Oral History of Raffy Lerma

Photo from beached.multiply.com

Interviewers: Joe Lorenzo Alimagno and Kady Wilson

KADY WILSON:
So... Uhhh... My name is Kady Wilson and I'm here with an interview with Mr. Raffy Lerma of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Okay sir, let's start. Sir, for the record, could you please state your name and your present employment?

RAFFY LERMA:
I'm Raffy Lerma. I'm 30 years old and I work for the Philippine Daily Inquirer as a staff photographer.

KADY WILSON:
Uhhhm... When did you start as a photo journalist?

RAFFY LERMA:
I started... Well time yun nung when uhm, I started when I was uh covering the EDSA 2, uhm, uprising of uh, Joseph Estrada. So... I started out as student. I was discovering. I was taking up [map] photography. Just photography noh, hindi pa photojournalism eh.

KADY WILSON:
For the school paper?

RAFFY LERMA:
No actually, wala pa. From my own... I was just trying to cover then I knew, parang, history to in the making eh. So I just covered it on my own. I wasn't part of any, uh, print or, wala 'kong, wala 'kong release. Wala 'kong nalabas sa, na sarili sa newspaper. But eventually the photos uh, there was one person who was uh, uh, asking for photographs. I was... Student of the College of Fine Arts in UP Diliman. So I just gave my photos. So... For a few months I found my photos in a book. There's a book in uh, Pilipinas: The EDSA 2 Revolution. Parang na, syempre parang ... Wow part na-

KADY WILSON:
Your name was credited?

RAFFY LERMA:
Was credited (laughs). And after nun I joined the, uh, Philippine Collegian. It's the student paper of the UP Diliman. So I wanted more on... Journalism side. Hindi yung photography on the arts side or the commercial side. Meron akong part na mas gusto ko mas, mas journalism, mas tao, basta yun. Yun na, from there, I worked as a staff photographer for the Collegian for 4 years and wala talagang pay, I mean you get mga 150 pesos per photo.But, wala, talagang -

KADY WILSON:
Masaya?

RAFFY LERMA:
Struggling pero masaya yung na-release ko yung photos ko. Then from that stint, uh, from that stint naka-build ako ng sarili kong portfolio. And from the portfolio may mga peers ko, mga peers, nakita nila yung mga photos ko, and I was sent to Vietnam to cover for a World Press Photo For Young Photographers...

KADY WILSON:
Who's [sent them]?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uh, it was a group, it's an organization, [ata] it's called uhm, Philippine Center for Photojournalists. So, nakikita nila yung work, uh, parang young photographers: 30 and below. So they sent me along with uh, I was the Philippine representative. Then there were 10 Europeans, 10 Asians. We had to cover um, something about uhm, urbanization yung theme. From there, from dun, nag shoot na yun doon. Pag balik ko dito, uhm, the PCP head for that time, the chair, was the chief photographer of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. So, they asked me if I wanted to work, uh, sa Inquirer. First, as a correspondent. Bilang correspondent I had to work uhm, not only news din, mga lifestyle ganon mga fashion, food, entertainment -

KADY WILSON:
Hindi muna yung gusto mo?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo ganon kase hindi ka mabubuhay sa news eh. I get only paid by the picture eh. I get paid 250 pesos per picture even though good shot, so minsan sa isang week, even though I wanted to do more on news I mean the journalism side, I had to live also. So... I had to shoot mga ganyan mga fashion, food... Eventually, after 2 years, kase Inquirer, they only hire, uhhh, mga employees na nag-graduate eh, I wasn't graduate kase eh, so parang during the time sa college talagang nakita ko na... Journalism, ah photog- ah, photojournalism, 'to na talaga yung gusto ko. Tinuloy ko na siya even though hindi na ko mag graduate. After nun, after two 2, uhm, binigya- ah, ginawa na nila akong regular so, hanggang 2008, dito parin ako.

KADY WILSON:
So, you mentioned yung during nung, EDSA 2 -

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah?

KADY WILSON:
Mga how old were you?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oh my...

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Wait, ha...

KADY WILSON:
Early 20s...

RAFFY LERMA:
Mga early 20s.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Safe to say mga early 20s. Mga ganon uh, wala lang, talagang nakita ko lang na parang history siya in the making. I wanted to be part of it also. So parang, shoot shoot lang ako, tas yung -

KADY WILSON:
What year were you in college? Start palang?

RAFFY LERMA:
I... I entered college '96. '96 yung college but uh, ang dami kong course eh -

KADY WILSON:
(laughs) Shift ng shift?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ang dami ang dami... Actually ang dami kong shift. I was into... Actually football pa dati ako, varsity varsity...

KADY WILSON:
Wow. Astig ah.

RAFFY LERMA:
Pero... Wala. Walang future, so somewhere in the middle parang kailangan mo nang humanap ng... Yung parang mas gusto mong gawin sa buhay, diba?

KADY WILSON:
So if not photojournalism, what did you intend to pursue for life?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oh, football!

KADY WILSON:
laughs

RAFFY LERMA:
Sa totoo lang yeah football lang kwan ko dati. Tas yun parang in the middle of there parang naging out of... Tambay lang ako sa UP, and then I didnt know what to do. Parang nakita kong release, photography. I mean nakaka-adventure ka nakaka-travel ka, I mean I don't get to really be part of what I, kunyari mga people na kinukunan ko, subjects ko, pero I can see yung mga kwan ng lives nila. Somewhere there parang... Interesting diba? Medyo parang doon mas na hook ako ng photojournalism.

KADY WILSON:
So uhmmm, why photojournalism? Why not like, uh, why not be a journalist- Why... Why did you get into the hobby of taking pictures? Like, ever since you were young pa ba-

RAFFY LERMA:
No-

KADY WILSON:
Or just... Instant?

RAFFY LERMA:
Parang instant yun eh it was uh, yun nga in between yung mga period na yun sa college na wala kaong ginagawa naghahang-out lang ako sa mga bookstore... Titingin-tingin... I always loved looking at photos. Parang, minsan, alam ko masama, minsan titingin ako ng book, hindi ko na binabasa (laughs) tinitingnan ko nalang yung picture.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Pero parang ganon parang mahilig talaga akong tumingin ng photos even before pa tagal na akong, tumitingin lagi ako ng Life. Uh, photos from Life, and Time, yung mga ganon. Old photos. Nacu-curious lang ako, tapos, eventually yung father ko, he was a hobbyist before, then yung, meron lang siyang camera dun sa bahay na hindi niya ginamit for so many years. Parang, "Sige, gamitin ko kaya." Tinesting ko tas yun na. Tuloy-tuloy na-

KADY WILSON:
So that's the camera you used rin?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo, before. It was the... Still the old kind of camera. Film... Film parin pero from... Ngayon syempre digital na yung age na. Pero, sabihin ko, yung time na spi-nend ko with that film na... Na-discipline ako. Kasi it was still film, I mean, costly siya, so I had to make every frame count. Yung nakikita ko yung... Coz I used to process my own film. I had, I... Printed my own so yung creativity nandun and at the same time... Siguro journalism... Parang ang hirap nun eh-

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Ang dami kasi eh, ang daming, kwan, reasons siguro kung bakit journalism. One, siguro... Alam ko cliche pero parang... Gusto mo ng change or something. Gusto mo na... Alam mo, you're willing to put yourself into... Things, na hindi karaniwang tao ilalagay sarili niya. Andun yung parang service, gusto mo yun. Yun, change or uh, you want people too. I want to work with people siguro. May mga times kasi before, nakita ko rin yung photos nun na I... Yung sa college, during my college years. I was doing... Shooting stuff na... Parang nakikita ko I was doing something. I was doing something. I was part of something.

KADY WILSON:
And you just wanted to continue.

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo. I just wanted to continue.

KADY WILSON:
So, uhm, has anyone else in your family been into photojournalism?

RAFFY LERMA:
No... No. Pero-

KADY WILSON:
Just you?

RAFFY LERMA:
Just me. Pero lahat ng brothers ko, all... Parang lahat sila sa arts eh. May brother ako nasa band, 'tong brother kong isa parang... Dati siyang art curator sa Ateneo. Yung isang brother ko pa painter.

KADY WILSON:
Parang runs in the family? In a way?

RAFFY LERMA:
I dunno. Possibly. Possibly.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs) So uhm, have you ever tried any other journalistic endeavours like, have you tried, aside from picture-taking have you given like, writing a shot or hindi na?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uhm, yun lang.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Writing, medyo masaya yun. Aminado, hindi ako ganun kagaling magsulat. So I try to express kung ano mang kailangan kong sabihin sa photos. Pero I wish I could have been also a writer. Para kase, yun ang Waterloo eh I mean, sasabihin ng iba na... Iba eh, iba yung photographer eh pero... What if... Sana nga ako gusto ko, nainggit nga ako din sa mga writers eh. Kase... I mean, kaya nilang maging isang... One-man gang diba? One-man army ka na kaya mo magsulat, at the same time, kaya mo mag take ng photo, would be better... Wala eh. Di kayang sumu- yung mang-ganon.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Pero sa Inquirer naman they... They uhm, they have to write small captions also... So yun mga, yun sila always fill in mga-

KADY WILSON:
[fine]

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. Pero I can always write naman siguro. I've wanted to. In the future. Pero... As of now-

KADY WILSON:
Why not?

RAFFY LERMA:
Why not.

KADY WILSON:
Do you have any journalist or photojournalist that serve as your inspiration?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. Uhm, actually ang daming hindi kilala na, uh, photojournalists sa Philippines, pero there are so many good photojournalists here. Sila [Sonny Ambrao], uhm, [Migs Baluyot]. One is, pinaka siguro one of the most famous, si [Romy Gacad]. I don't know if you've heard of him, works for a [wire] agency, works for, [Alliance France Press]. So he was one of the, he's... Siya nalang siguro photographer na-nominate sa Pulitzer. So, ganun-

KADY WILSON:
From the Philippines?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah, from the Philippines! Uh, na na-nominate siya ng best film. Marami. Maraming magaling sa Philippines pero internationally, marami din. Syempre marami din dyan sila {indistinct words}, sila... Marami pa actually, marami pero... I will try to promote yung-

{CUT}

RAFFY LERMA:
Hindi, marami. Hindi lang sila nabibigyan ng much credit. Kasi, siguro, ang photojournalist, I mean hindi pa siya ganun ka... Yung audience ng Philippines hindi pa ganun ka mature. So in some way yung grupo din namin tina-try rin namin i-promote yung photojournalists.

KADY WILSON:
So next, sir, your inspiration. Do you try to uhm, copy their style or more of-

RAFFY LERMA:
Actually hindi yung style kasi, each photographer has his own style naman eh. Siguro may mga naco-copy ka rin in some way pero hindi yun eh. Hindi yun yung parang gusto ko eh. Parang it's more of the attitude. Yung, they try to... Linalabas lang dun sa, sa photography nila. It's more of the attitude na kailangan mong ilabas sa, uhm, parang lives out through the, throughout... Pwede sila mag commercial. I mean ngayon, matanda na sila-

KADY WILSON:
Parang versatile?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo versatile, pero talagang chi-noose nila yung profession, hindi sila nag sell-out. I mean everyone could be... Kung gustuhin lang namin mag commercial photography nalang kami para-

KADY WILSON:
Mas kumita.

RAFFY LERMA:
Mas kumita, diba? Pero, sayang naman yung work nila for so many years tapos... Yun.

KADY WILSON:
Okay, sir, so moving on... One by one, could you please state the newspapers you've been employed in, and for how long you've worked for each?

