MANILA, Philippines – Veteran journalist and author Joel Pablo Salud died on Thursday, March 19, after suffering a heart attack. He was 62. His wife, journalist and author Che Sarigumba, confirmed the news to Rappler.
Joel Pablo Salud served as editor-in-chief of Philippines Graphic, the country's longest-running political and literary magazine, for 11 years. He wrote columns for LiCAS News Philippines and Philstar Life. He joined Rappler's Central Desk as senior desk editor from 2021 to 2022. Salud authored numerous books, including his latest, View from the Foxhole: Shaping the Political into the Personal, which won the Hilarion and Esther Vibal Prize for Best Book in Journalism at the 42nd National Book Awards in 2024. He also chaired the Writers in Prison Committee of the Philippine Center of International PEN and was a member of Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. In a 2022 Rappler column, he wrote, “I’ve been a writer for close to 40 years. Proudly made my bones on ink and paper.” He added, “I’m proud of the years I’ve spent as a writer-editor. For me, whose formal education leaves much to be desired, it’s living the dream.” In recent years, Salud rediscovered his faith and shared it on social media. He is survived by his wife and their daughter, Likha. Details of his wake will follow.
