This is my third multimedia slideshow and the second to be posted in this blog that I submitted for my follow up assignment for the Advance News Photography course subject. I posted the Jai Alai tournament at the previous post.
The idea was to present holiday street scenes that shows people engrossed in the spirit of the season. What better way to show this than to be in the heart of Manila’s bargain destination: Divisoria, a sprawling area known for its cheap goods (many are bootleg items). Almost any kind of products are sold here from food, clothes, decors and a host of bric-à-brac that the sheer variety overwhelms the senses. These are mostly imported from China and are displayed inside malls, along the streets and every nook and cranny!
On a weekend just before Christmas Day and New Year, prepare to wade through a sea of people from every walks of life and from every economic status braving it out for a bargain product that will be given away as holiday presents.
Like the previous work, I’m still familiarizing myself in assembling a multimedia slideshow that combines several audio files with the photographs. I think I still have a long way to go to finally perfect this one.
This was my assignment in the Advance News Photography course in ACFJ dealing with sports. Fortunately, when we had this one, the Manila Amateur Jai Alai Association had their yearend tournament. As posted before, I am documenting this unique sport as part of my course project. With permission from Alex Singca, association president and the one I interviewed here, I was able to cover the tournament for two days just before I flew to Cebu. This is a work in progress and if you might notice, I still have a lot to learn in assembling a multimedia slideshow. This is just a start.
Chobi Mela V International Festival of Photography invitation
Finally, after following up Tanvir Murad, I got my official invitation for my work Coping with a Desaparecido for exhibition in the prestigious Chobi Mela V International Festival of Photography. From the list of 54 photographers from 29 countries, including the likes of Munem Wasif, multiawarded photojournalist as well as the winners of the National Geographic All Roads photography program, I’m the only one from the Philippines!
Will I be attending the festival that only happens every two years and will open on 30 January 2009? As much as I want to go, that remains to be seen. I don’t have the budget, as of now, for the plane fares. I do am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I will be able to raise the funds for it.
What originally planned as a piece related to the Reproductive Health bill, to give my own voice on the issue, transpired to be a big project that I envisioned to be for my diploma course in ACFJ. Initially inspired by the The Places We Live website, I’m looking at presenting it in multimedia and will focus on a particular depressed barangay in Metro Manila.
My classmate Faye referred me to Akbayan and from there, I got in touch with an officer and was pointed to Matinik, an urban poor women’s group in Barangay Tatalon, Quezon City. From the ocular survey I did this week, it holds much promise.
Last 8 December, I was at a District Mobile Force checkpoint under the Eastern Police District (EPD) located at Marcos Highway at the boundary of Marikina City and Cainta, Rizal to cover a police night shift for a course assignment. This site was originally built under the now defunct National Anti-kidnaping Task Force (NAKTAF) but is now under the EPD, known as one of the peaceful police districts in Metro Manila.
PO1 Danny Rito, the team leader, and PO1 Ryan Taguimacon, 33 and 28 years old respectively have been manning the night shift at this checkpoint for a number of months already. Originally, there were seven officers but due to requirements from other police stations within the district, they were “download,” a term to mean reassigned, that only four were left and equally divided into two shifts, six days a week.
The police officers’ typical shift may address complaints and problems within the entire stretch of the highway ranging from vehicular accidents, directing traffic in case of traffic jams, hold ups, pickpockets and other thefts, bar fights and sometimes, altercations between people. But most of the time, it’s spent monitoring the radio for advisories and reports and updating headquarters. During lean nights, the TV keeps them company.
Note: My thanx to Dennis Rito who referred me to his brother.