RAFFY LERMA:
First I started out yung sa Philippine Collegian. I worked there for maybe 4 years. It was a student publication but I treated it as work narin.

KADY WILSON:
What position did you hold?

RAFFY LERMA:
Well first I was a kwan,ah, correspo- ah, yung kwan lang ah, regular, I mean, anung tawag dun ah, probie. I was a probationary, for 2 years. Then I became regular for 1. Then I became a parang photo chief. Photo editor. For the last year. 1 year, photo editor. So I treated it as work na talaga. Then after nyon, I worked freelance for siguro... 6 months lang (laughs). Nung college rin naman ako, when I was working sa Collegian, I was freelancing-based already. I was giving work to other... I know I gave work sa PCIJ... Then there was a book that came out. Tas uh, uh, yun na, yun tas after nun sa Inquirer I... I worked as a correspondent for 2 years, and 2 years as a regular, til the present.

KADY WILSON:
So... At the present you are... In the Inquirer?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yes.

KADY WILSON:
So can you describe the newspaper in terms of its physical location before, dun sa Inquirer like when you stayed there. How was the place?

RAFFY LERMA:
To compare sa? Inquirer before?

KADY WILSON:
Hindi naman like, where was the place located?

RAFFY LERMA:
Hmmm... Kasi yung na... When I started nandun na siya sa Makati eh.

KADY WILSON:
Yung bago?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yung bago na. I wasn't part of the... Was moving around... Hindi pa siya I think part of its prime eh, yung Inquirer. Dati. Pero ngayon, when I work there, kwan na siya eh, established na siya eh. So, smooth naman yung work sa Inquirer eh. Okay lang naman. Pero syempre, daily na siya. Kasi Collegian days ko, weekly siya eh. So yung pressures ngayon, it's a daily newspaper so grabe yung pressure. At the same time, competition. Na-experience ko yung, talagang matinding competition I mean, among your, kwan, among other newspapers, tv, and, ano pa ba... Ngayon nga may bago na kaming kalaban it's called citizen's journalism yung (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
Yeah. (laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
With the... (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
Cellphones. (laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Cellphones, and everything. Yun na. Yun na yung mga biggest threat na ngayon namin. (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
So what about yung physical facilities, like how is the building?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah, it's okay. Parang maganda naman yung lupa, you know. What can I say I mean hindi naman ako biased ano pero, na compare ko naman sa ibang mga newspaper, I think maganda na yung stature sa Inquirer. Maganda na yung work... Pay (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
So, airconditioned?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. It's uhm...

KADY WILSON:
What about yung mga offices? The office equipment, printing equipment, like how is it?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah masaya sa Inquirer eh. Kase we have the... Sariling printer eh. Then, ang maganda sa Inquirer, which I recently found out from my trip to Mindanao, recently, last week. Yung sobrang lakas ng Inquirer sa Mindanao. Because, unlike other newspapers, they print it in Manila then they get shipped to other places in the Philippines, pero sa, sa, it depends on sa, sa flights, ng mga planes, diba? Ngayon with the Inquirer they have their own printing system sa Manila, then meron sila sa Visayas, meron sila sa Mindanao. So the newspaper gets... On the place... On time. Parang newspaper talaga. Other places yung dyaryo, a day after, or afternoon na late na in the afternoon na so parang nawawala yung purpose ng newspaper, diba parang, wala na, late na eh. So, yun.

KADY WILSON:
So uhm, like, when you started, how did you submit your photos? Like, email? Do you just email it or do you go to the office, give it to them?

RAFFY LERMA:
Before, we used to. Kase since before, naka-film pa ako eh. Kailangan ko pa, pupunta pa akong office, I have to process my film, I have to scan it-

KADY WILSON:
You process it at the office?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah, ay actually hindi na siya yung physical na ako [magkakabit]. Meron doon parang print... Uh... Photo lab. On the, on the other street. Parang, dun na kami nagpapa-develop. Then from the developed we scan it. Pero recently, yun na nga digital na nga, we have, we can... Go to the office, download our photo. Pero on field, when we have field assignments, we can always just email it.

KADY WILSON:
So... Uhm... Now, what about the people you work with, like how's your editor? Does... Your first editor. Was he... How was he?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah, his name's uh, [Ernie Sarmiento]. He's okay, he's a very considerate boss. And he knows what he's talking about. Unlike other, uhm, siguro mga other photo editors or, photo chiefs, uh... They don't know photography that well. (laughs) I'm sorry to say but, ganun talaga yun, meron iba pero... My boss, he works in uh, I think, alam ko yung father din kasi photographer so he knows the, uhm, world ng photography. So, nakita niya yun. Tas very kwan naman siya lenient naman siya, pero he's strict also pag yung kailangang maging strict. Tama rin yun. Ako I prefer that eh. Gusto ko yung ganun eh. Yung boss din talaga.

KADY WILSON:
What about your publisher?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah si kwan? (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Ako I always see him sa functions pero... I'm sorry pero hindi ko talaga kayang magbigay ng much dun sa publisher namin kasi panay department na, may photo department, tas lahat uh, parang kasama sa buong, I mean, kasama siya sa Inquirer [but they have another] place sa loob so yung, what, the other, editors, writers, nasa isa silang malaking parang lugar tas kami nasa isang maliit na lugar dun sa tabi (laughs) so parang hindi namin nakikita yung dynamic side. So hindi namin masyado nakakahalubilo... Basta kami sa photo lang, okay...

KADY WILSON:
So pero he's hands-on naman?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. Si, si... [Gani Yambot] we see him sa mga... Usually pag siya yung sumasagot sa mga... Pag kailangan sumagot ng Inquirer about certain issues, siya yung sumasagot tas very present naman siya sa mga, ano ba yon sa mga {indistinct words} or functions ng Inquirer.

KADY WILSON:
He's strict also?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah yung... Actually hindi. Never ko siya nakitang nagalit. At hindi ko nga alam kung nagagalit siya. Hindi ko naman nakita siyang nagalit.

KADY WILSON:
So, so what about your first colleagues? Who were they? What were they like? Yung mga kasama-sama mo in the industry.

RAFFY LERMA:
Colleagues? Uh, industry? Okay naman, I mean, actually magandang makita yan eh. Kase, I work for a broadsheet, yung, for Inquirer. Syempre medyo established na. Pero there are people who I worked with also who are, yung less fortunate sa work nila. Yung nasa tabloids, so sana makita niyo rin yung side na yun. So, kawawa sila eh, kawawa talaga yung work nila eh. So, hindi ako... Wala akong reason mag-complain sa work ko. Kasi they work mga 100 pesos per photo. Kaya maraming mga bad habits ang nangyayari sa photography and sa journalism

{CUT}

RAFFY LERMA:
It brings out the worst sa people, some people eh. So yung ganon, they... Envelope culture na nangyayari kasi they need... Hindi na nga sila na, I mean, hindi na nga sila kumikita sa photos nila. They need to result to other means para... To live. Tapos-

KADY WILSON:
So, what about sa Inquirer, who were the other people you worked with when you entered? Yung other photojournalists?

RAFFY LERMA:
When I entered, uhm, nag work rin kasi dati yu- most of the photographers for the Inquirer din kasi came from the Collegian.

KADY WILSON:
So kasama mo na before pa?

RAFFY LERMA:
De, actually hindi. Yung isa, kasama ko before. Pero I mean yung mindset [takbo ng utak] naiintindihan mo na yung, kwan nila. Sila [Joan Bondoc], don't know if you've heard, one of the, uh, first women photogra- photojournalists sa Philippines so... Marami kang matututunan sa kanila eh. Experiences nila. Very kwan naman sa, sa Inquirer hindi naman kami yung parang kwan sa... Parang they're very competitive ganyan themselves very kwan naman eh, maganda yung cammaraderie within dun sa, sa loob. Napu-push talaga sa...

KADY WILSON:
So what about the working conditions like how is the hours?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yun lang... Yun lang.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Minsan di karin maka-complain naman kasi, when you're a photojournalist, when you're looking for photos, hindi mo na talaga [recommend] yung time eh. I mean, we don't, we don't have overtime pay, so... Wala kaming overtime pay. Pag ah, it's ah, I start out at 7 am in the morning and end up at uh, 4, I think 4 in the afternoon. So I go around the city, usually Quezon City. We have a beat system kasi eh. It's a yearly beat. Either we cover certain areas of responsibility, but on times, may malaking story, we get sent to other provinces like what happened in Mindanao, before nun si Ces Drilon, we covered Ces Drilon. So yun, if it calls, the national issue, or the issue of the day, calls for the, for us to go out to provinces, mangya- nangyayari din yun. Pero... Yun nga eh. I worked sa Mindanao I start out 6 in the morning I end around 9, 8 in the evening, okay lang sakin.

KADY WILSON:
That's your own choice?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. Choice naman. Choice naman.

KADY WILSON:
Do you have like, uhm, holidays or wala na?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yun na eh, la na eh. Yung totoo? When I, parang wala na yun sa bokabyularyo namin eh (laughs). Kasi yung, yung holidays is usually a photo day for us. Kunyari, cancel of classes because of typhoons, it's usually, we have to cover. So yung ganun na yun, wala na yun.

KADY WILSON:
Pero, you don't look for the holidays naman?

RAFFY LERMA:
Syempre meron. Syempre, syempre, sana naman, sana meron parin. Pag nagkataon na sabay siya, nagkataon na day of yan... So, as much as- ngayon talaga talagang tinatanggal na namin sa vocabulary namin ang holidays.

KADY WILSON:
So, what about the salary like when you started how much was the salary like? Just starting.

RAFFY LERMA:
It's tough yung first kasi I worked out as a correspondent, I get paid 150 per photo, published. It has to be published eh, for you to get paid. So... [Yeah rin], I needed to work sa- I did shoots mga fashion uhm, mga lifestyle-lifestyle, mga damit-damit. Pero ngayon, regular na, okay naman siya eh.

KADY WILSON:
Like how much is it per-

RAFFY LERMA:
I can't (laughs)-

KADY WILSON:
Oh-

RAFFY LERMA:
No, today? Today? Ngayon? I don't get paid by the photo. It's a kwan na, regular salary. Na mas maganda narin. [May pulutan na]. (laughs) Maganda na ngayon. Mas maganda na ngayon.

KADY WILSON:
So what about deadlines, like, when's your deadline?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uhm, sa Inquirer kailangan naka-submit [kami ng photos] by 4 in the afternoon.

KADY WILSON:
Everyday?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. If we work on the, if we work on the major beats. So we have to submit the photo at least by 4 in the afternoon. It's always pa naman, adjustable pa naman, when it's a big story, syempre you have to wait for the subjects. They always push the, yung, deadline, 5, 6, pero pag sobrang late, baka mahirap na. 6, 7, medyo magagalit na yung editors nyan.

KADY WILSON:
So what do you consider the major beats? Qc?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yan, QC-

KADY WILSON:
Makati?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah, QC, Makati's kwan, uh, they call it CPD. CPD's also kwan uh, Quezon City. Then the Eastern side, then the Northern part of Metro Manila. Isipin mo isa kang photographer you have to cover all of those. Then they [cover] the next major beat, it's the WPD, Western Police, which covers Manila, Makati, yung nasa huling portion. So minsan ang hirap eh. Ikaw lang mag-isa, kung hindi mo kaya i-cover lahat?

