Ruben Cusipag

Education and Early Career

Ruben Cusipag was born to Salvador Cusipag Sr. and Josefa “Nenita” Protaira Javier. Ruben Cusipag went to Araullo High School where he demonstrated an early interest in journalism, becoming editor-in-chief of the school publication during his senior year. He later attended the University of the Philippines where he took a special journalism course under Armando Malay, a journalist and activist.

Prior to graduating with a BA, he started working at the Manila Evening News in the 1960s, first as a proofreader and then as a reporter. He also wrote the weekly column “Between Deadlines" for Manila Evening News and “Sun Spots” for Philippine Sun, its sister publication.

In 1972, he began to work as a reporter on the police beat for Taliba, one of the Filipino dailies of the Manila Times publishing. However, when then-President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law in September 1972, Cusipag was among a number of writers and journalists who were first arrested and put in prison during the Marcos dictatorship. Suspected of subversion, he spent 67 days detained at the Philippine National Police headquarters. On 1 December 1972, he was among the first detainees released by the government. With censorship of the press, he was released only to find work as a communications specialist at General Electric Philippines.

Career in Canada

Due to the political situation in the Philippines, Ruben Cusipag became an expatriate. (See also Immigration to Canada.) He and his family arrived in Toronto in September 1974. He worked as an editor with Newfoundland Signal, a weekly newspaper that catered to Maritimers and Newfoundlanders (see Maritime Provinces; Newfoundland and Labrador). Cusipag also worked on different community newspapers contributing to the growth of the multicultural or ethnic press. (See also Multiculturalism.) Beginning in 1974, he was hired by the Chicago-based Philippine Times as its Toronto bureau chief. From 1974 to 1975, he was a special foreign correspondent in Canada for the Bulletin Today (now operating as Manila Bulletin), a Philippines-based daily broadsheet. He also contributed articles to the Philippine Tribune, a Toronto-based monthly newspaper that folded in May 1975.

Atin Ito

In December 1976, Ruben Cusipag co-founded Atin Ito: Philippine News Feature. Atin Ito, which translates to “this is ours,”, was published in Toronto and conceived by Cusipag and his fraternity brothers from university as a media outlet for the Pilipinas Credit Union (see Credit Unions). Businessman, Eduardo “Eddie” Lee became Atin Ito’s publisher and Cusipag was its editor. After releasing a few issues, Cusipag, who wrote political commentaries, resigned due to clashing political views and visions for the newspaper.

Balita

Ruben Cusipag founded Balita in August 1978. Balita, which translates to “news” in the Filipino language, stood out for its political stance and efforts to report on the human rights situation in the Philippines. Balita’s first issues were printed in magazine format and later as a newsprint tabloid. Published twice monthly, the newspaper’s readership grew to include the Filipino community in the Greater Toronto area and Hamilton (see Filipino Canadians).

Cusipag served as Balita’s publisher and editor simultaneously bringing his extensive experience and seasoned reporting to the newspaper. His articles would occasionally be published as syndicated columns in The Toronto Star. Under his direction, the newspaper also became a vehicle for raising funds to support Philippine disaster victims.

In the 1990s, the newspaper started to focus on local stories concerning Filipinos in Canada, particularly the subject of domestic workers. Drawing from interviews and anecdotes previously published for Balita and other newsprints, Cusipag co-published with Maria Corazon Buenafe, Portrait of Filipino Canadians in Ontario (1960-1990) (1993). The book provided valuable insights on the successes and struggles of Filipino immigrants in Canada in the late 20th century. (See also Immigration to Canada.)

On 17 December 2001, he became a founding member of the Philippine Press Club of Ontario, a Toronto-based organization representing Filipino Canadian media groups. Later, he was named publisher emeritus of Balita.

Social Activism

Ruben Cusipag was actively involved in the many issues confronting the Filipino Canadian community between the 1970s and early 1990s. While working as a journalist in Toronto, he edited and published former Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal’s book Democracy in the Philippines (1976). The original manuscript was smuggled to Canada and secretly distributed as it was critical of then-President Ferdinand Marcos and martial law in the Philippines.

Cusipag was also involved in several organizations, such as the Canada-Philippines Friendship Society (1975), a political group of anti-dictatorship activists. He and his first wife Fely Villasin were also involved with the International Association of Filipino Patriots (1977), which rallied in support for the national democratic movement in the Philippines.

From 1978 to 1985, Cusipag served as the founding executive director of the Canada-Asia Working Group (CAWG), an inter-church coalition that advocated for human rights and social justice in Asia. He was key to the development of its periodical, Canada Asia Currents, first released in 1978 and published quarterly. He and the CAWG reported on human rights issues to the Canadian delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva (see United Nations).

Cusipag also co-founded several community groups. In July 1977, he helped establish Kababayan Community Service Centre as a registered charitable organization based in Parkdale (see Toronto). Kababayan (which translates to compatriot) aimed to be a resource space for new Filipino immigrants. The centre expanded its culturally specific programming to other communities. In 1989, Cusipag also became a founding member of the Markham Federation of Filipino Canadians. It promotes Filipino cultural heritage and engages other groups in Markham, Ontario.

Personal Life and Death

In 1992, Ruben Cusipag married Teresita Abesamis. Four years later, on 24 July 1996, he was critically injured in a car-pedestrian accident. It left him partially paralyzed and required him to use a wheelchair. His wife became his caregiver and took over managing Balita.

Cusipag died on 9 July 2013, three days before his 75th birthday, at Markham Stouffville Hospital.