“It is easier, I have always believed, to become a Saint than a Hero. “Sainthood” is decreed by the creaky, cumbersome, and slow-moving bureaucracy of the Vatican. Not so with heroes. Those who hounded them, hated them, crossed swords with them, or simply observed their sins and their shortcomings, are still very much alive when the question of their heroism or villainy comes to judgment.” 

- Maximo Soliven, in one of his articles of the PhilStar, 2003

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Being a hero isn’t easy. There are times when we encounter certain challenges, hardships, and difficulties that may hinder us from showing true devotion and nationalism to our country. There are also times when we are subject to many criticisms, oppositions, and hostilities that may stop us from freely expressing who we are. But nevertheless, there are still some people who strive hard to overcome these obstacles in life and continue to fight for what is right. This brings us to the story of a man named Maximo V. Solivan, one of the most well-known Filipino jounalists during the mid-1900‘s. Through his unforgettable life and contributions, we are able to see for ourselves what it truly takes to serve our nation.



Maximo Villaflor Soliven was born on September 4, 1929, in the Philippine General Hospital of Manila City, Philippines. At an early age of 12, his father, Benito Soliven, died as a World War II martyr due to the after effects caused by the Fall of Bataan and the infamous Death March. Because of this, Max, being the eldest of his siblings, had to help his mother earn money in order to support and provide enough food for his family. Despite his ongoing high school classes at Ateneo, he opted to work late in the afternoon as a messenger for the Jesuits and even as a shoeshine boy. His life was especially hard because of the lack of a father to sustain the needs of his family - one of the biggest challenges presented in his early life. But nevertheless, he continued to sacrifice himself and accept the struggles, and eventually, he did overcome them.

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By working and studying hard, Max was able to earn many medals in school, while at the same time help keep his family together. Even as a student, he already had a passion for writing. As mentioned in his yearbook: “Max is an incurable scribbler who is feverishly possessed with the idea of the littering the world with his typically ‘Chestertonian’ writings.” Max also grew close to the Jesuits, and thus became a very religious person. Eventually, he was able to graduate from the Ateneo de Manila University as a scholar, where he recieved the OZANAM award for writing. His family had survived, and so did he.

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After graduating with awards, Max recieved even more scholarships to study abroad. He entered schools including Fordham University, Johns Hopkins University and the Harvard University, where he earned his master’s degrees in Journalism, Political Science and Government. Max then began his career as editor of the Catholic newspaper “The Sentinel” at the age of 20. At age 25, he became a police and political reporter of the Manila Chronicle, and then as a business editor of the Manila Times from 1957 to 1960. He also worked on “The Evening News” at age 27, which eventually rose to fame in the year 1960. Because of his hardwork and integrity as a journalist, he was given The Outstanding Youth Men (TOYM) Award of the Philippines in 1960. Through his early journalism career, Max Soliven was able to serve his country by informing many others of the main issues of the Philippines back then.

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Eventually, in the mid-1960‘s, Max became a very well-known and respected journalist, not only in the Philippines, but across the globe. He spent more than twelve years as a foreign correspondent, and was able to travel to many different places. He was a witness of some of history’s most important events during the 1960’s, such as the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive, the massacre in Indonesia, and the detonation of China’s first atomic bomb - all of which he wrote about. His exceptional newspaper column in the Manila Times, on the other hand, also became number one in the Philippines. It was here where he would compose his news articles which would often uphold Filipino values and teach important lessons to his countrymen. Max was definitely successful in helping his country progress, but little did he know that what was soon to come would be the dark days of the Filipinos.

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On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law across the Philippines. Many protested against Marcos, but some also supported him. Although most of his colleagues in the Manila Times, including Teodoro “Doroy” Valencia, Jose Guevarra, and J.V. Cruz, supported Martial Law, Maximo Soliven stood his ground and went against the dictatorship of Marcos. Despite the threat of his imprisonment and separation from his family, he courageously fought for what was right for his country and refused to write any articles supporting Marcos’s cause or cooperate with the dictatorship. Because of this, Maximo Soliven, being one of the most influencial journalists, was arrested by Marcos on the early morning of September 23, 1972.

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Max was then sent to jail - alone, away from his family - and became one of the martyrs of the Martial Law Era, along with others such as Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo, and the like. It was a very saddening experience for Max, knowing that he could no longer write articles to save his countrymen. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about him in fear of the Martial Law. Eventually, after months of harsh treatment, he was released from jail, but was banned from writing any news articles or leaving the country for seven entire years, lest he be ordered to death. By this time, Max must have felt hopeless, as his passion for writing had been taken away, but nevertheless, he stood strong, endured the pain, and did not retaliate through violent means. He remained hopeful that the county’s future would be bright, describing the press as “our last hope” in combating tyranny and injustice.

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During the 1980’s, by the time Martial Law was beginning to grow weaker, Maximo Soliven rose once more to serve his beloved country by co-founding the Philippine Daily Inquirer with publisher Eugenia Apostol and Betty Go-Belmonte on December 9, 1985. This newspaper was immediately used as a voice to combat Martial Law, and was responsible for spreading news in the Philippines such as the assasination of Senator Ninoy Aquino - an important event which quickly awoken the Filipino spirit of freedom and independence.
  