KADY WILSON:
So, do you have contacts that tell you where to go?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah, meron namang ganun... [I-aakap ka pa nga nung guy, to cover the- sabihin-]

KADY WILSON:
{indistinct words}

RAFFY LERMA:
No, no, makikita mo naman eh, yun parang, "What's the big story here?" or you can always follow... You listen to the radio. You listen to the radio if you're looking for uhm, ideas also, some, or, at the same time you're looking for, or you're listening to the spot news. Spot news which means uh, crime, fires, so yun sa, yung immediately you have to respond. Pero if it's not a big story, there's sometimes they're the big, scheduled to, scheduled stories, kunyari sa... Hearing sa Supreme court. Usually may time naman diba yun? So yun ah, uh, another major beat is the Malacanang, which, syempre, you have to cover, movement of the President. And uh, there's another beat, they call it the roving, so around, they start at around 10 in the morning, to... In the af- basta late in the afternoon. They have to go around, look for yung mga human interest. Minsan kasi, when there's no big story, you can always go to... Yung mga photos na human interest lang. Pwedeng ganun.

KADY WILSON:
So do you like, do you have friends who, like, text you and say, "Come here,"

RAFFY LERMA:
Uhm-hmm (nods in confirmation)

KADY WILSON:
They're from other newspaper rin? Or-

RAFFY LERMA:
Not, not necessarily other newspapers. You build sources din eh. Try to build sources. Then, syempre may reporters din kayo on the field.

KADY WILSON:
They call you up?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah, they call us up.

KADY WILSON:
So uhm, do you have like a specific, uhm, technique or method for gath- for getting your pictures?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah, technique...

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Uhm, kasi may standards rin naman talaga eh, you ha- you have to give uh the, general photo, which means yung general shot, you have to... Tas may kailangan kang ibigay rin, details, important details, yun. Parang, you cover from like this (motions hands far apart, then slowly towards each other) then you're closing down. On certain details. Parang ganun lagi, dapat. Tas syempre yung pinaka-peak na moment, minsan, yun ang kailangan [mong hintayin], yung peak ng action. Pero you always have to give the general photo, then try to go down.

KADY WILSON:
So... Have you ever been a cub, a cub reporter?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ano yun?

KADY WILSON:
It's sort of uhm, like an apprentice reporter, like you go around with a more exprienced one...

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. I... When I started sa Quezon City, uhm, buntot ako ni [Joanne Bondoc]. [Joan Bondoc] kasi yung senior photographer na namin sa, so, she's been around sa Quezon City and the industry for some time, siguro mga 1 year I was watching how she was covering... I learned rin some... I got some contacts also. And I learned a lot from her.

KADY WILSON:
What was it like? Mahirap?

RAFFY LERMA:
Okay naman, mahirap din, mahirap din. Syempre naman when you're starting out maraming ka pang mga... Marami ka pang gustong gawin, tapos... Basta mahirap i-explain parang... Basta ang hirap i-explain. Mamaya na. (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
Have you ever had your own, like subordinates or apprentices?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah, talaga oo. When I was in the Collegian palang, marami na kong subordinates, pero ang nakakatuwa, yung mga subordinates ko, they're also working now for Manila Bulletin, uh, Tempo, yun ngayon yung isa ko pang uh, subordinate she works now for a [wire] agency. [So marami yan]. Maliit lang naman kasi world ng kwan eh, ano to, ng photog- uh, photojournalism sa Philippines, so we know each other. So we try to push... One... Kung nakikita naming may talent, we try to help.

KADY WILSON:
Encourage.

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo, encourage.

KADY WILSON:
So, what about your first beat, do you still remember it?

RAFFY LERMA:
First beat... Yeah. Yung sinabi ko kanina yung sa Quezon City, then I was also assigned to night shift na night duty so na- I also experienced the, all the crimes and the killing of the police beat. Yun.

KADY WILSON:
Do you have a memorable experience, covering... Any memorable stories, or events that-

RAFFY LERMA:
Ang rami na nun yung... Ang dami na sobra eh. Hindi ko na ngayon ma-

KADY WILSON:
Specify.

RAFFY LERMA:
Ma-specify kung ano yung mga- pero yung isa siguro yung isa is stampede, one, Ultra stampede, then the, ano pa ba... When I was starting out yung sa Magdalo yung Oakwood mutiny... Ang dami na ang dami, mga typhoon, each one naman has its own, parang, special something na tumatatak sayo eh. Yun lang kidnapping...

KADY WILSON:
So you've always been on the QC beat? Mostly?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uhm... Past two years, yeah. Past two years.

KADY WILSON:
So have you learned any important lessons then, like, from the field...

RAFFY LERMA:
Important lessons...

KADY WILSON:
Wala naman?

RAFFY LERMA:
(laughs) Marami naman. Pero yun, [nakikita natin yun]. Ang maganda kasi niyan, when you're starting talaga, dapat maganda yung foundations mo eh. Foundations mo in journalism. I mean kasi hindi lang dun yon sa ethics mo, kasi once you out on the field, mas mahina yan. You can always be led to, you could always be led to yung... Ibang klaseng journalism. The envelope-mental journalism. Or you use media as a source of... Hindi na information eh, parang power na yan. So kailangan maganda yung foundations mo nyan. Then parang makikita mo rin, pag nasa field ka, laging, lagi siyang napu-put on, di naman lagi but pero, napu-put on siya on the test, paminsan-minsan. Tas mapapansin mo rin yung fears mo, yung medyo yung, may mga takot ka sa maraming bagay yung, mare-realize mo in this profession, ulitin mo lang ng ulitin, mamaya-maya yung unang takot mo nag subside. Kunyari yung, sakay ka ng helicopter, yung first ko talagang, wow. The worst eh. Pero after nun sakyan mo... Tas when you hear yung gun... Gun shots at first talagang manginginig ka talgang... Pero after a while, parang pansin mo is yung, "Uy, galing ah." Parang hindi na ako nagrereact in the same way. Na-assess mo na yung situation. Na-assess mo na "Oy hindi, malayo pa yan."

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Yung mga ganon. Hindi lang yon, hindi lang yung mga that kind, pati yung mga how to deal with people, maganda rin yon when you're a journalist also. Kailangan magaling ka magbasa ng tao eh. Marunong ka dapat maki-ramdam. So yun, para makuha mo yung kiliti nila so, sometimes hindi the best na approach is yung strong na approach na, "I need to..." Ganito-ganto...Sometimes mas magandang approach yung softer, tame na ano para maka pasok ka sa world nila eh. Yun, maganda, kailangan na, naka-kwan mo rin yon, natututo ka sa field eh. Uhm, engage mo yung sarili mo tapos [tatansta ka nalang].

KADY WILSON:
So, uhm, moving back dun sa editor mo, uhm, so basically isa palang yung editor mo sa Inquirer.

RAFFY LERMA:
Uh-hmm (confirms). Dati kasi, sa uh, Inquirer, we had a photo chief, yun si [Ernie Sarmiento] then we had another one na [Boy Cabrido], he was the photo editor. So... Pero ngayon, ah, parang si sir... Ernie Sarmiento na, siya na yung lahat. Photo chief and photo editor.

KADY WILSON:
So how is he when it comes to like, like [playing with the flash] specific, may hinahanap?

RAFFY LERMA:
Hindi naman. Ang maganda sa kanya he allows us to...

KADY WILSON:
Experiment?

RAFFY LERMA:
Hindi naman talagang wild, experiment, he... Ina-allow niya samin mag shoot na, the way we shoot, pero at the same time, hindi naman yung sobra-sobrang artsy na... Ikaw nalang makakaintindi niyan.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
It still has to be on the parang...

KADY WILSON:
On track?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo and it has to be na yung photo mo maiintindihan.

KADY WILSON:
So what's his attitude naman towards your deadlines?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yun medyo kwan din siya sa deadline. Pero syempre, bilang kwan rin, alam niya yung mundo ko. He was also a photographer, a photojournalist, so he knows na sometimes yung deadlines kailangan talagang i-kwan-in... I-move.

KADY WILSON:
Do you have any memorable colleagues?

RAFFY LERMA:
Colleagues... Yeah-

KADY WILSON:
Really memorable.

RAFFY LERMA:
Hmmm... Marami. (laughs) Pero... Maraming characters din kasi sa yun, photographers. Especially sa area ko sa Quezon City there... Mga ibang character eh. Mga nagpapatawa, and ano, na yun, yung night shift ako maganda yung mga nakasama ko. Okay yung mga nakasama ko, I mean, mga older peers ko tinuturuan narin ako. Marami eh. Yun yung okay sa work ko na to, I mean you meet people, new people, every time tapos parang, yun nga, minsan, small amount of time tas maya-maya di mo na sila makikita pero all the time marami kang nagiging kaibigan.

KADY WILSON:
So what's your most, like your favorite assignment? Most favorite picture or assignment you've ever been on.

RAFFY LERMA:
Actually when I was starting out yun yung pinaka favorite ko. We had to cover, yung nasa Collegian ako, uhm, there was this issue about parang, internal refugees. Parang there were people caught between the military and the NPA. Sa fighting nila, they're usually the people who can't, alam mo yung mga nadadamay. Nadadamay sa gitna, so yun. On my own, wala akong assignment no, pero pumunta ako, I wanted to know, I wanted to. Naging curious ako about the... Ginamit ko sarili kong pera, tas [gave some of this]. Yung mga best photos ko, parang, may pers- naging personal sakin eh. Naging personal sakin yung stories nila. I spent mga 1 month sa isang lugar dun. Mga Mangyans? Yung mga indigenous people sa [Northern yan, mga Mangyans]. So I stayed with them for mga 1 month. Then, nakita ko talaga yung fear, yung gulo doon. Instead na they're just rallying in Manila. So minsan, it's not enough for me yung nakikita ko yung mga taong nagrarally-rally, so I was curious, "Totoo ba to?" I wanted to see for myself. Yon. Mga photos ko doon, yon mga naging memorable yun.

KADY WILSON:
You still have them up to now?

RAFFY LERMA:
I th- yeah. Yeah.

KADY WILSON:
Naka-frame? (laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Hindi naman. Hindi naman naka-frame. Though, meron dun yung isang place dun yung mga Mangyan sa isang, uh, evacuation center. Kasi dun nakikita mo talaga eh, yung talagang takot nila eh. Kasi usually yung I go to some place like evacuation center, lalo na when yung, when you're with kids, nga, ganyan lang sila ng ganyan don (makes funny gestures), smile ng smile no, diba? Pero dun, kita ko, dahil sa takot nila, they, they weren't, at gutom nila, wala hindi na sila nag (makes funny gestures again), yung, wala nang yung ganon. Wala na yung ganung moment, yung nagpapatawa sa tv, talagang nakita mo natural talaga silang...

KADY WILSON:
What about your most dangerous assignment?

RAFFY LERMA:
Dangerous... Eto isa, North Cotabato, isa rin yung Sulu,. Isa yung sa North Cotabato eh, kase, recent- last week, there was, yung ti- yung time na nandun kami, we were, were going inside this place, yun yung occupied ng MILF, so we were going inside the place na, the baranggay, and napansin namin, siguro mga, mga ilan ba kaming journalists non, mga around 6 or 7 journalists, from print and tv, nakita namin sa- sa road yung mga civilians they were on the ground, na sa tree sila naka ganun (makes hand gestures), so parang, "Bakit?" So we came, and we... Bumaba sa s- sa car tas tinanong na "Bakit? Bakit?" tas sabi nila "Down! Down!" Sa baba. So we went down tas yun pala nagf-fir-, nagda-, nagka-kwan na sa, gunfire na. So, yun. Shoot ka, syempre [mabilis to] pero dun, yung time na rinig ko yung gunfire it was- it was high, it was close, but it was high. Kasi you could hear the... Yung [bus] ng bullet "Pyoo!" that means it's high. Once you hear nagpo-pop na sa mga trees-

KADY WILSON:
It's close na.

