Journal Online
I never fail to read her articles as they are really in a class by itself, a far cry from the rest of the news reports posted on Journal Online and from those I often read from Philippine Star or the Philippine Daily Inquirer. If you translate verbatim a tabloid article written in Filipino, the exact match is Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca’s English article. Read the samples below.
Uncle axes baby’s head! by Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca (Saturday, 19 June 2010) — The news report is about a baby killed by his uncle.
The ax must have made a crunching sound as it cracked Baby Mentac’s skull. Luckily, help arrived. Had relatives appeared seconds late, the one-year-old victim would have been dead. The infant probably nearly choked from blood that gushed from his open head, blanketed his face, then entered his nostrils and mouth.
Man borrows neighbor’s hot wife by Zaida delos Reyes-Palaca (Sunday, 20 June 2010)
Tiger, 37, walked around with pain in his loins. The neglected husband was hungry for wild, sticky sex. He longed to sniff his very busy wife’s naked body. He also missed pinning her underneath his hardness, rubbing her breasts with his muscled chest as well as tickling her mouth and other body cavities with his moustache. Luckily for him, his neighbor’s spouse was also starving for attention. In bed.
Initial reports showed that Tiger (not his real name) was reportedly being neglected sexually by his 45-year-old wife Elin (real name withheld), a businesswoman in Bgy. Cararayan, Naga City.
Elin was reportedly too busy for Tiger. For quite some time, the husband has failed to have sex with his very preoccupied partner. Probably tired of masturbating to ease his sexual tension, or perhaps too hungry for love, the neglected spouse started searching for bedmate. Tiger’s prayers were answered by his neighbor’s hot wife Devon (not her real name).
Tiger and Devon eloped and hid in Bgy. San Antonio in Tinambac, Camarines Sur. The love-sick couple enjoyed each other’s company and sizzling bodies for days. However, their illicit affair was shortlived. They were spotted together by witnesses and their whereabouts reported to their respective spouses. Police apprehended Tiger and Devon at their love nest. The secret lovers returned to their respective partners who have refused to file charges.
Man cut up like jigsaw puzzle! by Zaida delos Reyes-Palaca (Monday, 28 June 2010)
As if to taunt the cops, a killer scattered in two areas the still soft and blood-soaked foot, hands and ears of his victim yesterday. The freshly sawed off body pieces matched and fitted like a demon’s jigsaw puzzle. Perhaps, elsewhere, the rest of the missing victim is starting to rot and be feasted on by flies and maggots.
The body parts were believed to have belonged to a man as these were big and not ordinarily that of a woman. The cut off flesh were found scattered in Baguio City and Benguet.
In a report, the Police Regional Office (PRO) Cordillera Region said the victim’s foot was found 4 a.m. by a promenader in front of a phone booth at Burnham Park.
A right hand was spotted 5:45 a.m. on General Luna Road at Hilltop, Baguio City.
Love it or hate it? If I have to choose, I say love it. We, readers, need a different style of reporting sometimes. And Zaida delos Reyes-Palanca’s articles are what we need, aren’t they?
her writing is more suited for novels. graphic or not, i want my news direct to the point.
Finally got wind of the one who does the graphic banner headlines in Journal. I personally don’t like the brand of reporting as it’s nearly done, Gonzo and biased. The tone had already shamed the unproven sinner. The writing is too emotional, nearly narrating, and while fresh, is not a good read for everyone. Not the kind of reporter you’d emulate. Perhaps the name Palanca fits the bill of the awards and not the writing of a news article.