12 days to Christmas, my Editor said to me

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Parols are on every corner and "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is playing at every mall. As we approach the start of a new year, what better time is there to reflect on the fond memories we’ve made?

We’ve compiled a list of memorable moments and inspirational stories from 12 journalists. Albeit, most of these moments were not from this past year, but we all have that one tito or tita (uncle or aunt) whom we’re not so sure how we’re related to, who repeats the same story over nochebuena (Christmas Eve dinner) year after year.

1. Verifying Legends

We’ve all heard our fair share of urban legends: siopaos made of cats, the City of Biringan, haunted jeepneys roaming the subdivisions at night - the list goes on. When Kara Ortiga, now Editor-in-Chief of The Philippine Star Supreme, chased a story on bolitas for Esquire Philippines, she never expected it would turn out to be real.

“It has always been sort of an urban legend, and some literature had been published on its truth. I thought that it was so ridiculous for the practice to be limited to seafarers, so I decided to go out and talk to some of them,” said Ortiga. “Turns out the stories were true, but it was also a lot more than just an oddity.”

2. Meeting Someone Famous

If you’ve ever met a celebrity, you've felt the excitement of meeting someone whom you’ve only ever read about or seen on the big screen. Interaksyon.com Film and Theater Reviewer Wanggo Gallaga knows that feeling.

“I was sent to Hong Kong to watch the Asian premiere of I Am Legend and to be in a round table interview with Will Smith, Director Francis Lawrence, and Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman,” said Gallaga, “and I was literally three feet away from Will Smith. I've never been that close to a Hollywood celebrity for an interview. It was quite a thrill.”

3. Finding Purpose

Often, the things that motivate us in life are the things we remember dearly. Jonty Cruz shared that what drives him as the Editor-in-Chief of Rogue Magazine was something that he realised as an Editorial Assistant at Esquire Philippines.

“I was lucky enough to be part of a great team where I learned that I was more of an editor than a writer,” said Cruz. “I like building up an issue, finding the focus of a story, making sure it flows, and figuring out how it should be talked about.”

4. Unexpected Lessons

The kind of moments that stick with you for a long time can at times be the life lessons you don’t see coming your way. For Cathy Yang, that lesson was taught by Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson.

Said the ANC Anchor: “I invited billionaire Richard Branson to come over to Manila to speak with and inspire budding Filipino entrepreneurs and big business leaders, and then sat down with him for a one-on-one interview where he revealed the humanity and humility of just being one’s own self, in spite of one’s greatness.”

Lessons in humility are all around us, sometimes coming from billionaires, other times from three ghosts of Christmases past, present and future.

5. Gaining Perspective

 “My most memorable journalism moment happened when I was a Researcher for a news magazine show at GMA Network,” recalls Gwen Llana Serrano, who blogs about her life as a mother and wife on Blissful Blooming. “We had to document how young boys in Tondo stole copper wires in the wee hours of the morning.”

Everyone needs a reality check once in a while and gaining a new perspective can often be very memorable.

6. Work Perks

The Neighborhood’s Editor-in-Chief, Jacs Sampayan, shared with us that his favourite journalism moments were when he was reminded of the privilege his job offers.

“I have two: one was the first time I travelled abroad and went to Sydney in 2003 for a junket with Philippine Airlines. The second was when I interviewed the great Martina Navratilova in Singapore three years ago. Both instances remind me of the privilege of having these exciting experiences that this work allows me,” said Sampayan.

7. When Things Just Happen

Sometimes, the moments that stick with us are the times when everything just seems to fall into place. Jorge Bandola’s moment was when he joined the broadcast industry.

“I dreamt of being a pilot or an aeronautics engineer or a civil engineer but I was one point short of the cut-off point for the Engineering College,” said the DZXL RMN Manila 558 Anchor. “I went with my second choice of going through a diploma in broadcasting and the rest is history.”

A blessing in disguise - it really is Christmas!

8. Making a Difference

Sometimes when we need to be reminded why we do what we do, it’s the memories of the times when we made a difference that helps spur us on in life. ANC’s Annalisa Burgos shared about her time back in the day as a Reporter at the Orange County Register.

“I covered Anaheim, where a large number of shady massage parlours were centred around Disneyland,” said Burgos. “I thought there might be a prostitution story so I began my own investigation into some of the establishments and found most of the Asian women workers were not licensed massage therapists and may have been trafficked from across Asia. That led to a police investigation and the shutdown of those brothels.”

9. Emotional Moments

Emotional moments are always hard to forget, whether they’re happy or sad. For GG Network’s Aldo Avinante, that moment was when he was on the sports beat for Philstar.com during the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship when the Gilas Pilipinas finally qualified for the FIBA World Cup after 40 years.

“Everyone was crying; the media, the crowd, the players, the coaches, everyone was crying tears of joy,” said Avinante, reliving the moment. “That was the best coverage I have experienced, and it’s going to be very hard to top that moment.”

10. Screwing Up

Davao Today’s Mick Basa told us that sometimes, the most memorable moments are not the most pleasant.

“Sometime in 2014, my Editor sent me a long email after learning that a published story of mine mistook the facts of companies A and B. They learned of the error when they started reading comments like "the Writer of the story is probably drunk",” said Basa. “They helped me out in sorting out the story, I admitted my mistake and sent out an email to the desk. I apologised, and I certainly learned my lesson.”

11. Living the Dream

When we live the dream we never thought was possible, that’s definitely something we’re not going to forget. Now an Assistant Editor for Latin American Financial Institutions at S&P Global Marketing Intelligence, Alan Luigi Flores recalls his dream of going live on CNN Philippines’ Cebuano News coming true.

“I reported about what happened at the Anti Pork Barrel rally in 2013, and that was the first time I went on air live and on camera,” said Flores. “It was the realisation of my dream to get the Cebuano language spoken on national television.”

12. New Ventures

When asked for her most memorable journalist moment, Angelica Buan of Plastics & Rubber Asia said that taking up her new role at the publication was one of them.

“Being picked by the Malaysia-based company, Tara Media, to join the Plastics & Rubber Asia magazine team under the helm of my current Executive Editor, Tej Fernandez, was a decisive moment and has cemented my mid-career path as a trade journalist,” recalls Buan. “It was an entirely new experience.”

Career moves are always memorable experiences. If you’ve made one recently or are about to make one soon, let us know so we can share in your joy by emailing nfetalvero@telummedia.com

This article was first published in the Telum Media Philippines Alert on 13 December 2017.

If you have a topic or opinion that you’d like to share with the Philippine media industry, or if you'd like to find out more about Telum Media, drop me a private message or email me at nfetalvero@telummedia.com