I met Ray Junia, the media man and publisher of OpinYon newspapers, and a Tolosa, Leyte Pride, through the late broadcast person Perry Pimentel who was a veteran TV production executive personnel of the defunct Radio Philippines Network (RPN) Channel 9.
Perry was the contemporary of television stalwarts from Broadcast City, the hub of stations Channel 2, 9 and 13 in the late 1970s throughout the 1980s and 1990s, namely Cory Valenzuela-Vidanes, now Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Broadcast of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation; Lilybeth Rasonable, now Senior Vice-President for Entertainment of GMA Network; Wilma Galvante, now net24 Consulting Producer and other big TV bosses of various networks.
Pimentel was allied to Ray especially during the singing stint of former Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) president Michelle Nikki Junia who was an exclusive performer in her tender age of twelve or thirteen at Fr. Sonny Ramirez TV masses and other live religious projects of the Dominican priest.
After Michelle Nikki’s participation in Fr. Ramirez’s television shows, Ray and Perry were collaborators in a number of audio-visual projects.
It was Perry who introduced me to the older Junia to become a writer of OpinYon when it was launched fifteen years ago.
When Pimentel was still around, Ray would invite him and business partner Joyce Cruz to OpinYon’s milestones like its foundation days, Christmas celebrations and other special occasions relative to the achievements of the paper.
That’s how solicitous Ray is in acknowledging the contributions of people in the success of a collective effort like newspapering, OpinYon, at first a national weekly tallboy and later as a community paper.
Ray was a visionary when he founded OpinYon.
Its blurb, “We Take a Stand” is now a mantra among printed communication outlets. From the beginning, he wants to empathize with the readers, to relate to them as every news reaches them
Junia wants a print medium where readership is inclusive but comprehensive because its contents are relevant to the growth of an individual and society.
And OpinYon Laguna has seen the headway of community newspapering.
It can stand in the middle of so many tabloids and printed matters anywhere.
It wasn’t a walk in the park, though, venturing into media business like newspapering but Ray is able to pass the acid test with flying colors.
The highs and lows of the trade, pursuit and commitment to truth have trained and made Ray a more balanced and pragmatic entrepreneur and journalist.
One of Ray’s inspirations to go on despite challenges is his wife Cora.
At the moment, the Tolosa Kid who is running for Board Member of the 1st District of Leyte Province, has a secure place in the print media no matter the common thought that the medium is being vanished by digital communications such as Facebook, email, Twitter etc.
Ray has many media projects in the pipeline but has thought well of the right timing to launch them.
Didn’t you know that Junia is also a record producer?
In the early 2010s, he came out with a record album titled “Back in Time” with the voice of Michalle Nikki Junia behind every song like “Ocean Deep.”
Aside from Laguna, OpinYon has also editions for Region 8, Panay, CALABARZON and Metro Manila.
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