David Briscoe served as Associated Press bureau chief in Manila from 1980 to 1986, overseeing coverage of the political upheaval that culminated in the People Power movement. He died June 8 in Hawaii at age 82. (From David Briscoe’s Social Media Page)
Former Manila bureau chief covered the Aquino assassination, political upheaval and the 1986 People Power movement that reshaped the nation.
According to family members, Briscoe had recently been diagnosed with amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by the buildup of abnormal proteins in the body’s organs and tissues.
Briscoe served as Associated Press bureau chief in Manila from 1980 to 1986, a period marked by political unrest, the 1983 assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr., and the mass demonstrations that culminated in the 1986 People Power movement.
His reporting placed him at the center of events that drew global attention to the Philippines and its political transformation during the final years of the Marcos administration.
The Philippines held a special place in Briscoe’s life long before his tenure as bureau chief. As a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s, he taught English in Camarines Sur, where he met his future wife, Leonor Aureus Briscoe. He later returned to the country as a journalist and spent much of his reporting career covering major developments across the archipelago.
Briscoe joined the Associated Press in Manila in 1970 and reported on a range of significant events, including natural disasters, diplomatic visits and political developments during a period of rapid change in the country. A decade later, he returned as bureau chief, overseeing coverage during one of the most closely watched chapters in Philippine history.
In accounts published by the Associated Press, Briscoe described the 1986 uprising as the most important story of his career, recalling scenes of civilians confronting military forces and demonstrations that unfolded largely without violence.
Following assignments in the Philippines and elsewhere, Briscoe continued a journalism career that spanned several decades in the United States and abroad.
