Altermidya
By SHERWIN DE VERA
Northern Dispatch
BAGUIO CITY — Kathleen Okubo, a veteran journalist from the Cordillera region, passed away on April 7, leaving the Cordillera press community mourning her loss.
She battled several illnesses before her passing at the age of 71, having celebrated her birthday on March 25.
Kath, as her friends and colleagues fondly called her, grew up immersed in the world of Baguio press and became a significant figure in Cordillera journalism.
Her father, Bernardo, oversaw the printing operations of the Baguio Midland Courier, a newspaper established by her uncle, Sinai (Yoshinai) C. Hamada, in April 1947. Kathleen’s journalism journey began as a cub reporter for the paper, with her first article, covering a school event, published in 1964.
She was one of the founding members of the Cordillera News Agency and later joined the Cordillera News and Features (CNF).
In September 1989, following the closure of CNF, she played a crucial role in the inception of Northern Dispatch (Nordis), initially a news packet.
She was instrumental in Nordis’ transition from a mimeographed dispatch to a community paper in 2002. She served as its editor-in-chief for almost a decade until her retirement in January 2019. She continued contributing as a columnist and editorial consultant until 2022.
“May Kathleen’s warrior spirit and the power of her pen continue to inspire journalists and the media community of Baguio City and the rest of the country. As Northern Dispatch grieves with her family, we celebrate her relentless pursuit of truth and unwavering spirit to serve the marginalized,” the outfit said in a statement announcing her death.
She was also instrumental in establishing the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines chapter in Baguio-Benguet and the now-defunct Ilocos Sur formation.
A survivor of Martial Law, Kathleen reflected on her experiences in her memoir, one of the stories in the book Panaglagip. She considered her writing during those turbulent times her most significant contribution as a member of Kabataang Makabayan.
Despite facing imprisonment during the Marcos dictatorship for her activism, she continued her journalistic pursuits, reporting under a pseudonym for local papers.
Under subsequent administrations, including that of Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, Kathleen faced threats and detention due to her reporting on human rights violations and abuses in the Cordillera region, which authorities accused her of aiding the communist movement.
Before retiring in December 2018, Kathleen was honored by the National Correspondents Club of Baguio and other media institutions with the Distinguished Gintong Tala Luminary Award in journalism for her outstanding contributions to the profession and the community.
In her acceptance speech, she acknowledged the challenges of transitioning from print to online media but expressed optimism about digital platforms’ potential to continue serving people’s interests.
“Our paper remained true to its objective of covering people’s issues and struggles. Despite the challenges, the staff and correspondents delivered stories that mattered to the people… as we develop our online platforms, with hopes to resume the printed copy in the near future,” she stated. # nordis.net
