Got a tip? Send it to us at manila@coconuts.co.
Veteran editor and columnist Neal Cruz died Tuesday at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. He was 85.
He leaves behind his wife Marina Novenario Cruz; children Doris, Dennis, and Dr. Dinna Cruz; and grandchildren Lyanne and Ysabel.
Cruz’s remains will be cremated and the wake will be held starting Wed, Jul 29, at the Mount Carmel Church, New Manila in Quezon City.
Cruz was a two-time president of the National Press Club of the Philippines and founding chair of Samahang Plaridel, an organization of journalists and media communications professionals.
At the time of his death, he was a columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
He was also editor-in-chief and columnist of the Daily Globe, The Manila Chronicle and The Daily Tribune.
During the pre-martial law years, he was managing editor and columnist of the Philippines Daily Express; desk editor and Malacañang reporter of The Evening News; senior deskman at The Manila Chronicle and Literary Editor of paper’s This Week Magazine.
At the University of Santo Tomas where he graduated with a BS Literature major in Journalism, he was managing editor of the UST campus journal, The Varsitarian.
Neal Cruz together with the late Pat Gonzales, former editor in chief of the Manila Bulletin, founded the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum during the martial law years to test the limits of press freedom during the Marcos dictatorship.
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
