Isagani M. "Gani" Yambot (November 16, 1934 – March 2, 2012) was a Filipino

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

who served as the

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

of the ''

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded bro ...

'' from 1994 until his death in 2012. Yambot was born in

Tagbilaran City Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tagbilaran), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,976 people. Encompassing a la ...

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...

, in 1934. Both his parents were teachers: his mother taught

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while his father taught English and mathematics. The family moved to

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, settling in the Tondo district. He studied at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...

, where he earned a degree in

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. He earned a

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ship to the Washington Journalism Center. His first job in journalism was at the now closed ''

Manila Times ''The Manila Times'' is the oldest extant English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. (formerly La Vanguardia Publishing Corporation) with editorial and administrative offices at 2/F ...

'', which he joined in 1953. He remained with the newspaper, covering both Malacañan Palace and the Philippines' Senate. He left the ''Manila Times'', taking a position as a night editor for

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...

(UPI) in 1973. In 1974, Yambot joined the former ''Times Journal'', serving as that newspaper's managing editor from 1983 until 1985. From 1981 to 1982, Yambot worked as a

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for the Philippines' Ambassador to

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, Benjamin Romualdez, in

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...

. He served as the press attaché for the Embassy of the Philippines in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

from 1985 to 1986. Upon his return to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

from his diplomatic posting in Washington, Yambot joined the '' Malaya'' newspaper as its managing editor in 1988. Yambot became an editor at the ''

'' in April 1989, remaining at that daily newspaper for the rest of his career. He was named executive editor and, in June 1991, associate publisher. He became publisher of the ''Daily Inquirer'' in February 1994. In 1999, major advertisers who supported former

Philippine President The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...

organized a five-month-long boycott of the ''Philippine Daily Inquirer''. Yambot denounced the boycott as politically motivated. He was awarded the Outstanding News Editor award from the College Editors Guild of the Philippines in 1975. He won the Catholic Mass Media Award for Best In-Depth Article in 1994 and the Lakan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Journalism in 1995.

Death

Yambot underwent quadruple bypass surgery in on February 21, 2012. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on March 2, 2012 in

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the ...

aged 77. He was survived by his wife, Mildred, and six children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yambot, Isagani 1934 births 2012 deaths Filipino newspaper publishers (people) Filipino newspaper editors Filipino journalists University of the Philippines alumni People from Tagbilaran People from Tondo, Manila Philippine Daily Inquirer people