MY POPE FRANCIS DIARY
-ryandgreat, abs-cbn quezon city
22 crew members, 7 reporters, 4 vehicles, 2 large ob vans! and 3 satellite news gathering units!
all of them, under my watch during the most anticipated event of 2015! that was exactly a year ago!
the apostolic visit of Pope Francis to the philippines, particularly in this post, his visit in palo, leyte
 |
| January 13 | Pope Francis Souvenirs |
 |
| January 13 | Tacloban City Media Hub |
 |
| January 16 | our live point at Palo, Cathedral |
i consider this the holy grail of all the news events that i've worked for in 2015 (saf 44, iglesia ni kristo, apec, election registration)
and i think it was the most challenging and difficult task i've ever done in totality that i've been working in the broadcast industry
and i've never single-handled anything like this before!
thank goodness for the cooperation of my crew members and they're such a big help!
a day after the feast of black nazarene in quiapo, where i was also in-charge of the live remote broadcast in quiapo church
a day after the feast of black nazarene in quiapo, where i was also in-charge of the live remote broadcast in quiapo church
|
| ||||
|
|
we traveled more than 20 hours to leyte! traversing land and sea across major islands for 2 days!
and then we're stranded at the port of bicol due heavy loads of passengers and equipment!
and that because security measures were already on a heightened alert, so we stayed there overnight
we arrived in leyte too late for the preparations in time for the arrival of Pope Francis few days away.
and then i was sleep deprived since the first day of the year that i've been working on and i was literally dragging my feet to attend ocular inspections
and late night meetings with rtvm, abs-cbn and gma-7 in tacloban
i was in complete madness during that first day! i already had this sense of what to expect as it was discussed to me by sir emil tiangco months ago but all of them were scrapped!
that could've spare me the trouble of planning even the smallest details but there were already shape-up in plans and many eleventh-hour changes!
and to start from scratch, just few days away from the main event is insane!
and yes i admit that the preparation time for it was inadequate, as well as there are some technical related problems
and it took me so long to have finally settled my 3 live points!
 |
| January 14 | at the Palo Cathedral |
and the struggle was tearing myself and my team down! that brought us forth to our most challenging task!
as hopelessly as we get, one of the live points, in archbishop's palace,
where there's a huge lot, a property privately owned by a resident of palo, leyte, was contracted by gma-7
and so, they have an agreement that any other network cannot cross the line!
and for us to get inside the archbishop's palace, we really have to cross that line,
a single cable wire that will connect our technical room that's located in a house that we rented going through the archbishop's palace compound
reporter kaye imson had to talk to her former collegues at gma-7 but we get no for an answer, as it was strictly instructed to them
it was something bad enough and it's easy to lose one's temper because of stress and tired and being sleep-deprived
|
| ||||
|
|
and while all these are happening, the other live point at palo, cathedral had it's own share of struggle!
not exactly the same struggle that we're going through at the archbishop's palace live point,
we cannot place our ob van because all vehicles were prohibited along and within the vicinity of palo, cathedral
the last option in mind for the palo, cathedral live point is to lease a house nearby!
that's the last standing option possible,
but i needed to seek approval from my boss, because we would have to spend a lot for the rentals, before i can actually proceed!
and with all these shenanigans! i knew that i needed to remain calm, cool and collected while working with more than twenty crew members that rely heavily on my command
i've decided to pray quietly at the palo, cathedral and i was seeking for a divine intervention!
please God, don't let me mess up but there's really nothing i can do but be patient
although i knew that sir dj will kill me if i won't be able to pull this altogether! (in my mind i can actually hear his voice cursing putang ina)
stakes are raised incredibly high that every moment feels like a matter of life and death to me
with all these tensions shared by everyone in the group, we're still doing everything that we absolutely can!
and despite the high-pressure we were under, the concerted efforts of my team was invaluable! i love them so much for that!
the patience and the physical stamina were all tested!
on the following day, as if we're ready! but truth is, i am just trying my best to be calm and controlled,
i'll never forget that tense hours when we're about to run our first live report for aksyon sa tanghali!
and it was incredibly hectic! a back-to-back live reports of jun loyola from palo, cathedral and jv arcena from archbishop's palace
|
| ||||
|
|
 |
| January 17 | Jun Loyola reporting live from Palo Cathedral |
 |
| January 17 | Mia Reyes reporting live from Palo, Leyte |
 |
| January 18 | Mon Gualvez and myself at the background on a motorcycle ride |
and it was the most extensive and physically challenging for me because i am the sole field producer on that two separate live point
so i rush like a madman, running from one live point to another live point
that's 2 kilometers away from each other,
but in my case a motorbike transported me! which makes this all the more interesting!
on d!day! Pope Francis, was able to fulfill his visit to palo, leyte amidst the threats of bagyong amang
and as planned, his frist stop at the archbishop's residence for the blessing of pope francis center
that facilitates orphans and elderly and to meet some survivors of yolanda and bohol earthquake for a lunch date
and then a quick visit at the palo, catherdral, where a liturgical reception of nuns and priests from leyte were present
yes i get to see him in few seconds that gave me major chills!
and after days of stress!, i have to admit,
on our last day at leyte, i was not in my "incredible form" anymore! and i apologize fot that!
anyways, i'd personally would like to thank mr. santos the owner of the building that i've rented,
he took care of all my needs most especially for mounting platforms as well as for extending his home that serves as our shelter for a night
 |
| January 15 | with Fraulein Olvario, Kaye Imson (photo: Fraulein Olavario) |
 |
| January 17 | with Laila Chikadora, Mia Reyes and Kaye Imson |
 |
| January 17 |with Team Palo Cathedral! right after our live reports (photo: Laila Chikadora) |
 |
| January 16 | with my Systems Engineer and Audioman (photo: Edison Dianela) |
 |
| January 12 | with my Cameramen (photo: Edison Dianela) |
 |
| January 20 | with my Team Palo Cathedral! (photo: Edison Dianela) |
 |
| January 20 | with the UNLI RICE king! (photo: Edison Dianela) |
and to my team! to the most hardworking people!
that consist of more than 20 production crew and reporters! here's to your everlasting credit and going beyond the pursuits of excellence!
to my reporters,
kaye imson and team, jun loyola and team, mia reyes and team, jv arcena and team, laila chikadora and team, amber gonzales and team, mon gualvez and team, fraulein olavario and team
special mention to my peyborit cameraman loreto alair!, edison dianela, santi mejia and kuya sonny
to my roomate! and co-field producer rhandall lorenzana
to the team telecoms of tv5 production engineering group
to my peyborit team, unit 1 of palo, cathedral! (SNG 3 Team)
to the hardworking team, unit 2 of archbishop's residence (SNG 4 Team)
to sir glenn and his team, unit 3 at the caltex station of tacloban (SNG 5 Team)
and to all the invaluable contributions! everything is very much appreciated!
i'd like to think that whatever we've been through on that news coverage, we've gotten better now at what we do
i can also describe everything in 3 words, overwhelming, stressful and memorable!
this something that i don't know if i'm willing to do again!
all that said, no matter, it was all worth it and i've had an incredibly great of time!
No comments:
Post a Comment