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo yun na medyo ano... So yun, isa yun. Uh, ano pa ba? Yung Ces Drilon kidnap, we were the- going around the city, delikado yan eh sa Sulu. So places of Mindanao, pero hindi the greater Mindanao pero yung mga islands na Sulu... Target ka eh. Kase dala mo yung camera mo, you're seen as a journalist, "Wow, ganda ng gamit." Target ka. You can always be lia- pwede, yung possible na kidnap, ganun. Yun isang dan- dangerous assignment.

KADY WILSON:
So, what about like, your best memories of people you've met like, any key people that you've met, that you'd like to mention that you've met on the job na parang memorable talaga sa yo?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ang dami. Ang dami.

KADY WILSON:
Mention a couple.

RAFFY LERMA:
Mention a couple... One was the Mangyans I was working with before. So... Yun from the- from there, parang, I wasn't... Ito-to-to medyo drama ah, pero, I wasn't born parang, parang ma-, hindi, I was born na parang kwan, di naman parang [ginto], yung... May suot ka lagi, I mean sheltered. Pero when I went there, when I talked to some people there, actually yung isang family dun, tas nakita ko yung buhay nila. Parang pag balik ko ng Manila, di na ko maka-complain. So like, before pag pagkain ko palang ayoko na, nagco-complain na ako. Siguro from there nakita ko yung dinadaanan na usually they just eat yung mga root crops, crops for the whole week. Ako mga ilang days palang yun na kinakain ko, galit na ako eh. Sila they have to live with that for their whole lives. Parang, pag balik ko nga ng Manila parang nag change yung perception ko ng... Yun na, natanggal yung mga arte ko sa-

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
(laughs) In some way, ah, marami yun. Marami. Tas uhm, simple families, yung mga nasunugan ng bahay... Or caught-

KADY WILSON:
So sir, si hindi ka more of yung mga big names? More of yung mga...

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo... Pero meron din. Sino ba yung mga big names na nakakatuwa saakin? Yung isa si kwan, si, hindi big names pero, I get fond of people, yung artists eh. Yun ang pinaka gusto kong i-shoot eh, artists, musicians, kase, pag nakasama mo sila parang, parang wala nang kwan eh wala nang... Yung parang...

KADY WILSON:
Plastikan?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo. (laughs) Sige lang, pag na-shoot ko sila, "O sige, ano gusto mong gawin ko?" Pero at that moment lang yon. Yung iba kasi mga maarte mga artista-

KADY WILSON:
Gays?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo, gays, sila. And mga, nare-reveal nila sarili nila agad. Unlike some people, you have to really work hard para makita yung talagang totoong sabihin.

KADY WILSON:
Any particular artists?

RAFFY LERMA:
Si kwan si... Neil Gaiman. Yung sa-

KADY WILSON:
Ah, oh yeah.

RAFFY LERMA:
Cool siya, yung nakita ko isa siyang, yung writer na rock and roll star.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Bihira ako makakita ng ganun eh, writer na rock and roll star talaga eh, no? Astig siya talagang yung... Okay siya na tao. Sina... Marami pa eh si... He's from Cebu eh, guy na panay dread... Sino nga ba from Cebu... Yeah yun basta marami.

KADY WILSON:
What about your... The favorite places that you've gone to for the job?

RAFFY LERMA:
Hmmm... Marami din, Thailand, it was... Okay yung experience ko sa Thailand. Vietnam... Sa Philippines?

KADY WILSON:
Anywhere.

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah, anywhere?

KADY WILSON:
Can be anywhere, if you've even to Mars...

RAFFY LERMA:
(laughs) Kung pwede lang! (laughs) Maganda rin Palawan, gusto ko nga sana eh yung, bana- yung, Batanes? Gusto ko nga makita yun eh yung Batanes. Pero yung mga nakita ko so far na maganda, yun yung Palawan, Bohol.

KADY WILSON:
Boracay?

RAFFY LERMA:
Hindi ako masyado kase into yung Boracay. Masyadong maraming tao. Masyadong... Gusto ko medyo laid-back. Uh, mountain province. Sa Abra, yung places sa Abra, not the mga Kalinga, Baguio type ah yung talagang yung mountain province na talagang yung bare, makikita mo yung tao on horse-back...

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Mga tipong ganun. Astig. Naaaliw ako sa mga ganun eh. Kasi napaka-pure. Yung kung ano nakikita mo sa mga painting, "Wow parang mga painting mga tao dito ah."

KADY WILSON:
... So uhm, so syempre as a photojournalist, you've witnessed a lot of mga critical and explosive events, so uhm, what are your memories from the time na start narin sa EDSA 2 and 3. How are your memories of those?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uhm, sad to say pero parang, EDSA 2, syempre you were part of that, parang may- may inexpect ka rin na mga things na nagch-change rin in society... Ngayon, parang it's all the same. Yun ang nakakalungkot. May mga things- may mga realizations ka rin na... Well syempre meron konti, may mga konti improvement pero yun, yung time na yun parang, I was hoping sana talagang... Nag revolution na, maraming- baka yung mga makikita mo baka...

KADY WILSON:
{indistinct words}

RAFFY LERMA:
On a general note uhm, halos pareho lang.

KADY WILSON:
What was it like as a journalist being there?

RAFFY LERMA:
On EDSA 2 at tsaka... It was, parang hope eh.

KADY WILSON:
Hope in what ways?

RAFFY LERMA:
In some way parang nabigyan ka ng hope.

KADY WILSON:
Marami kayo dun, sa scene?

RAFFY LERMA:
Madami. A- actually maraming naging journalist, photojournalist who covered EDSA 2 who are now practicing.

KADY WILSON:
So that's what really started a lot ng-

RAFFY LERMA:
A lot. Actually hindi lang yun eh, pati yung mga dating '86, from that moment rin, marami na ring journalists at that time.

KADY WILSON:
So, do you have any memories with uhm, aside- yung mga coup attempts?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. Syempre I, it wasn't... Yun nga yung kwan eh, the coup attempts we know are the ones yung mga, yun pang panahon ni Cory. Tas, yun talaga yung talagang totoong coup. These days yung mga coup parang short-lived, tapos parang... It was a show eh. Weird, hindi siya... Hindi ko naman sinasabi na there has to be blood and guts to, diba, spill, pero... It was a show, parang, ano- ano yung purpose ng coup na yun? So I covered yung, uh, Oakwood. And the other one, yung Pen. Pero nakita ko nalang... It wasn't that...

KADY WILSON:
Were you, uhm, arrested dun sa Pen?

RAFFY LERMA:
No no, no. Yung Pen, basta at that time I was covering the night shift, duty. So I came in around late na eh, mga 5, almost 4 or 5, so we were the people outside. We were covering those who got arrested.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
(laughs) So we weren't those who got arrested. We were covering those who got arrested.

KADY WILSON:
So what was it like naman?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uhm, actually sa totoo lang mer- merong other people who played yung situation, who played to the handcuff-handcuff. Pero it was, kung titingnan mo siya, uh, mali talaga na... Uh... Mali rin yung ibang journalists na maluwag na yung kwan, maluwag na yung handcuff, tina-tighten pa nila. They wanted to make a show out of it also. Parehong mali, actually.

KADY WILSON:
So what about yung sa Oakwood mutiny? Anything to say about that?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo. Natatawa nga ako nun eh. Kasi I was starting there, that time din. Parang, sobra pa 'kong baguhan. So I, talagang spur, parang "Sige, cover ako." tas I was still in UP din, college student pa ako nun tapos ako lang mag-isa. I went to Oakwood, around mga, almost 11 or 12 in the... Yan na. Tapos, I was, ako lang mag-isa tapos I walked inside dun sa parking lot ng Glorietta tapos I saw this parang soldier. He was parang collecting something tas I talked to him, sabi ko eto, "Pare, san na yung mga rebelde?" Tas pag lingon ko, he was wearing this red thing in his... (laughs) Minura niya ako, "Gago! Tarantado! Kami yun! Dun ka sa kabila!" So siya pala yun! "Ay, sorry boss!" Sila na pala yun... So minsan yung {indistinct words} experience, parang yung tatanong-tanong ka, parang yung sa...

KADY WILSON:
Uhm, any encounters like the, from [Abu Sayyaf], NPA, or MNLF...

RAFFY LERMA:
Sa [Abu Sayyaf] wala pa. Buti nalang wala pa. Pero, covering Mindanao for the past... Recently lang naman ako nag Mindanao situation... Pero you get to... Hindi ko naman sinasabing completely na-understand ko sila, pero if you go to Mindanao and you see the place, mahirap talaga ang Mindanao eh. Parang, you see why rebellion... May nagkakaganoon. Tapos, I can't defininitely say na parang I agree with all their... Gusto nila. Pero minsan naiintindihan mo rin yung situations. Pero minsan yung mga... They go too far rin. Sobra na yan yung mga bombing, terrorist attacks, beheadings... Pero with the MNLF, yun napuntahan ko yun. Recently pumunta ko dun sa camp [ng MNLF]... Some are okay, yung parang normal people-

KADY WILSON:
Kausap mo-

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo! We went inside the camp and we took photos of them pero syempre they weren't the main group that was wreaking havoc sa North Cotabato. They were just people who.. Siguro mine-mislead sila ng mga higher people. Minsan kasi ayun eh, wala silang trabaho-

KADY WILSON:
So, so far okay naman yung encounters mo sa mga rebels?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. So far. So far, okay naman.

KADY WILSON:
What about NPA?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uh, wala pa ako talagang kausap na... Pero minsan naiintindihan mo narin yung situations. Ganun na rin eh. Actually lahat naman ng mga rebellions... Hindi naman parang, they start out because they, they start out na wala lang, "Gusto ko lang pumatay ng tao." Di naman sila ganun. May reasons and kailangan ma-address din yung issues kung talagang gusto mong ma-solve yung problems.

KADY WILSON:
I read this article that you were a signatory along 368 na young student journalists, 44 international colleagues, and 21 local as well as international media organizations in a petition, and I quote, "condemning the growing problem of libel suit harassment against journalists... {indistinct words}" You were specifically demanding that, quote, "the First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arryo cease and desist from exploiting libel as a tool to cow the media... {indistinct words}" What spurred you to sign the petition?

RAFFY LERMA:
Actually yung time na yun dun sa... Actually sa Inquirer din... Pero yung kwan mo rin, yung field mo rin, yung government, yung attorneys, yung lawyers, minsan hindi rin tama na... If you really want to know the truth, wala kang itatago... Why, why... Minsan ayaw niya sumagot eh. Nakita ko yun, mali rin. Syempre they will never openly admit. They'll always use yung mga libel to silence media. Hindi naman... Tas eventually drop rin yan, pero panakot siya eh. So, I mean, kasi yung ibang countries sa may US, they can always... Pag talagang mature naman yung tao, diba? Okay lang yun. Part of democracy rin yun eh yung part na, yung media. Eh dito siguro, ginagawang personal masyado. {indistinct words}

KADY WILSON:
You have any personal experiences with being accused of libel?

RAFFY LERMA:
None so far. Buti nalang eh, I just take photos. (laughs) Photos don't lie.

KADY WILSON:
What is your stand on the bill in Congress and the Senate right now regarding the decriminalization of libel?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah... Mahirap sagutin yan eh. Sorry ah, hindi ako masyado ma-kwan sa... Pero... Wait lang, gather ko muna yung thoughts ko. (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
It's okay. Take your time.

