Eugenia Apostol

Eugenia "Eggie" Apostol, (born September 19, 1925) is a Filipino publisher who played pivotal roles in the peaceful overthrow of two Philippine presidents: Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Estrada in 2001. She was awarded the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature & Creative Communication Arts.

Early life

Apostol was born on September 29, 1925, the second child and second daughter among eight children of Fernando Ballesteros Duran, a doctor and member of the National Assembly, and Vicenta Obsum. In 1936, when her father was re-elected to the National Assembly, the family moved to Manila where Apostol attended Holy Ghost College (now College of the Holy Spirit), where she finished elementary school as valedictorian in 1938. With the Japanese occupation of Manila in 1944, the family returned to Sorsogon. While poking through the ruins of their home after the battle for liberation, 18-year-old Apostol was injured by shrapnel when an unspent bazooka shell exploded. Apostol graduated magna cum laude at the University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Letters in 1949. She wrote a column for Commonweal, a national Catholic weekly and copy for Philippine Manufacturing Company (now Procter & Gamble). She married Jose "Peping" Apostol on February 18, 1950.