Eggie Apostol: From People Power to education revolution

MANILA, Philippines — Halfway through her five-minute acceptance speech as an awardee of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) in 2006, Eugenia “Eggie” Duran Apostol revealed something with an impish, if not triumphant tone that earned rousing applause: “That I should be chosen as one of the men and women (awardees) was far from my wildest dreams… But there is one aspect of it that I welcome with open arms: the money that goes with it. (Applause and laughter.)

“Not because I need the money for myself. I am lucky that my late husband left me enough for my own needs, but because the award money, P2.53 million by the latest conversion rate (laughter from the audience), will go a long way in helping the education revolution of the Foundation for Worldwide People Power (FWWPP). (Applause.) I launched FWWPP three years ago, which commemorates People Power that we now call Edsa 1 and 2. This was our hope in moving Filipinos away from poverty.

“We go to the schools and help our Department of Education become better and qualified and more effective at character formation. So that our children will grow from little Monchings (Ramon Magsaysay’s nickname) into wonderful and heroic citizens like Ramon Magsaysay.”

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Apostol was the RMAF awardee for Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts.

‘Disturbing presence’

Quoting Magsaysay Jr. who called the awardees “a disturbing presence,” Apostol said with tongue in cheek that, no thanks, she did not qualify as one.

But her years in journalism can easily disprove her. After her baptism of fire during the martial law years, her journalism segued into “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.” For that she had faced military sanctions but with disarming candor. (Read: “Eggie Apostol’s military interrogation,” 9/18/2026)

READ: Eggie Apostol’s military interrogation

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Hailed and best known as a crusading journalist, editor, and publisher who transformed her “lipstick beat” magazines into crusading publications that pushed against the regime (1972-1986) of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., there was more to Apostol as a crusader for other advocacies.

She had founded the Philippine Daily Inquirer in late 1985 during the waning years of the Marcos dictatorship and published the Mr. & Ms. Special Edition that chronicled the aftermath of the 1983 assassination of former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. upon his return to his homeland.

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Street sales of these publications were at their all-time high during those years, adding fire to the impending 1986 People Power Revolution that would topple the Marcos dictatorship and stun the world.

Beyond journalism

But why education? Apostol’s brief speech at the RMAF ceremony gave a peek into her vision. This writer had witnessed the beginnings of her education advocacy at its conception. At a lunch for four in the Malate district, Apostol broached the idea to Good Shepherd Sr. Christine Tan who was known for her work with the urban poor, and Stella “Chinit” Rufino, herself an education and values formation advocate. It was a thumbs-up.

More meetings with education advocates were held. Hands-on education experts were snared in. Veteran educators created modules for teachers meant to reach different areas in the country.

To make a long story short, the Mentoring the Mentors Program (MMP) was soon up and running, first with Dr. Evelina Mejillano who had just retired from the University of the Philippines College of Education as executive director, and later, with Rufino at the helm.

Lawyer and member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission Felicitas Arroyo was also active in the FWWPP board.

Not to forget that Apostol also produced the documentary “Batas Militar” and an Edsa People Power coffee-table book. It was important to her that people would not forget.

In a 2011 Sunday Inquirer Magazine article (“Revolution in the Classroom”), I wrote: “She was not a schoolteacher. But something so possessed Apostol to go beyond journalism and get her feet wet in education. FWWPP embarked on a movement called Education Revolution that first included an adopt-a-school program. Later, MMP would take on a life of its own and targeted principals and teachers from public schools.

“MMP was a mobile program designed to meet the participants in their own localities. Sessions were limited to 65 persons at most to ensure quality and personalized mentoring.”

Twilight years

With the 2019 to 2022 COVID-19 pandemic and dwindling funds, MMP (which later sought to be under the umbrella of a Catholic institution), had to cease operations. But note that some former MMP mentors continue to be called upon by school “sukis” in the provinces. Such was the need. Writing and reading were much-sought-after areas for mentoring.

MMP had run for more than 10 years with its dedicated mentors going the extra mile. But it had not run out of steam, if only…

Apostol would have loved to meet some of the mentors when she was in her twilight years. She died three weeks ago on Sept. 13. She would have turned 101 today.

Eggie Apostol’s P2.35 million award from RMAF going to education revolution was not for naught. It had run its course, but the vision has not faded on the horizon. Would that the universe would grab hold of that vision.

Her “disturbing presence” notwithstanding, Apostol had received numerous awards for her journalism, too many to mention here. For more on Apostol (Tita Eggie, EDA to many), people could read about her in the book “Seven in the Eye of History” (Anvil), edited by Asuncion David Maramba.

Lorna Kalaw Tirol and Vicente Tirol’s lengthy pieces (“Journalism with Flair and Fire” and “Resistance and Triumph”) are the best reads one can get. Or you can look up my Sunday Inquirer cover story “EDA: Beyond the Lipstick Beat,” (March 6, 1994), which I hope to include in a book.

In Lorna K. Tirol’s biographical piece, she quotes Apostol’s longtime friend, writer and publisher Gilda Cordero Fernando, an icon in her own right: “Eggie is a fighter. Give her a good cause and she will fight.”

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Eugenia “Eggie” Apostol was the personification of courage and integrity in her generation. Whither comes another? /cb