RAFFY LERMA:
Pero kasi rin, yung mga other people rin kasi... Kasi ang hirap i-explain din eh kasi may mga other people na use media as power eh. Yung mga iba talagang meron silang demolition job. Yun ang trabaho nila, to write wrong stuff about people. Yun ang nakikita kong mali. Pero if you have facts naman to back you up, you can always write about certain things, pero hindi rin eh, kailangan may responsibility ka... On how you write it, kailangan may back up ka rin. Some people wala na eh... Pero syempre in a bigger kwan, kailangan mo talaga... Ako, for me, kung iga-gauge ko naman, mas gusto kong tanggalin na yung... Decriminalize... Tanggalin na yung kwan sa libel. Kung titingnan siya kung mas makakaganda ng media or mas ma-professionalize or mas gaganda yung media as a whole, siguro nga. Para mas free yung mga salita. Kaya lang, dapat rin matuto yung media to be responsible enough for what they're saying or what they're writing. Kasi yung iba, demolition job eh. Some people use it also to... Yung...

KADY WILSON:
For their own gain?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uhm-hmm (nods in confirmation)

KADY WILSON:
So I also read about an incident back in 2003 that happened during the UP rally wherein you, I quote, "suffered concussions throughout his body after being dragged and repeatedly kicked by Senate guards". Can you tell us about it?

RAFFY LERMA:
{indistinct words} Memorable. Yung, yon. Nung nasa student paper pa ako, nasa Collegian. Photo chief, photo editor at that time. I was covering the event. It was about the uhm, ah, parang commercialization of [UP]... They were apssing a bill in the Senate. I was covering the event, then, there was one of the Senate guards. There was a rally int he Senate, they... Mga nagra-rally dun. One of the Senate guards, I caught him on film, he was punching students. Nakuha ko- nakunan ko siya, eh he saw me. He saw me taking his- so he pushed me, we scruffled a bit, sinapak niya ako. Sinapak kaagad niya ko, tas I was wearing my ID, ang laki-laki nga eh, imposisble na ano... So yun edi, sinuntok niya ko, sinuntok ko rin siya. So when I punched him, nakita ko na yung mga other... Yung mga kasama niya. So they ganged up on me. Yun. Dun nakita ko yung kwan yun ako yung naging... Ako yung naging photo eh. Ako yung naging sub- ako yung naging... {indistinct words} Imbis na yung-

KADY WILSON:
Highlight.

RAFFY LERMA:
Ako yung naging highlight kasi ako yung pinaka kawawa dahil I was beaten and he... Nag charge pa siya eh, nag kwan pa siya ng charges against me. I was the one who started everthing, pero bakit ko naman gagawin yun? Pero ang nakakatawa dun, recently, I met him again sa Senate, I saw him again. It was uh, the time of Lozada coming out, diba? Went to the Senate and I saw him. You know what he told me? "[Bro], natatandaan mo ko?" "Oo, natatandaan kita." Tas he, he apologized. After na gulpihin ako ng ganun.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Pero grabe yun. Grabe yung... Talagang bruised up ako. Pinalo ako ng... Hindi lang talagang 1 hit eh, it was, talagang I was beaten.

KADY WILSON:
Yeah so, when I read that I "Woah." (laughs) So, uhm, what equipment do you use, like what kind of camera?

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah these days... Before, syempre mga film-film pa. Pero these days I work using the Canon professional camera... {indistict words} [Usually what I use is the best] siguro kasi, it's built, tough yung build niya. Pero medyo kwan siya, na, parang kahit umuulan kaya niya mag shoot plus uh, okay siya for news and sports. Pero I don't really recommend this for beginners or amateurs or hobbyists. Kasi ito it's built for ano, professional talaga eh. Professionals na talaga eh. You don't really need all the functions in this camera.

KADY WILSON:
Do you use them all? I mean th-

RAFFY LERMA:
Uh, pag kailangan. Kunyari sports, pag nag-shoot ng mga-

KADY WILSON:
Do you also cover sports?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah, I cover everything. Pag nasa Inquirer ka...

KADY WILSON:
Kailangan.

RAFFY LERMA:
Kailangan mo... You need to know how to shoot everything.

KADY WILSON:
Do you use special lenses?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah, I use. For sports kailangan yung mga mahahaba na lens.

KADY WILSON:
So you have your own or does Inquirer-

RAFFY LERMA:
No, Inquirer provides.

KADY WILSON:
But this is your own? (points to camera)

RAFFY LERMA:
No, [mahal to]. I don't have my own digital camera. I still have my old uhm, film camera, but I never invested on one. Coz I plan to stick around for the entire... For the next couple of years pa naman. Coz yung pag digital it only lasts for around, a couple of years. So, mahirap nanaman ang... Get my own camera, you spend, then it gets busted, you will die for it (laughs). Pero mga ganito, it's built for usually news and-

KADY WILSON:
So they lend it to you as long as you're working for them?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. Usually yung mga ganto gina-guard na namin ng... Parang buhay na namin. Kasi totoo naman eh, it's so expensive to buy.

KADY WILSON:
What happens if you damage like the lens-

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah, the company will pay for it... {indistict words}. And Canon, syempre pino-promote ko Canon, pero Canon has a good system dito na they, uh, customer service nila, unlike yung... Di ko na sasabihin, pero (laughs)... Gawa ng...

KADY WILSON:
Canon to (laughs)

RAFFY LERMA:
Ah, Canon din ba yan? (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
Okay so uhm, you've been in newspapers, around newspapers for pretty much around a decade na diba, so could you describe some of the most significant changes in terms of, for example, equipment nila?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yun talaga makikita mo talaga yung... These past few years, grabe yung change sa equipment. Technology. Yung system, yung work flow nag-change na. Kasi, isipin mo dati, dati naka-film pa. So they had to... Ano yun, yung sa province ka, shooting, they had to run to airplanes, they had to courier the film, to bring to Manila. Unlike now diba, you can always send by email...

KADY WILSON:
What about sa attitude of journalists?

RAFFY LERMA:
Attitude of journalists compared to... Wha-

KADY WILSON:
Has anything changed?

RAFFY LERMA:
You know I- I'm sure marami nang nag-change from before. Marami na. Marami nang... Kasi yun, because of the technology also, mas maraming naging spoiled. Mas marami nang naging spoiled sa mga ginagawa nila uhm... Mas ma- mas madali na yung trabaho, kasi tulad dati, others talagang, I could think before talagang nag-hirap sila just to get a single photo... You need... Nakikita mo talaga yung hirap. Eh these days, ang dali ngayon eh. Hindi ko naman sinasabing {indistinct words} pero, yun. Naging mas lax na sila kasi sa...

KADY WILSON:
If you could choose, mas gusto mo yung film or digital?

RAFFY LERMA:
Uh... I would choose film parin.

KADY WILSON:
So, what can you say dun sa mga... What can you say sa printing and circulation ng newspapers nowadays?

RAFFY LERMA:
I have to admit, yung newspaper industry hindi na siya masyadong lumalaki eh. It's keeping...

KADY WILSON:
Stable?

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo, oo. It's just there. Just there. Kasi print naman is always... You need also, print. Kasi kunyari you need to... Yung hard copies? You need print. Pero... Makikita mo yung emergence ng internet. Yun na ngayon yung mode... People don't really buy newspapers these days. You have to admit that and... Tapos uhm, syempre before, the most popular media, siguro mga ilang years ago was still print. Tas naging tv na yan eh, tv na ngayon ang syempre popular media. Pero ngayon emergence na ngayon ng internet...

KADY WILSON:
What about yung circulation? Do you think yung mga newspapers nag e-exaggerate sa mga numbers?

RAFFY LERMA:
Hmmm... I can't really say much about that eh kasi hindi naman ako yung... I mean... Ewan ko, sila-sila. Battle nila yan eh. But uh, pero nakikita ko rin talaga, on other places, I mean I- I can always base it on what I see sa field. So mga nakikita ko dun newspapers, yung mga ibang newspapers di ko nakikita. Sa mga news stands, or sa mga... Or siguro greater Manila, makikita mo talaga yung presence niya. Pero in the provinces...

KADY WILSON:
So do you think that maybe lately, journalism ethics nagsu-suffer?

RAFFY LERMA:
I'm sure. I'm sure na marami narin because of people... Mas mabilis na ngayon mag... Everyone could be a photographer now. These- everyone could be a writer these days - yung mga blogs. So yun nga maraming mga misconceptions, hindi talaga formally-trained... I for one wasn't really formally trained to be a journalist. I was a photographer first then I became a journalist after. So that's why I needed to study rin... Pinaaral nila ako nun, there's this new course in Ateneo... This uh... [Connected] in our photo journalism course, at least one year. They teach you write- ano, how to write... Hindi naman how to write, talagang a, b, c (laughs)

KADY WILSON:
Basic.

RAFFY LERMA:
Oo, basic journalism skills. Then yung ethics. I think everyone should know about the ethics part. Kasi yun nga eh, marami naring journalists... Journalists kuno (makes air quotes), pero they're not really journalists. Maraming nagsu-suffer na... Laging kailangan... Rine-refresh o natuturo dapat yung both sides...

KADY WILSON:
So, do you- do you have one biggest mistake that you did like, on the field that if you could, given the chance, you want to re-do? Like maybe a shot that you could have done better...

RAFFY LERMA:
I'm sure marami narin ako nyan. I'm sure marami narin akong mga missed moments.

KADY WILSON:
Is there one main one, like missed moment or you wish that you were there or you wish you did the shot-

RAFFY LERMA:
One, one thing na I'm sorry {indistinct words} pero it wasn't a missed shot but it's one of those na parang nakita ko rin doon yung hunger ko for... To get the best photo. Yun there was a time dun sa stampede, Ultra stampede. So... I was talagang into the moment, that, may time na I was shooting o, shooting like this (acts out), I was... Parang umaatras ako eh, I was shooting tas gumaganon. Tas sa, sa hindi ko alam, natapakan ko yung isang patay. Naapakan ko siya. So nung na-realize ko yun, pag-li- talagang patay nga so umikot ako dun- "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Talagang hindi ko- di ko naman sinadya yun. Pero nakita ko rin yung... Minsan nawawala na yung parang... Conscience mo or... Because of the competition. Because if you think too much of the photo or what photo you have yun minsan may mare-realize ka na... Yung... "Easy lang. Photo lang yan."

KADY WILSON:
Okay so sir, for the closing remarks, what advice would you give to the young photojournalists just starting out nowadays, in the newspaper business? Any final words of wisdom?

RAFFY LERMA:
Final words of wisdom? (laughs) Wait ah, wait...

{CUT}

KADY WILSON:
Uhm, so, so... Okay sir uhm, what was your biggest mistake as a young reporter, or is there any... Anything that given the chance you would like to re-do? A shot that you'd have the opportunity to take again...

RAFFY LERMA:
Repeat ko yung kanina ah, so... There was a time, yung sa Ultra stampede. When I was covering... It wasn't a photo per se but it was a... What I did while I was covering so... I was taking photos, I was so into the moment while covering... I didn't realize, I was already stepping on a dead... Person. So... Yun. Unang nag-react ako, tao na pala yun, nag sorry ako. Napa-lingon ako, "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Syempre hindi ako sinagot, diba? (laughs) Pero after nun, pag-uwi ko sa bahay, "Nako, baka lumaki na paa ko, baka..." De loko lang. Pero yun nga yung parang na-realiza ko na after nun na... It's not worth it rin naman na parang bastusin mo na yung tao... For a photo... Kailangan mong mambastos ng ibang tao. Mangapak ka para lang maka-get ka ng photo talaga na... Hindi worth it.

