Homecoming: Going home after 25 years

A got an email from an high school classmate of mine just this early morning. She informed me that our class, Edison 1988 of Roosevelt College, will be hosting our Silver Anniversary by next year. She told me that she's gathering everybody for that momentous event. 


Silver anniversary means 25 years. Okey, so I graduated high school twenty five years ago, big deal. 


Homecomings are really occasions where you assess what had happened to you these past few years. These are opportunities to know what happened to your closest academic rival or your previous girlfriends or what happened to your flings and where did they end up. 


What struck me is the length of time that I was away---25 years. And what a 25 years.


Some of those years were spent in a frivolous manner, experimenting with love and finding out that romanticizing such a thing is pretty dangerous, so to speak. 


Three years of being an academic and three years of being ascetic to the ways of the world, right. 


Many years spent on developing credentials and many other years developing strong friendships and relationships with people that matter.


How would you tell that to your ex-high school buddy? How will you tell them that you were part of some of those important dates in this country's calendar, and that you were just not a petty publicist or a petty runner but a strategic planner?


How would you account that during those 25 years, you were just able to buy two cars--a sedan and an AUV? How will you make them understand that most of your money, you spent on helping others?


I think the most difficult thing to tell is---all these years I discovered the world as a journalist. That was the best decision I did for myself. 


When I decided that I'll be getting my meals from the music and poetry strumming from my pen, I made it consciously. Yes, I took law but never really intended to get money from it, only knowledge. When I took that leap as a journalist, it was something like leaping from the top floor of GMA channel 7 building and landing straight down, albeit, landing softly and gently in a trapeze :-0


It would probably be very difficult for me to make them understand or even try to convince them that I already toured the whole world, saw what I need to see, and listened to what people need to share. I already met the people that shared the same vision and even faced death before those who violently opposed my own vision.


Twenty five years and I am still growing, inventing little things that I feel would matter in the next coming years. 


Twenty five long years and I bet ya that as soon as I enter that venue where this thing will be held, I'll probably be tongue-tied for the rest of the evening and just enjoy listening to their stories. 

Rey Marfil---ASEC for Media Relations

I was glad to know that Rey Marfil, a good friend, is now Assistant Secretary for Media Relations. Marfil is one of the best and the most endearing of all journalists from the old school. He knows what journalists need and that is, a good story.

At the height of the EDSA dos, Marfil and I was Senate beat reporters. We covered the Mary Ong expose for which I was tagged as the "handler" of the controversial whistle blower. Unknown to Rey, Senator Ping Lacson is one of my kumpadres and the reason why I was there was simply to assist a lady in distress.

Since he was (and still is) bubbly and a jovial guy, he wrote in his Abante column that I had a liaison with Mary which is definitely not true. Of course, I forgave him after that, seeing that the column was not that malicious.

Marfil and I had many memorable events together, covering as many controversial events as possible. When I decided to try my luck in the corporate world, Marfil and many of my friends were left behind. I did that with a heavy heart. I need to at least save some money for the future.

Now, I want to go back to where I really belong--journalism. I just hope that some of my friends read this. I am going back to journalism.

How to handle a true Abu Sayyaf kidnap coverage

As a former journalist who covered the Sipadan and the Dos Palmas kidnapping capers by the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu and survived, let me give those colleagues of mine some tips on how to handle this situation:

1. If you're assigned in Jolo, it is best to live inside the PNP camp, a few meters away from the city center or the capitol town. The camp is gated. It is safer there.

2. Now, if you don't have money to spend in the air-conditioned rooms of the PNP camp, try Helen's lounge. It's cheap. It's decent and clean. However, one tip---when you wake up in the morning and you find kids asking for alms or food, give them some money. And be consistent. Make friends everywhere, even in the Jolo public market (the public market is a place where Christians just find themselves shot in the head, especially if you're a soldier or a cop).

3. Keep your distance. There are many people who will approach you and will offer assistance or information on the whereabouts of the victims. Don't be misled. These people are scammers. If the contact is legit, you'll know by your gut.

4. Never give in to the lures or demands of the kidnappers. When I covered the Sipadan hostage crisis, a known contact from the ASG demanded from us ten (10) sacks of rice as "fee" to cover the foreign hostages. I simply said no. I just reasoned that if I give 10 sacks of rice, then, the group will have food to eat and that will simply prolong the situation, ergo, I just have to stay there in Jolo longer than usual.

5. Try to understand the local culture. There are many former Christians now Muslims living in the town center. They speak Tagalog. Befriend them. Buy something from their stores. Be curious about their thoughts. Ask them the reason why all these things are happening in Jolo. Then, file your reports.

6. Live as they live. The Jolo town center teems with ASG spies and sympathizers. In fact, you'll find two kinds of people in Jolo---those legit ASG's and military spies. They mingle with the population. They pose as your friends, when they are simply spying on you. Always be attentive and mindful of your surroundings. Try to prevent from being spied on and listed as a prospective victim.

7. Never agree to go to the ASG camp. This is a very bad move. Okey if you're deeply trusted by the ASG. But, if you're not and your just there for a brief moment, don't sacrifice your life for that exclusive. It's always best to just get your news from the AFP and civilian sources. But, getting first-hand info? Nah. That's just a coverage. Not worthy to give your life to.

8. Don't get caught between crossfires. Stay clear of military operations, unless you are allowed and the military thinks that it's safe for you to cover it. Safety is your utmost concern. Don't embarrass yourself, your family and your news company if something happens to you. Publicly, they'll not reprimand you. Privately, getting injured or killed when there's actually a safer way to get the info is at most, stupid or worst, reckless.