When DAILY TRIBUNE came under the leadership of Willie Fernandez in 2018, no one had any idea why he invested in a newspaper that was, at the time, flailing in the midst of a transformative time for global media.

Pioneers at the media company had no idea why either. But, in his typical unfazed manner, Fernandez took the organization and merged it with his own Concept and Information Group Inc., and everyone waited to see what would happen next.

This, perhaps, is the one defining characteristic of the man we came to call Boss W.

If newshounds are known for their “nose for news,” Boss W has a “nose for potential.”

Over the past seven years during which he took a news organization and turned it into a multi-platform media company with numbers that can send the most cynical thinking twice, Boss W showed that his “nose” was on point, many times.

Today, it is hard to believe that he is turning 77. A lucky number it surely is, undoubtedly, a double seven. And for the people he has touched and inspired, the number means that he, and they, are twice blessed.

And blessed he is, as in all his business ventures, gathering friends and gaining influence while he is at it. Boss W keeps the world humming and turning by sharing his blessings with those around him.

From the loyal employees who have become so much more since they started, to the new staff he (sort of) inherited and in whom he has put his faith and trust, Boss W has shown that behind the tough persona many see, there is a heart of gold, especially for those who work as hard and true as he has always done throughout his life.

Boss W is many things to many people. He is a conundrum — seemingly easy to read (ergo, judge) as so many have tried to do. His track record shows he had ventured into various businesses, growing from one to the other, sometimes falling but always getting up. Failing and triumphing, but never giving up.

Faith is his fallback — in himself, in his fellowmen, but always ultimately in God.

For anyone who meets him for the first time, his enthusiasm for life, for what’s meaningful, for what’s promising, gives him that sense of agelessness.

In 2018, when he took over DAILY TRIBUNE to follow a dream he always had — coming from a family steeped in journalism — Boss W knew he had a mission. Besides, DT’s mantra “Without fear, without favor” spoke to his soul.

He took The DAILY TRIBUNE and made it his own — it was still DAILY TRIBUNE, and yes, “without fear, without favor.”

He gave the paper new life, turned it into an omni platform, invested heavily in people and equipment, gained some, lost some, soldiered on — always never losing sight of his vision.

From one government administration to the next, he held on. DT moved, DT stumbled, DT grew. Unflinching, like the man who has stayed true to his word.

Today, even as the media company he embraced and nurtured continues to make headway in this ever-changing industry, Boss W never takes anything for granted.

The political climate is growing uncertain, and as president of the media company he acquired, he wishes the situation will become more stable. And he wishes the people who are seeking the truth without fear, without favor, will be just as determined as he is, and support journalism at this critical juncture in Philippine history.