KADY WILSON:
Okay so sir, for the closing remarks, what advice would you give to the young photojournalists just starting out nowadays, in the newspaper business? Any final words of wisdom?

RAFFY LERMA:
Final words of wisdom? Probably uh, hindi naman words of wisdom pero... Dapat nila ma-realize na first, if you really want to go into photojournalism you have to know sa... Start palang talaga... Ngayon na... Hindi ka talaga yayaman. Dapat talagang ngayon you just... Kailangan yung hinahanap mo is yung experiences sa buhay. Yun yung dapat. Dapat talagang may passion sa ganon. So... Dun ka yayaman. I think dun ka yayaman. Uh... And siguro talagang mga... Shoot. As much as possible. Talagang everyday, try to. Lalo na pag sinabi mong sa journalism, yun you have to be interested on what happening around you. It's not because you want to shoot people outside your house. It's not- that's not photojournalism. You ha- you really have to know the issues. You have to be... Aware of what's happening around you... Yun. And wag kayo maging kwan, maging... Slaves sa technology. I guess yun yung maraming kwan na they always think na, "My god." They think na the best digital camera will make them a photographer. Uh, I think mali yung mga ganung conceptions. If you really want to be a photojournalist uh, kailangan you really have to... Blood, sweat, and tears (laughs) kailangan lumabas eh. Talagang papag-hirapan mo siya. At nakikita yun sa mga photos, pag pinag-hirapan mo. Makikita yan, lalabas yan.

KADY WILSON:
I just thought of another question! Okay lang?

RAFFY LERMA:
Sige!

KADY WILSON:
Uhm, do you guys like, edit your pictures pa ba, now that it's digital?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah. We-

KADY WILSON:
Photoshop?

RAFFY LERMA:
Yeah Photoshop. We have uhm, dito rin yung ethics on how to edit. We're only allowed yung mga darkroom techniques, which is hindi yung talagang nagma-manipulate or changing the sceneries. You can always just uh, adjust yung contrast, lighting, uh, tweak ng konti but not to the point na nagcha-change ka na ng scene. You can always crop in Photoshop. Basic lang. Basic. Once na-change yung scene, you add another element, hindi na siya... Bawal na yun samin, sa journalism. Sa mga photo illustration na. And you really have to say, put on writing, it's a photo illustration, it's not a photo by... Ganyan-ganyan. You put photo illustration. So, you have ot be honest also with your photos. Uh, you don't have to... Parang yun na eh. Some photographers they really want to... Parang gusto nila yung... Masyadong naging artist, yung perfectionist, na sometimes nawawala yung pagka... Yung ethical... Ethical... Ethics behind journalism. Kasi once you change things, you're manipulating, hindi ka na naging honest sa readers mo or... You have to be honest also with your readers. Yun lang. You have to say it. Kung may mali ka, may mali ka.

KADY WILSON:
What was it like yung seeing your name sa byline for the first time?

RAFFY LERMA:
At first, syempre nakakatuwa rin. I have to admit, nakakatuwa rin. Pero hindi na siya talagang napaka important sakin. At kailangan yun. There are so many photojournalists, photographers, who are so addicted with their bylines. The reason why they shoot is... Or they do... To inform, is because they want their names to be seen. Which is mali. For me, I think mali yun. Your purpose is to really cover, and inform people. Uh, kung makakikita naman ng mga editors mo yun, sa tingin ko they will always put your byline. Na trinabaho mo yun. Pero hindi siya dapat maging priority bilang isang journalist. Should only be...

KADY WILSON:
So what's the future for Mr. Raffy Lerma? Still photojournalist?

RAFFY LERMA:
Sa palagay ko na naman I think I will... Ito na yung work ko. Ito na yung profession na [gusto ko talaga]. And... You could just see me around (laughs). I'll just be around, covering whatever news there is... Yun.

KADY WILSON:
Thank you so much sir, thanks.

RAFFY LERMA:
Okay! Uy, I have to fill up... Uy! (sees cake) sobra naman yan.

KADY WILSON:
(laughs) Thank you so much.

RAFFY LERMA:
Uy thank you, thank you. Uy, fill up-an ko pa pala, di ko pa tapos.

KADY WILSON:
Thank you!

RAFFY LERMA:
Thank you ah.

Raffy Lerma was born on June 10, 1978 in Manila. He studied briefly in UP Diliman, taking up visual communication, before fully chasing his dreams of becoming a photographer and photojournalist. At the time of the interview, he was a photojournalist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Oral History of Emeterio Perez

Interviewers: Ana Buenviaje and Jessica Festejo

IN - Interviewers
E.P. – Emeterio Sd. Perez (Interviewee)

Q: Good afternoon po, I’m Jessica Festejo. I’m Ana Buenviaje. Basically, we’re here po to interview you about your personal background as a journalist.

A: I don’t know with some people, there are people who come over and… I don’t know, I don’t want to mention which school, eh no. They want to apply for OJT or something, and I ask “Are you willing to learn under someone who’s not even a college graduate?” I’m from UST but I never finished college. And I think there were two of them, two who gave up, she did not even start but just backed out. I won’t mention any school eh no, it’s just very unfair to them, you know because it’s a personal choice if they want to or not. I don’t know what year I was in college. I did not complete high school, I have three high schools. Ah no, I attended two schools for my high school diploma. I did not graduate from high school because the third school did not issue me a diploma because I did not have enough subjects from my fourth year, so that’s it, I don’t have a diploma. So definitely in college, I did not have a diploma because I did not finish college. I studied at UST but I never finished college.

Q: Pero nakapag-college po kayo?

A: Ah yeah. That’s why I’m telling you because if that would be discouraging, I don’t know. But as far as experience goes, I have enough experience to tell you that I am here not because of someone I know in the paper or someone I know in the management, but I deserve to be here. To tell you the truth, I struggled way back, uh, 1968. That was forty years ago, but I did not start as a journalist. I started at a lower level; we call that letterpress. That was at a time when the Manila, when the old Manila Chronicle was owned by the Lopez’s. And my sisters who were studying in college would come to my office. They only came once; they never came back. You know why? Because they saw me naked halfway up and I had all the ink on my fingers. That’s why, I was studying then, I used to raise my hand like this, with my closed fist because I did not want to show them my fingers. That’s it.

Q: Pwede po namin malaman ung whole name, date of birth…

A: Okay, my name is Emeterio Sd. Perez. Sd stands for San Diego. I’m the section editor. I think I was supposed to handle companies but I told Mrs. Fernandez that I would prefer to write but she said that I should be one of the editors. Okay, that’s it. So I was then helping in formulating the companies placed in the beginning then eventually somebody took over. I’m out of that, okay, that’s good for me. I get to focus on my column which is ‘By the Rule’ which is out on Tuesday and maybe even sa Thursday. ‘By the Rule’ is about what the corporate regulations that govern the stock market and, you know the other rules and roles that are implemented by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commissions in polishing the accounts of the private sector. I don’t go out of my topic when I write. Although from time to time I go out, but I don’t think I have written anything that’s too personal. As a matter of fact when I write about the stock market and about integral issues, I have to disclose there whether I have invested in it because I have invested in some stocks in preparation for my retirement. I’m now sixty-one, so my stocks are still there. The other one has been suspended sa trading and, lucky for me, the other one is still going up.

Q: Pwede pong malaman ung place of birth niyo and marital status?

A: Ah, okay. I was born on March 3, 1947. I was born in Bulacan and the barangay there is Pulong Gubat which means “Island forest”, which is not a forest dahil we don’t have forest anymore. I am the son of a farmer who is a tenant of a farm of a relative, and we are still working on that farm until now.

Q: Tapos marital status po? You have children?

A: Yeah, I have a, I married when I was 50 years and 12 days; that was on March 15, 1997. So I was 50yo and 12 days. So I’ve been married for about 11 years. I don’t have children, but my family includes a dog, the name of which is Blanca, and the other one is a cat. The dog is taking care of the cat. Yes, they are together. Our dog and our cat sleep on a couch during the day. They eat and sleep there during the day. And then at night, the muning sleeps downstairs; our dog sleeps in the family room.

Q: Can we ask information po about Business Mirror?

A: Business Mirror, as you see there on the logo, it’s something different. That’s why I can relate that to how I came in. Somebody told me, I think it was Kastil Valenzuela, a Sentral Bank reporter. He told me that there’s a new paper in town, the Business Mirror, and the editor is like this, and this, and that. And I happen to have the cellphone number of Mrs. Fernandez, so I texted her and said, “Can I write for your paper?” she replied “Oh, sure.” So I came over and, well that started it. And then she asked me right away, what can you contribute? Well, I have two things in mind; one is the column ‘By the Law’ and the other is due review on the stock market which mainly contains the stature or the information on the stock listed on the Philippine stock exchange. The due review is somewhat a guide on which stock to place your money. It would caution you, where would you place your money on this stock when the information says et cetera, et cetera, et cetera? Negative, positive, everything’s there. This is something different that is why Business Mirror is something different from the rest of the paper. This is not a paper, a paper on general reading perhaps, it projects the business in general, economy, business, banking, finance and private sector... I’m more on the private sector.

Q: Ano po, paano po ung working hours niyo dito, hanggang Sunday po?

A: To be honest, we work 24 hours a day, because we think all the time. But in the office, the editors are here, let’s see, mostly at 11am or 12nn until the paper is put to bed. So when they close the pages, that’s it, everybody can go home. So 9 or 8, et cetera, ayun.

Q: Nine PM?

A: Nine PM, yes.

Q: Yon na po ung deadline niyo?

A: Yes. But once you’re a reporter, a reporter actually should work twenty-four hours a day, you’re on the beat 24 hours a day. When you miss something before the deadline, that’ the short mistake. In my case, I am on the beat, when I was a reporter, I was on the beat at 6 or 7 in the morning, and I finish my story at 1 or 12 o’clock. So betweenv1 and 4, I’m looking for my stories for the next day. I’m advancing my coverage. I don’t cover simply because I cover for today, but I cover for tomorrow. Because I have this habit of scheduling my coverage, the developments I expect to be doing… they don’t do that anymore.

Q: You think po that’s helpful?

A: Hmm… That’s another thing for a reporter, because before we don’t have fax, we don’t have email, we don’t have internet, we have to report to the office. So on your way to the office, what do you do? When I was covering for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, from Elliptical road, this is Quezon City; from there you ride the jeepneys coming from Fairview to PL. So, along the way what do you do? You read these notes. Actually, you don’t read your notes… from the press office itself; you can already visualize what stories you’re going to do. When you’re at the office and along the way, what do you do? You think of your lead. This is the best lead for this, but this is what I got, but this is the best lead for this, that’s what you’re thinking. When you’re very tired, you can’t think anymore. But when you prepare before you sit down, that would make it easier. Although, there is one writer, I forgot the name of the writer, but he’s, I think, the one at UP. Yung monumento, the naked one, yung statue… Oblation. The model for that, I don’t know, but I think he was a writer. His advice to young writers is this, “If you sit before a typewriter, be sure to tear the second page.” Why is that? Because it’s hard to write a story. What will I tell when I haven’t even finished the first page? That’s it, it’s not easy to start a story especially when you’re not prepared mentally and you should have knowledge in this, you just cannot cover the beat. I say, oh, I’ll go to the department of Agriculture and I’ll cover it. Do you know anything about rice planting? They call it rice planting, but it’s not rice planting, it’s palay planting. You don’t plant rice, you plant… rice has become so generic, but in Filipino you call it bigas and palay. You should know the topic, you should know the beat. How do today’s reporters cover the beat? They’re assigned by their editors there and they sit down and, you know, wait for the grace, but once you’re on the desk, you have to study the beat. What is in the beat? What does it do, what does this agency do? You go there and you look. And by this I cover the ICC, I covered education, health sciences, et cetera.