With the help of the Max in the Inquirer, Martial Law was eventually lifted, Marcos was thrown out of position, and Ninoy Aquino’s wife, Corazon Aquino, assumed office. Max Soliven then left the Inquirer and co-founded the Philippine STAR, yet another newspaper, along with Betty Go-Belmonte and Art Borjal in 1986. Through the STAR, he was able to resume his career as an opinion writing journalist, and thus helped revived the country’s free press from the depts of Martial Law. Once again, he rose to fame and became most known for his daily published column in the Philippine STAR entitled “By The Way.” Just like before, Maximo Soliven would write stories and articles to inform his countrymen of the many events happening around the country. He would also retell his own personal experiences and would try to draw lessons from these tales in order for his people to learn the important values of a Filipino. His collection of famous articles that continue to inspire Filipinos include “A Filipino of Faith,” “Still hitting a blank wall,” “A Schilling’s Worth,” and many more.

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On November 24, 2006, after all he had done, Maximo Soliven died of a cardiac arrest in the Narita Airport of Tokyo, Japan. He was 77 years old, yet he still assumed his job as a writer. Many mourned of his death and described him as a “National Treasure lost,” but there was no doubting that Max had succeeded in life, and in what he had done to serve our country. Even after death, Max Soliven still lives among us and serves as an inspiration to us Filipinos today; that hopefully, we too may follow his nationalistic example.

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Maximo Soliven truly is capable of becoming our ideal national hero for several reasons. First of all, he truly exemplifies the values of a model Filipino throughout his life: hardwork, commitment, and perseverance. Even as a young child, Max already encountered the difficulty of having to support his family, yet he never gave up and worked even harder in order to overcome this hardship. On the other hand, while working on his part-time job, he was also very committed to his studies, which eventually led to his success. Moreover, during Max’s career, we are able to see his extreme integrity as a journalist, one who willingly writes to his countrymen in order to keep them informed, uphold their values, and teach them a lesson or two. He has indeed dedicated and committed so much of his life to his career as a writer, and he lived and died a journalist. Of course, during Max’s imprisonment, we also see his great perseverance as he struggles not to lose himself in what seemed like the lowest time of his life, which, eventually, he was able to overcome. Just like our national hero, Jose Rizal, Maximo Soliven truly posesses great integrity.

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Besides this, Max Soliven is also a peaceful, courageous, and above all, righteous man. He is not the kind of person to decide based on others’ strong opinions. Instead, Max is someone who willingly fights for what he believes is right, even if it may mean pain, suffering, and punishment in the end. He is not hindered by others who threaten or oppose his actions and opinions. His quality of righteousness is closely similar to that of Rizal, who, despite knowing that his actions would lead to harsh punishment, still wrote the books Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo for the good of his nation. Max was just as brave enough to refuse writing articles for Marcos and not fear his imprisonment, knowing that what he was doing was for the benefit of our country. Max Soliven is therefore a symbol of our true democracy - a freedom that is not controlled by others and is for the righteous good of our country. Despite his colleagues’ support towards Martial Law, Max still stuck to his principles and “faced the music” because he knew the right thing to do. He did suffer eventually, but he did so for our country.

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Last but not the least, Maximo Soliven is able to show us the true meaning of nationalism - that it is not just any ordinary love for one’s country, but instead involves one’s complete dedication and sacrifice. Because of his great love and devotion to our country, Max was able drive himself to succeed in his tasks, inspiring countless Filipinos through his writings. Just like Rizal, Max’s nationalism was what made him a selfless person, offering everything that he did as a journalist not to himself, but instead, to others and to his country. Max used his fame not to corrupt others and earn money, but instead to help spread even more news and possibly make a difference. This just comes to show what true service towards one’s country means - it involves self-sacrifice for others. Moreover, by using his love for his country, he was able to gather up enough hardwork, integrity, and courage within himself to overcome the many hardships in his life. Maximo Soliven’s nationalism was the center of his life, the heart of his nation, the one thing that drove him to keep on making sacrifices and keep on moving forward.

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Maximo Soliven is our modern Rizal. He has inspired us Filipinos to show true nationalism and willingly serve our beloved country in our everyday lives. With the power of his pen, Max has taught us many life lessons and helped us see freedom from our oppressors, making him a true hero and pillar of democracy. His life truly is a reflection of the values of a real Pinoy. May his example serve as a light that shines in the hearts of us Filipinos, that we too may follow his footsteps and continue to live out his values in our daily lives.

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SOURCES:
http://toymphilippines.blogspot.com/2009/07/list-of-toym-awardees-1959-2008_6165.html
http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/sb/sb007487.htm
http://asianjournalusa.com/max-soliven-recalls-ninoy-aquino-in-the-eye-of-memory-p5662-87.htm
http://ldq1944.blogspot.com/2010/06/max-soliven-on-12-rules-for-every.html
http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/sb/sb007487.htm
http://latestphilippinesnews.com/news/78916/hot-off-the-press-max-soliven-biography
http://asianjournalusa.com/remembering-ninong-max-soliven-p2165-87.htm
http://www.philstar.com/the-philippine-STAR-25th-anniversary/article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=86&articleId=709208
http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=25&aid=3033

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As a form of continuity, I would like to invite all of you to read more about the life of Max and some of his written newspaper articles. You can do this by simply visiting the site: http://www.philstar.com, and searching the words “Maximo Soliven” on the search box located on the top right corner of the web page. May we continue to be inspired by the nationalism of Max Soliven and learn to live out his heroic example!

Maximo V. Soliven

The Image of a True Filipino

By: Kevin Tan H1D

Ideal National Hero

​http://www.philstar.com/the-philippine-STAR-25th-anniversary/article.aspx?publicationSubCategoryId=86&articleId=709208

http://blog.cathcath.com/maximo-soliven-died-in-japan-2645.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Max_Soliven_grave.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/carinoza/image/106381965