examples and his work
should be held up to students of print and broadcast. Since my years
in government, I have been impressed by the talent, enthusiasm, and honor
in the band of economic reporters, and one can only hope that the tribe
of outstanding journalists will increase. Gerry should be installed
as one of journalism's beacon's, and with that, we raise our hopes for
media and the Philippine democracy.
Peter Garrucho
Manila Standard
Opinion column
July 31, 1995
Ed: * Wordsmith With a Slingshot is the result.
** A UP chair already
has been established. There also is established a GGF, the Gerry
Gil Foundation.