The Capitol

Remembering the Capitol

by Edna Penaflor, Class 1972

It was hard, I must admit, to fill in the shoes of a Capitol editor. (Note: The Capitol has been known as one of the best high school papers among public high schools in Quezon City; the Quezon City High School being the pioneer high school in the area.)

The Capitol has consistently reaped top awards both in local and national secondary press conferences, as long as I can remember, an impressive track record you might say which, I may add, was a tall order to match for every student editor who was on board.

I learned that truth when I took over the post of chief editor in my senior year.

Having received no training from my predecessors, I realized there was more to writing than scribbling sentences on the back of a notebook. It was no walk in the park, really. There was lay outing to do, editing proofs and manuscripts, conducting interviews, covering school events, photo selection, beating deadlines, press work and conferences, etc.

Looking back from the raw years of my career, I would say I was schooled from the realities of it all. Plantsado, sabi nga. For me, the pressure of being a chief editor was too overwhelming. It alienated me from my class in my senior year, unable to experience the school fun my classmates were having. I was labeled more of “the Capitol” than being a 1V-1 cp (College Preparatory) student. It was my destiny.

There were times when the situation was more than I could chew. I could have chewed more Juicy Fruit gum then to calm down the fluttering butterflies in my stomach and wished I were a regular high school student, free of hassles, minding my own academics, and enjoying my young life with friends.

Of course, that did not exactly happen. In those days, I would find myself working late in the Capitol room, alone and confused, burdened with piles of work. Uncertain I was, but work I must. So I did.

The only voice I could hear then was the voice inside my head telling me to go on and to finish what I was supposed to be doing. For one thing, I had the support of my family. They reminded me that I was learning the ropes --- patience, diligence, and responsibility. They are values, they said, that would prepare me in my adulthood. Besides, life never ends in high school; rather, it is the beginning of many opportunities and challenges ahead.

The motherly voice of Mrs. Lou Tacorda (my Capitol adviser) was like a gold nugget mined from the ore body. She had more faith in me than I could honestly imagine. She believed in what I could do more than I believed in myself. Her tenacity helped me to focus on the work and to stay at it no matter what.

Her persistence paid off. I endured the isolation. I worked to the bone and gave the best shot I could. Soon, what seemed to be the scales in my eyes, unable to focus, seemed to disappear. I morphed into someone I never knew before. Things that were unclear became so crystal clear in my head. Why didn't I see that before? It was like a flash of lightning. An epiphany, so to speak.

Slowly, I began to appreciate the smell of ink, the paper weight, and everything that was in printing --- the web machines, the slugs and metals, the people who labored for deadlines. I noticed they never complained nor walked out of the job though how insanely press work can be. They just simply did their work. When they did their job, things got done. The product was there before my eyes----The Capitol --- in white glossy paper fresh from the oven. Call me a schmuck, but I never knew such kind of joy. After those hours of labor and sleepless nights, it was truly exhilarating to see the fruit of my labor, right in my hand.

There is truth in saying that work is love and the more you work, the more you are in love. With newspaper work, I found my first love.

True, it is something I could never conquer but would always appreciate the challenges it presents. There is something new to learn everyday. Certainly, there is no formula to perfect the craft but as I go through the process, repetitively, I know I can be better at it.

My staff and I didn't win any award from the national press conference in Surigao that year. However, with the training I got, I learned something invaluable I would forever treasure in my life---the truth that the foundation of my career has been laid out before me. It was more than bringing a trophy back home.

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Edna Penaflor was Editor-in-Chief of The Capitol in 1972. She has long years of experience in news papering and advertising. She earned two university degrees: a BA in Sociology from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and a BS in Journalism from the Lyceum of the Philippines. She was once a newspaper/magazine writer and editor in the Philippines before moving to Canada in 1989. She currently teaches English in Korea and makes both Canada and the Philippines her homes.