Sunday, January 16, 2005
BEAUTY AND THE BEST
The Damage Report - Year 3 - Ending Week #26
Background Music: "Look What You've Done" by Jet
NOTE: This is a weekly blog entry that summarizes a series of events of a finished week in and around La Salle.
"When we're in love, we cannot avoid tendencies to become selfish."
IT WAS AS IF a teleserye on television popped out of the tube and suddenly possessed all the important characters of my college life. This past week was one hell of a ride.
I have a best friend, his name is Tom Wagan. We're two possessive people who openly say "I miss you" when we miss each other and "I love you" when we just want to radiate our affection towards each other.
This past week, his girlfriend found out.
The mess
It wasn't supposed to be the way it happened. I should have told her that her boyfriend and I became bestfriends from the start (some windy day last November). But I must admit, I was very afraid. I was afraid that based on a past event, any person who gets near her boyfriend would be put on her hit list. They'd be excommunicated from her world and be targeted or labeled as enemies of her state.
There really is no explaining or further things to empound on. It is inevitable that she is now feeling betrayed by her close friend (me) and even by her own boyfriend (Tom). In the so-called norms of society, two guys expressing those phrases to each other is just "outrageous". Towards girls, it's too cheesy.
But if anyone would have felt my pain back in 2003, stories like that from November compares to a storybook happy ending one would find in a Best Picture nominated film for the Hollywood Oscars!
To Leah, I am genuinely sorry that I didn't tell you sooner that I was the bestfriend of your boyfriend. I see the two of you now as my brother and my sister on the crazy road of action-endorsed college living.
I know I screwed up. I know I caused you pain. But nothing will ever change the fact that I am blessed to have you both.
--
I-witness
If I'm not mistaken, it was a first for Heraldo Filipino to produce a school activity outside its seminar-workshop circuit. This time after weeks of planning and last minute woes, we managed to capture GMA 7's acclaimed documentary show "I-Witness" and present it to fellow students.
Apparantly, the method in which we pieced this thing together was quite messy. Organizational issues like who's in charge here and there, who did their job and left it, who didn't do their job, and the sorts caused problems.
What sparked me to write "The Paper Desk" (see previous The Damage Report) was because I wasn't empowered to take charge of anything. I was more of the assistant. I just don't like the feeling of being an editor but be kept at bay. Instead, I opted to beam forward and assist Tom in making the tarpo-banner of Pelikulareal.
The event turned out fine. However, Kara David didn't show up. Other possible keynote speakers didn't turn up as well. It felt like what happened in Batangas City when the celebrities of the Metro Manila Film Festival didn't show up last Christmas.
I managed to watch "Basurero" and "Gamu-gamo sa Dilim" on the first day. But on the second day I only made it back in time for the closing photoshoot. Why? It's because on Tuesday night we went to Metro Manila for the police coverage (WPD, read below).
This is an article that was published in the DLSU-D website about what we did this past week for "Pelikulareal".
I-Witness docs run at Pelikulareal
I-Witness, a critically acclaimed documentary series run by GMA 7, showcased the best of its documentaries at Pelikulareal – a documentary festival held at the Tanghalang Julian Felipe, January 11-12. Sponsored and organized by Heraldo Filipino, the event was geared to enlighten students about social and political issues as the benchmark of the I-Witness series.
Among the documentaries shown were “Gamu-gamo sa Dilim”, an account on the power crises dealt with by various Filipino communities; “Dekada Setenta”, which discussed the Marcos Era; “Basurero”, which tackled the lives of people living in or near landfills; “Bakwet” , an account of the struggles of evacuees escaping from the New People’s Army; “Sabah-Ang Bagong Amerika”, a portrayal of the lives of Filipino illegal immigrants in Sabah, Malaysia; “Bayaning High Rise”, a poignant look at the lives of construction workers; “Babalik si Ma’am”, which related the stories of Filipino OFWs who returned to the country to pursue teaching careers; “Selda Inosente”, a peek into the lives of children born and raised in prison; “Bulakbol, which followed students cutting classes and “Mandirigma”, which talked about women who fought during wars. I-Witness was represented by its Program Coordinator Maureen Dizon.
--
WPD
I saw a dead opened body at a morgue!
On Tuesday night, it was JOU3-2's turn to take up arms in the police coverage. Sister section JOU3-1 accomplished this last Saturday, and now it was our turn.
