“Ini an Totoo” signed-off at 76

Ernesto “Ernie” Verdadero, an iconic media figure in Bicol died unexpectedly at 76. Ernie, as he is popularly called, was the quintessential multi-talented guy who made a name for himself as a journalist before completely immersing in politics. He was the ultimate sounding board in local politics in Camarines Sur and had a flair for dissecting political happenings not only in local politics but regional and national as well.

One can see why his media handle, @“Ini an Totoo,” is loved by a throng of followers because of his authoritative style of reporting. As the handle implies, “Ini an Totoo” is literally translated as “this is the truth” or “this is reality” depending on one’s perception of truth or reality. As humans, we often visit memory lanes in reverse starting with the state of play.

His regular weekly column in Bicol Mail, a regional newspaper based in Naga City, reflected his contribution to the community with the currency of someone always on the go and articulating present realities and scoops in the vernacular, if you will, in local political maneuverings. As an activist he had a keen eye for something amiss whether it is the traffic, corrupt practice, or an idea that traces back to politics and politicians.

In his younger years and later in life, Ernie popularized his media handle in broadcast and print journalism that tackled difficult topics or issues with ease. His baccalaureate degree in Arts armed him with a lance and an armor to incisively explore humanities particularly philosophy, history, languages and visual arts. He was a master politician and a seasoned journalist who focused broadly on social sciences as a human being with a scientific approach.

As a fellow journalist who guested at his Global Network News as well as PBN TV 5 programming, I’m awed by Ernie’s loose style of interviewing but probing that brings different perspectives that do not necessarily support his own. That was his professional journalist’s role in a discursive framework that allowed to develop a journalism identity for the profession.

Perhaps his published book, “Ini an Totoo,” a compilation of his previous articles and columns will someday provide a window of his frame of mind particularly in politics with his opinions on many kitchen issues that resonate well to the bottom dwellers of the social pyramid. His thought process as someone who can relate to their miseries, revolves around the role of government and the responsibilities of the citizenry.

His professional journalistic role was both normative and cognitive that brought democracy alive in the local scene. Being a politician, he had a keen understanding of the inner workings of political maneuverings that differentiates the proper workings of democracy to a corrupted one. His brief stint in politics gave us an indication that politics, while a staple for him, is really outside his cognitive journalistic role. Rightfully so because it was in his DNA to hold truth to power.

His practiced role as a politician didn’t harmonize well with his own aspirations for a better society and the longer that he stayed in that role, he realized would have consumed him and morphed his ideology into something he probably won’t recognize and eventually regret. The political system in the Philippines is such that it would welcome an idealistic and principled newcomer to the tradition and turn her/him into one of their own as a traditional politician, in the long run. His ability to retain his badge as a journalist who assumed a practiced role being a politician, and a narrated one in print and broadcast made him a unique practitioner who saw and lived through the issues from both ends of the spectrum.

Such is the value of what Ernie offered us as a public servant and an astute member of the fourth estate. Ernie was a good friend who opened doors for me in journalism and social undertakings. His pleasant demeanor was endearing and made him a better person. I will truly miss him, his wit, and most of all, his humanity.