FOR MY my weekend Frontpage reporting on Page One of Panay News, I have always wanted to have a feeling of being there when it happened.
Like being an on-the-ground reporter.
A real journalist.
Only, I cannot be bothered to go to war-torn areas, or check out sites of vehicular accidents.
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Anyway, the principle is in place.
I want to be there where events happened.
To only report what I have personally witnessed.
Or those things that I can personally vouch.
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For the Kuris Theatre Festival story, I went to Bacolod because I couldn’t be satisfied with press release materials and photos not taken by my iPhone’s camera.
I couldn’t attend the whole 3-day festival, and I wasn’t sure that I could participate even in just one workshop.
So on a whim, I just crossed the sea to do an interview, took photos, and promptly sailed back home via the RO-RO to Dumangas.
It was a lightning visit, but I knew I just had to do the story because it was the 10th year of the Kuris Festival, and I can bet my ass that Kuris has never made it to the front page of any newspaper in the Philippines.
Ten years of cultural work, and not be celebrated on a newspapers’ front page!
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My Iloilo Mega Book Fair 2023 story focused on our tribute to the late Felino Garcia, Jr.
Not only because Felino is a dear friend.
But also because I know that no one else will carry the story.
The IMBF was fairly reported, but if I couldn’t celebrate my recently deceased writer-friend in the context of the local book fair, what good a writer am I?
Or what good a friend?
Update: Because I was proactive in paying tribute to Felino, CCP just wrote me a letter to ask if they could use my materials for their Hanggang sa Muli obituary.
Of course, I said yes.
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Frontpage is not about friends.
But if an opportunity presents itself to celebrate a friend on the front page, I know I wouldn’t pull back.
Because my heart is pure.
And I only want to share joy, beauty, feel-good vibes.
This makes me a better person.
And a very good writer.
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Because sometimes, it’s tiring to be human.
To be dealing with people who want to remain ignorant.
When you do so much good in the world, and the world refuses to do better, you would feel defeated.
And it is easier to give up.
Although that would be defeatist as far as I am concerned.
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When overwhelmed by the weight of the world, I look at my numbers.
I look at what I’ve done by the numbers.
So yeah, in addition to my column articles, and my Frontpage stories, I have also done three new pieces for this year’s Palanca Awards.
They may or may not fetch me more awards, but I know that they are top notch literature.
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Reading them now, they still make me laugh, cry, smile, sigh.
At the very least, they make me feel good knowing that I’ve written something that I love creating.
In my heart of hearts, I know that they are good.
And that’s what the Palanca is for me: a challenge to produce great literature.
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I’ve also booked several trips for July and August.
Specifically, I’m flying to Australia and New Zealand.
I might add a few trips while in Manila.
Discounted airfares, anyone? Haha.
I so look forward to these tours.
First time in Australia and New Zealand.
What great wonders and wisdom will I discover this time?
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Health-wise, I tested negative for HIV and STIs in early June.
That made me feel good.
But the great thing is being involved in the HIV Prevention program in Iloilo.
I did it for the Frontpage story.
I’m not a Pride Month kind of guy.
But when June finally came, I decided to do something about sexual health.
You see, since July 2015, I decided to include in my growing advocacies the regular and routine HIV screening.
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More HIV prevention stories in my next column.
Because I walk the talk.
And I am a proud sponsor of the word ‘inspire’./PN