We met up at CFC Canteen (next to Brejanah) at dinnertime. This was after we collected all materials we needed. We got the lights from the editing house in Area F. We bought tapes at Waltermart. We retrieved the ICOM radio from Kay's dorm. We put together all the camera units we needed from Leah's dorm. It was haggard! But it was exciting.
We would be divided into three groups:
TEAM CCCAD covering the SOUTHERN POLICE DISTRICT
- Ariola, Arazeili (News Manager)
- Calilao, Jeffrey (Standupper)
- Columbres, Jessica (Standupper)
- Capili, Hermie Leen
- David, Mark
TEAM QRSVP covering the WESTERN POLICE DISTRICT
- Sison, Leah (News Manager/Standupper)
- Putong, George (Executive Producer/Cameraman)
- Rolusta, Jay (Standupper)
- Quirez, Rachel (Make-up)
- Velasco, Joyce (Lights)
TEAM MLODGE covering the EASTERN POLICE DISTRICT
- Ocampo, Christian (News Manager)
- De Celis, Ayesha (Standupper)
- Levardo, Rachel (Standupper)
- Mendiola, Abbie
- Guiritan, Lovely
- Estanislao, Ray Paolo
We were in a convoy system during the first part and we dropped by the SPD HQ in Parañaque just off Coastal highway. Upon arrival, our team practiced with the camera and the lighting with Sir Rivera. TEAM CCCAD headed into the building to interview.
A feeling of both fear and excitement built up in me. It felt fear because I was looking at people locked behind jail bars. It was also the dark of night in some eskinita-veined barangay.
We were tuned into AM radio during the whole evening. Leah was writing down all the news items relating to the Western Police District (WPD) which was our territory for the night. We waited for TEAM CCCAD and then the three vehicle convoy proceeded to the hospital near St. Paul's College.
There, Christian took footage at the morgue. He was still shaking afterwards. After some time there, we proceeded to a barangay somewhere south of that location. TEAM CCCAD went to get footage of the street where the murders happened.
Jumping onto the chance of seeing a dead body that hasn't been "prepared for a funeral" yet, my team mate Jay and I decided to jump out of our CR-V. Rachel followed behind us and I couldn't believe I found myself walking into a morgue in a green funeral house.
Jay walked into the room while I stayed at the doorway. Rachel said she stopped before reaching the doorway after she already saw the broken skull of the body.
I don't want to describe what I saw, it's just too morbid! Let's just keep it at "the front part of the body was open".
The reason I did this was to conquer my fear of dead bodies and at least gain greater experience from the evening. Leah, our dear News Manager, stayed in the CR-V. Hehe.
After accompanying the first team, all three teams went separate ways. Team MLODGE proceeded to the Eastern Police District in Makati and Pasig while we headed for the cities of Pasay and Manila.
Our first stop was at the Ermita Police Station or WPD Station #5. We encountered our first story just five minutes after arrival. After getting lost under the yellow orange-lit streets of historical Manila, we managed to finally find the WPD Headquarters sitting on UN Avenue just past its intersection with Taft Avenue.
This is where we stayed for the next few hours. We befriended an investigator named Mr. Yllanes, who treated us to coffee and hot chocolate across the street at 7-11.
We eventually became witness to four stories all in all:
- FILIPINA AND KOREAN EX-BOYFRIEND RESIST ARREST
- GERMAN NATIONAL JAILED FOR ESTAFA RUNS AMOK IN JAIL CELL
- ABDUCTION CASE OF 14-YEAR OLD GIRL BY 16-YEAR OLD BOY
- WOMAN AND CHILD GET BEATEN UP BY MAN
It was definitely a great experience! If it wasn't for the GMA 7 cameraman in the story involving the Korean man, I would be too shocked to move the camera and get the good shots.
In the end this was the result of the three teams:
TEAM CCCAD - Southern (started 9pm)
- 3 news items recovered
TEAM QRSVP - Western (started 12mn)
- 4 news items recovered
TEAM MLODGE - Eastern (started 1am?)
- 2 news items recovered
We went in for editing on Thursday and ended up coughing out Php 2,000 for it. But the end product was good, it was the best we could produce. We did have, afterall, four stories for Sir Rivera.
--
13.02
With so much happening this week, we barely got to see each other. The only time we did see each other was right before a program. My knees buckled and I lost my breath when she entered the room. Woah.
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