Veteran journalist Rolando “Rolly” Espina passed away peacefully on Thursday, surrounded by his children and grandchildren in his home in Bacolod City. Rolly was born on August 23, 1933 in Escalante, Negros Occidental, the eldest of six children of Fulgencio Espina, an artist from Cebu, and Gracia Lopez, a niece of national hero Graciano Lopez Jaena. He was one of the founders of the Visayan Daily Star and was chairman of the Negros Daily Bulletin and also served as president of the Negros Press Club. He was also twice vice president of the National Press Club during the dual terms of his close friend and later National Democratic Front officer Antonio Zumel. Rolly was one of the early editors of the Philippine Daily Inquirer during the time of its late editor-in-chief Louie Beltran.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 29, 2017 02:37 UTC