Q: Ano po first beat niyo?

A: First beat. Ever since… I think … health, education.

Q: Were you ever a cub reporter? Ano po un?

A: We don’t have that anymore actually. Cub reporter, that only means that you follow a reporter everywhere and you’re just a cub reporter. Or you train… this is training; you’re just a cub reporter, you are not regularly on the beat. No, there is no such thing anymore. You are either a trainee, or you’re a correspondent, that means you’re paid for what you write, or a regular reporter. And my advice to young people is, if you are not accepted as a regular reporter, you start as a correspondent. Don’t be too fast. It’s better to go slow than to go fast and fall back later on.

Q: So you didn’t start as a cub reporter po?

A: No.

Q: How did you start?

A: I started at the very, very, very, low, low, low, low, low.

Q: Letterpress po?

A: Yes. I was in the production department. They called it a cajista, the one that sets the type. If there’s a “t”,you stick in a piece of composite, et cetera. How many sentences can you do in one hour? One hour just making that? It’s called composing.

Q: Sa Business Mirror, paano na po kayo nagpi-print ngayon, hindi na po letter press?

A: No, everything’s by computer and set-off printing.

Q: Offset? Offset printing.

A: If I were you, there is a book on the technical side of printing that is available… I saw one in the BookSale of Makati Cinema Square. It’s a beautiful book on the technical side of publishing, printing. It’s nice, but I don’t have it.

Q: Did you have any memorable editors?

A: Well, you know, in fairness to them, they are good. Editors they are very good, very good. There was one editor that, when I was covering the Securities and Exchange Commission, he made me rewrite my stories three times. Three times. “Oh, you did that? Okay… rewrite it.” “Okay, rewrite it again.” “Rewrite it again.” Now, you obey. Editors are the king when they sit on the desk, remember that. You cannot complain against them. Never mind if they are stupid editors. No, you cannot complain, because your copies, you’re at the mercy of the editors. You are lucky if you get good editors who edit good copies, who produce good copies out of bad copies. Don’t expect not to be edited. Even editors allow other editors to edit them. My stories have been edited. Why? Because there are things that you do not know, there are things that you miss in a copy, even if you read your copies two or three times; there are still certain things, grammar, punctuation marks that you may have missed. That happened to me. Yesterday, I’ll tell you one thing. From ten in the morning to four o’clock, I finished just one story because I have to do the research; I had to compute for the numbers. She (editor-in-chief) did not use it today, I don’t know why. It took me more than four hours to do it, because I compute, I confirm, I verify the facts that I found, et cetera, et cetera. These are the data that are on file in my USB. I have my own files. From the moment that you cover the beat, you should have a file of what you write diba? What you have written and the raw data that went into your stories. You should have… you know, it’s very easy now because you have your USB, your external drive. I have my external drive.

Q: Any memorable colleagues naman po? Mga kasamahan niyo po. Your most memorable colleague and what made them unforgettable.

A: No, actually, I don’t know eh. You know all of them, you remember something about someone, while you were on the beat. I remember my companions relying on me while I was on the beat, “You have the stories for us?” Because I did the stories, and when they arrived, then they copy it. I benefited also from them because they have some information I don’t know. I have some information that they don’t know. So we share, but when it comes to exclusive stories, I don’t want to. There are some that I keep to myself, especially on the weekend. As much as possible, I make it a point to do an exclusive story.

Q: You said you own a farm? You’re family owns farm land?

A: Ah, no. You see, I know something about farming because we are farmers; I am the son of a farmer. And my father is a tenant of a relative, and we are still tenants of the relatives who inherited the farm. We don’t own land, that’s why we are still poor. I told my nephews and nieces that it’s about time we do something and that’s the best thing to do. Okay, you finish your college, but you don’t rely on what you know, you don’t rely on your environment. You have to save. In employment, there’s no such thing as enough salary, your salary is not enough, so the best thing is to go into business.

Q: So, if you started like that, what got you into journalism?

A: Necessity. It’s necessity because this is the only thing I know. Look, I’ll tell you one thing, I know a little bit of English. You know why, because in high school, we were not allowed to talk in Filipino.

Q: San school po?

A: I was in a seminary, studying for the priesthood. We were with Italian priests, so you don’t speak Tagalog there. My fellow students were from Iloilo, they always talk in English. Second, if, let’s say, I finished third year college at UST, what year would I have graduated? Now, if I became a journalist, no one would ask me if I have covered, “Oh, are you college level?” Of course not. Nobody’s going to ask that. But I tell them. Sometimes they ask, “Oh, are you a lawyer?” Of course not. I’m not a lawyer. “But you talk like a lawyer.” No, because I know, I just read a book. Why do I know the rules of Securities and Exchange Commissions? Because I read the book. Why do I know the rules of the SEC? Because I read the rules. My wife is the lawyer, but we never talk laws at home. We never talk about our job at home. We talk about our dog, because we don’t have kids.

Q: Ano po ung significant events that you covered? For example, ung mga binigay ng teacher namin is like Martial Law or EDSA I and II.

A: Mm-hm. Wow. I never covered any of that. I don’t know… How old were you when EDSA II happened?

Q: Eleven. [EDSA II was 2001. Perez was born in 1947.]

A: If you watched the impeachment of Joseph Estrada, I was there. I testified against Erap. That’s the most memorable event of my life. I think Mr. Dan Mariano knows about that… you ask him what his reaction was when he saw that face on TV. No, because I’m talking about it because you asked about my memorable moments so that’s the most memorable. It was, I think, January 11 2007. I was the business editor of the Tribune, which is a paper that is pro-Erap. So it is ironic because I’m working with this paper and then suddenly I receive a, one day I get a subpoena and… there was this very tall guy who came to the office and then said, “Oh, I’m looking for Mr. Perez.”, “You ask the guard”… he was asking me. He asked the guard and the guard said, “Oh, you were talking to him.” So he came back, “Sir, napagutusan lang ako. Subpoena po ‘to.” I asked, “Subpoena saan?” He answered., “Sa impeachment.” Aray. Shock. What can you do right? You have to be there. I had to be there for a week. I was supposed to be the corroborating witness of Perfecto Yasay Jr., who was then the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commissions. I was supposed to be the corroborating witness, who appeared first before the main witness because I complained. My editors were mad at me because I was always upset. Yeah, Ninez Cacho-Olivarez, the editor-in-chief and the publisher of the Tribune, castigated for my reporting, because she’s pro-Erap so you can’t blame her. There was no point in continuing my relationship with the Tribune. As a matter of fact, after I testified, my wife called my attention and said, “When are you going to resign?” My wife was never afraid that I would lose my job. Because of my principle, I testified against Erap. Erap is, you know, friendly with the Tribune. What’s the point? Imagine, Tribune didn’t even cover me. Yeah, they purposely didn’t cover. But I saw my name in Reuters, another paper, foreign. I sometimes see… you Google it. Nobody covered me. As a matter of fact, that is an experience that, more or less, you don’t expect the government to be good to you. You can’t expect GMA to be grateful to you. That’s part of the job. And when I stepped down from the witness stand, some journalists came up to me, “You’re very lucky. You are history, you are part of history.” And sabi ko naman sa kanila, “I hope I’m not history.” But, you know, that’s very risky. I received all kinds of texts before I testified; “Don’t do that,” “Don’t do that,” “You are just being used by the politicians.” I cannot back out because the subpoena was with chief justice Hilario Davide. How can you back out, you cannot do that. Had I backed out, what would happen? I would land in jail for contempt. And this was the senate. For the first time, the senate was being commissioned as an impeachment body and I am part of that. Being insulted by those people, I don’t know. Those people, the insults that I got from… I was controlling my…they ask stupid questions like, “Oh, your wife.” from Tess Aquino, “Your wife is with the SEC, was she promoted by your ano?” I answered “Oh, no, I’m sorry. My wife never got any promotion under Yasay. As a matter of fact, Yasay, the uncle of chairman Yasay, is near the house of my neice. But we, she never got any favor from chairman Yasay.”

Q: Marami po ung journalist na nag-testify against Erap o kayo lang po yung journalist?

A: I don’t know, there’s a lot. But I remember something on TV… but my mine was more of my actual experience of chairman Yasay, when the president called him up in his office. And I said, “Oh, who’s that?” he said “It’s the president.” So that’s it. And I said, “Well, I wanted to go, but I’m a journalist. Why should I go?” You know, it happens, sometimes you cannot avoid things like this. I did not even know that they would call me. I don’t know, I think one thing led to another thing. Then somebody called me up, “O, we are going to your wife.We’re going to talk to you, that’s it.” I didn’t know what the impeachment was all about, diba? I never heard about it before. So, I think it was one of the prosecutors from UP who called me up, “Somebody’s going to talk to you.” So we met somewhere in Timog. No no, Morato. There’s a coffee shop there, Starbucks, I think. So we met there. “Oh you,” Nagkikita kami minsan minsan, “You look familiar, we’ve met before” I did a take with you. “So, is it true that you were there in the office of Yasay when the president called?” he asked. Was I paid? I spent for myself. You don’t begrudge these people for not treating you well. As a matter of fact, after I testified I fled. But what profession can you get? As a matter of fact, they gave other witnesses protection, et cetera, et cetera. How bout me? I had to ride the jeep from my office to my house somewhere in Dapitan. Did you begrudge them for that? No. What I hate most is what happened after that. Kanya-kanya na eh. I wanted to go back, and they called me so I went there. “Oh, give me your bio data.” Okay, I’ll call you. After two weeks they called me, “I’m sorry we do not have place for you.” In the first place you should not have offered help. That’s adding insult to the injury. I was jobless and then you offered a job, only to disappoint me after two weeks that you don’t have a place for me. You don’t offer what you cannot give.

Q: Um. Naging ambition niyo ba ever when you were young na maging journalist? Or It never entered your mind?

A: No, it never entered my mind. As a matter of fact, I worked in the Chronicle which was then under the Lopez’s simply because I needed money for my college education while I was studying at the University of Santo Tomas. I received P6 a day, P180 a month. But that was a time that 180 Pesos, plus another half month, let’s say your salary for two months would be enough to pay for one semester, P272 for 21 units. But there are still such things as, your minimum wage cannot pay for the tuition fee of 35, 000 per semester. I became an editor when I was 40 or 50. I was managing editor when I was 52, where was that? In Entrepreneur, I was managing editor there.

Q: So, which newspaper did you start working at? Pwede pong malaman lahat ng newspaper na pinagwork-an niyo.

