Libre sa MRT.

One of the many things I missed during those times when I changed my morning travel route to save on cash was the possibility of getting my copy of the day's Libre. Libre, as any commuter will know, is Inquirer's free tabloid-like publication, available in almost every MRT and LRT station here in Metro Manila. Unfortunately, since my travel route during those dreary, cashless times involved only one LRT ride, my chances of getting Libre-- which was slim to begin with-- grew even slimmer; in fact, I don't recall a 1-ride-day that I happened to chance upon a copy. Hay... such sad and cruel fate.

What's fascinating about Libre is that it is a brilliantly tactless publication. It can be so upfront about what it writes that sometimes even I get shocked by what I read. Consider, for instance, this health advertisement written blatantly on the first page of a day's Libre:

Question: Lalabasan pa ba ako at mananatiling malakas 'pag nagpa-vasectomy?
Answer: Oo, lalabasan ka pa kahit nagpa-vasectomy ka.

Just imagine me trying to stifle my laughter while inside the LRT. Christ, I don't think I would find that kind of thing anywhere else! And it becomes even funnier because it's written in Tagalog, a language that makes it seem funnier, even though it's really a very serious thing. Remember kiddies, vasectomy is never, never a laughing matter. Hee.

The fun does not stop there. I also enjoy Nap Gutierrez's columns immensely. It's twice the fun because he has two of them. Yes, two. In one publication. Cost-cutting, perhaps? Anyway, Nap's first column, catering to those interested in the goings-on in showbiz, is titled "Freebiz." His second column, on the other hand, catering to those interested in the goings-on in sports, is titled "sNAPshots." Don't be deceived by this differentiation. Because even though Nap writes in two different columns, the content remains the same: "Who's really gay?"

At first glance, it may appear that Libre is just like any other tabloid existing in the world today. There's the shocking ad, there's the "knowledgeable" "journalist," and there's the daily horoscope. Remember, though, that I described Libre as a "brilliantly tactless" publication, not merely a "tactless" one. This is where its brilliance comes in.

Libre is not a tabloid. It's tabloid-like, yes, but it's not a tabloid. Libre, no matter how tactless it may be, is still an affiliate of Inquirer. Its contents still have the same degree of believability and integrity that we have come to expect of anything that's written inside Inquirer. It may be written in a way that is amusing, or published in a way that makes the news more understandable to the masses, but that's just the marketing. The core of it still rings true. The core of it still tells the truth as it is.

Okay, that's enough. Inquirer should be paying me for this. Hee.