A: Ah okay, newspaper. The Chronicle, Manila Chronicle when Marcos was president, I think, and that was from 1968-1970 when martial law was declared. After that, no more. So that’s my first. I was a proofreader then. Why did I have to start in the proofreading department or section? Because before, in those days, they got the reporters from the proofreading section. You become very familiar with the English usage, grammar, et cetera, et cetera. So you start from there, and you read almost all the stories of the reporters. That’s why I have to go there. Because after working for two months in the production department, I was talking to one of the proofreaders in a closed room, complete with air condition. And I told myself I have to go there so that when I go to school at night there won’t be ink on my fingers, and I won’t raise my hands with a closed first. So ’68 to ’70 I was a proofreader. I think I worked ’72-’73 with a magazine called Sun Blast publication as a proofreader. So then I moved again to another magazine, I think it was a travel magazine, I was still a proofreader. And then I moved again to another, a government publication, it’s called Today, published by the National Media Production Center, I was an aspiring writer. After that, I moved to Balita. My father told me, “Yes, I know, nagdya-dyario ka. Pero hindi ako mabasa, hindi ako marunong magbasa ng Ingles.” So pumunta akong Balita para mabasa ng father ko. From Balita, I had to go freelancing because Balita doesn’t pay much. You’re only a correspondent, they pay you per column and if they cut your stories, how much do you earn? So I became freelance. I wrote for Datenews Asia, Datenews Manila, which it is indicated then, was a project of the Press Foundation of Asia. When you write for Datenews Manila, that’s for Datenews Asia. After freelance, I worked for the Inquirer and started 1986. But I worked for some government, some of the republic. Then came the Inquirer, I started 1985, December ’85, I joined up in January 1986, joined the People Power. After five years, I moved to Malaya. So, five years, from 1986 to 1991, I was with the Inquirer. So after five years I said, nothing’s going to happen to me here so I moved. That’s how you do it. Because the EDSA, they call it human resources now, would be restrictive education. I lasted three months sa Malaya and then I went freelancing again. Then I moved to Manila Times of Gokongwei in 1990s, I think ’93 to ’97. It closed in 1999, I think because of the page one story that had Erap, ang sagwa ng story, so nagsara, wala nanaman. The one that took over Manila Times was Mark Jimenez, but the people in front, acting for them was Regis Romero, the family of Legarda was the publishing editor, so I went there, so that was September 1999. And after one year, one week, I said, “Oh Mark Jimenez is going to come here as the owner, so I’m going to resign.” And on that day that I resigned, I forgot what day that was, on that day that I resigned, ung sa PCIJ, sent me an invitation to go to Thailand. And I said, “Oh, why should I get an invitation for the Manila Times? I don’t work there.” “Oh, we are not inviting Manila Times, we are inviting you.” After that, in Tribune they made me a business editor. Si Bismote, the artists’ director, they looked for me, “Oh, we need you here.” Then we have that short lived Manila Meteor, after that no more, so freelance again. I went briefly to Graphic, and then from Graphic I went to, as managing editor of Entrepreneur. And then from Entrepreneur… yan ang journalist eh. Then it took me here, so far I was thinking I retire here. As a matter of fact from regular employee, because I turned 60 last year so I’m no longer, I’m not an SSS member anymore; I’m an SSS retiree now. I’m just living on my monthly pension. And my wife is happy of course. I got my monthly and I gave it to her and we got another house. Because you know, she’s a lawyer, CPA, so she makes more money than me so we can afford. I did not even do anything. We went to another subdivision, sabi “Ma’am ito, gusto niyo to?” And she said no, we go there, we go there. Oh, that’s very far, very far. I said, “From here I can see the mall just across the street. I love it here.” My other contribution is the advance retirement that I got from my SSS. That’s what you do, you prepare. There was one other reporter, Chris Kahilig. He was one of the reporters of Manila Times until it was closed, until the Gokongwei’s lost it to Mark Jimenez. I can still remember nakuryente siya sa story niya kasi kinuryete siya ng kasama niya. He was pinsitting for another reporter in the Department of Justice, eh nakuryete siya, naloko siya. So he asked me, for help and I think I did something because I was senior. Siya pala yun… he’s making money. That’s what I can afford. We have coffee sometimes. Kaya lang siya binibigayan kasi without me, people won’t know him, because they share. Dito, pag may dumating, sabi ko kila Roger dito, may pagkain diyan? “Meron.” Pahingi naman. “Padala kay ma’am.” O, sige, tawagan mo na, kainan na. That’s it, that’s how it works here. We’re a big family. I don’t know what your plans are, you can never learn anything except from my experience. First you have to be inspired; Second, if it’s what you’re studying, it’s better. Basta I maintain my, eh nawala na eh, my professional website. But ngayon, naayos nanaman eh. All my stories I put there.

Q: We’re done na po. Thank you po.

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Emeterio Sd. Perez was born on March 3, 1947 in Balagtas, Bulacan. His father was a farmer. He went to three different high schools -- Saint Paul Seminary, St Lawrence Academy and University of Manila -- but never got a diploma. He went on to the University of Manila, University of the East and UST but also didn't finish. At the time of the interview he was a section editor at Business Mirror.

Oral History of Lia Bernardo

Interviewers: Alex Romualdez and Clara Suplido

Q: Okay so how did you start your career in journalism?
A: That started by accident because I was a wedding coordinator and, at the time, we were the only wedding coordinators in the country. We started that whole wedding coordination business, and it so happened that the editor-in-chief position at Bride Philippines was vacant and it was offered to me, not because I was a journalist, but because I was a wedding coordinator. It was because I knew my weddings. I knew nothing about journalism. Absolutely nothing. I wrote in school and that’s about it. I had no prior experience when I entered, so I was lucky that I got a top job as my first job, but I had a lot of help.

Q: Do you remember your first article?
A: The first was, of course, on etiquette, because I was doing work as an etiquette consultant at the same time that I was a wedding coordinator. I used to write about topics I knew like the back of my hand, like etiquette. We started with wedding etiquette. Again, with the help of friends and colleagues, I eventually developed the skill for writing feature articles.

Q: What was your college degree?
A: My college degree was on Political Science and International Relations, and my Masters degree is on marketing. I’m a marketer by profession but I chose journalism.

Q: So, but what was your plan? Was it always what you wanted?
A: No, no my plan, my grand plan, was to be this high profile diplomat, but that, of course, obviously did not happen. Journalism happened by chance, but over the years I’ve had opportunities to go out of the business, and then come back to the business, and I’ve always gone back to being a journalist, because it’s where I feel my talents are being useful.

Q: When did you realize you wanted to pursue it? Like, how old were you then?
A: I was in my twenties, I think, about 26 or 27. So, I wasn’t that young, nor was I too old.

Q: So did you pursue journalism right after college?
A: No, no…

Q: So what did you pursue?
A: I became a wedding coordinator. I was a teacher. I taught etiquette, grooming, and personality development, and then I went into wedding coordination. Like I said, the journalism happened completely by accident.

Q: Um, how long have you been in the business?
A: Since 1996. So, last century.

Q: Since being an editor, have you been based anywhere else aside from here in the Philippines?
A: No, but I did a stint for Johnson and Johnson Asia, where I worked in marketing and communications. I was on the other side of the fence, so to speak. I took a corporate job, but my job was still in journalism. In other words, I put press releases together and did a lot of PR work for them. I was able to work in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong because of that job. But I was still based here.

Q: Have you met any interesting people in this line of work?
A: Oh yeah, you meet a lot of interesting people. What’s great with this line of work is that you meet, quote unquote: celebrities. So you never stop learning. What’s beautiful about this job is it’s creative and you’re creativeness continues to flow. There’s no two days that are alike.

Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met?
A: That’s a hard, very hard question.

Q: Well what story strikes you most, what do you remember?
A: Well through the years we’ve met so many people and every one is interesting in their own right, but of course what’s freshest in your mind is now, what you’re doing now, and I’m very excited to work with big names in the industry. As you know, Cocoon is a home magazine, so right now the most interesting person I’m getting a chance to work with and get to know is, of course, Budgy Layug, who is the foremost furniture designer. I was almost star struck when I started working with him, and when we rode the car together going to a house, I kept texting my friends: I’m in the car of Budgy. Of course they don’t get it because they’re fashion people, but if you’re really into furniture and that scene, it’s great to be around those people. You meet other designers: like Nina Naval, Kenneth Kobon-Pue, all the big names in the industry, that really put the Philippines on the map in terms of furniture design

Q: Since your magazine is about furniture and home, what is your magazine’s goal exactly?
A: The goal of the magazine is basically to offer the reader ideas for their home, but more importantly it’s for the reader to create their own personality in their own homes. What makes Cocoon different is that its philosophy is that everything in your home makes you happy, so that includes the people that you live with. And so Cocoon will have a Wellness section to it and a Family section to it, wherein we give advice on you know family matters and, and the same, how to take care of yourself so that you are better able to take care of your family…that sort of thing. So it’s a more holistic approach to a whole magazine. It goes beyond style and decor.

Q: So what are your demographics like?
A: Our demographics are…well, our primary target market are women who are either starting a home or have been running their household for quite some time – so it’s a how-to magazine. Our secondary market are single women who are living out of the home for the first time. There’s a huge amount of um women right now as opposed to men, because men have been leaving the house since before, but now, more women are leaving the house before they get married. They get their own apartments, because they have the financial freedom earlier. The call center industry has enabled them to do this, and I think women right now are more empowered to go, to have their independence much earlier. They no longer go from the mother’s home to the husband’s home. They usually develop themselves more, so that’s our secondary market.

Q: So, what are the things that you love the most about this job?
A: The creativity, the planning, the putting it together. You have to visualize the whole magazine, and then you have to visualize it in your head, and put it down on paper, and it’s what you call a lineup and that’s what the contents of the magazine will be. It’s like our Bible. For that issue, that’s the lineup. And to visualize that, in paper, in bullet points, without having to see it visually, is to me the most exciting part, because that’s where the creative process comes in, and then as you go, you make adjustments. You add stories, you remove stories. It’s very visual. I’m very passionate about it, because to me, it’s helping people. It’s inspiring people to create.

Q: Do you have any perks?
A: Oh yeah

Q: Like, so do you get to keep anything?
A: Oh yeah, you get a lot of perks. That’s the thing with journalism, you have to watch yourself because you almost get everything for free. You get free make up, free stays, and all of that, and you have to manage it with a certain degree of professionalism. You can’t be a freebie queen. You have to look at it like, if somebody gives you a spa treatment for free, it doesn’t mean, it’s because you just want to have a free spa treatment. You have to write about it, you have to do a review, and there’s work involved. It’s your job to let your readers know what that experience will be, so that when they try it they already have an idea of what to expect.

Q: So the perks are kind of like plugs also?
A: The perks are plugs, yes. And a lot of journalists tend to give it a bad name because there’s quite a few who just take advantage of it. And that’s I think a discipline, it’s a self-instilled disciplined, that you don’t: 1) let it go to your head, and 2) that you handle it or manage it responsibly.

Q: Is your line of work competitive?
A: Extremely. It’s extremely competitive for the simple reason that there are, wow, hundreds of magazines out there with a very limited market. When we first started the glossy magazines industry we were about five players, and each one had their own topics, and different genres, so we didn’t really compete with each other. We were all friends, but now it’s a little more competitive for the simple reason that there are so many more magazines, and not many readers.

Q: What would your advice be then since it’s a competitive industry – to those who want to go into it?
A: One, make sure you love it, because you’re never going to get rich. [Laughs] Two, that you do it with passion and integrity. Anything that you do, you have to do it passionately. Whatever job you choose to do, you have to really love it. If you love what you’re doing, it’s not work. You look forward to it every single day. You don’t say, thank god it’s the weekend. You never say that.

Q: So what do you want to be remembered for?
A: What do I want to be remembered for? As someone who’s good at what she does, who practices her profession professionally with integrity, and someone who can create a magazine that people will want to read, and that people will keep even after reading.

Q: Yeah…Yeah, that’s it, actually.
A: Oh! Okay, that was painless, thank you!
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Lia Bernardo was born on June 23, 1968. She took up political science, political relations and marketing. She used to be a wedding coordinator and teacher, but got her break in journalism with an editorial position with Bride Philippines. At the time of the interview, she was editor-in-chief of Cocoon Inquirer Magazine.