#j123

Submitted December 22, 2106. Our final requirement for J 123 (Photojournalism) was to produce our own photo essay, complete with write-up and captions. I chose to cover Escolta street (more backstory, personal keme). 

Created in 1594, Calle Escolta or Escolta Street is one of the very first streets paved during the Spanish rule in the 16th century. It began as a commerce center first occupied by migrant Chinese businessmen, and soon flourished into a full-blown business district housing buildings such as the Manila Stock Exchange. This continued up until the 1960s when business activity gradually shifted to Makati. Escolta is now commonly known for its heritage sites and, more recently, as a booming artistic hub.

During its golden years in the early 20th century, Manila was a sprawling city rich with various business sectors that seemed to gleam in commercial success.  One street in particular, encompassing the commerce districts of Santa Cruz and Binondo, stood out for its sky-high and magnificent structures, put up no less by renowned, innovative designed Andres Luna and Fernando Ocampo, to name a few. These buildings, now labeled as heritage sites, were filled to the brim with activity—stock exchange, department stores, restaurants, and cinemas defined the street.

Flourished in this bustle, Calle Escolta came to be one of the most well-known streets of its time. Tagged as the “Queen of Manila Streets”, Escolta existed in grandeur for years. Aside from its inimitable beauty, the street was known to be both resilient for having survived the destruction of World War II, and as well as elegant for the shops that lined the street commanded and invited fine taste. Manila’s characteristic squalor remained only on the fringes.

Today however, it is gradually descending from our collective memory one neglected heritage building at a time.

At the dawn of the new millennium, massive malls started replacing department stores, big banks local banks, and cineplexes the good old movie theater. Makati had also boomed overnight into the newest commercial district. Its fast-paced modernity attracted entrepreneurs and businessmen to relocate from the decaying street to the promising city.

Additionally, Escolta’s beautiful buildings had started decaying—it couldn’t put up a good fight with the sleek and modern builds of the newer districts.

So despite escaping demolition and destruction in the last war, they now face a new one. Not of bombs, but of developers seeking to renew Escolta and have it keep up with our modern times.

 Government agencies such as the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NCHP) have attempted to preserve history by acquiring the abandoned heritage sites and make them public, but according to Kat Candelaria of the Escolta Revival Movement (ERM) even the government cannot fight modernization.

 “Kahit protected na ‘yan ng mga NCCA at NCHP, wala ‘e, ginigiba pa rin,” says Kat.

There is resistance however, by groups such as the ERM that call for the preservation, celebration, and restoration of the historic street. One strategy of such groups is to strengthen the identity of Escolta—not just in terms of the past but the present as well.

 “It’s not feasible to revive Escolta as a business district, so we’re reviving it through art,” says Candelaria.

Indeed, in recent years Escolta has evolved from hosting businesses to now something a little bit more colorful—art. The street’s crumbling, neglected structures seemed to have struck a chord with independent and struggling artists, who have made full use of the abandoned space by converting it into makeshift movie theaters, galleries, exhibits, and markets. Slowly but surely, people are pouring back in but this time not only for its glamorous modernity but as well as for its rich, untangled past—acknowledged and unforgotten.

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

caption

For J 123 we were paired and asked to spend a day with a photojournalist. More more. Submitted 12/11/16. Photos by Mikko Ringia. 

It takes guts to be a photojournalist, a good one at least. Skills can be learned over time, equipment bought, and opportunities abound. But guts—the unceasing, unhesitating urge to act upon journalistic curiosity no matter how risky or frightening the stakes may be—are rare and hard to come by, which is why Manila Times’ Chief Photographer Rene Dilan stands out among the throng of highly competitive photojournalists. His guts had brought him places his competitors could not cover—a prime example is also Dilan’s proudest moment: the Hacienda Luisita Massacre coverage.

Dilan was the only media worker able to produce photos of the massacre in Tarlac last November 2004. As others were scrambling to hide from the rain of bullets, Dilan recounts: “Kinailangan kong dumapa habang kumukuha—kung ‘di matatamaan din ako.” In his photos of the event, which he keeps hidden in a large cylindrical tin together with other of his best published work, a gun is starkly and almost directly pointed at the viewer, and of course at the lens.

To the Left

We are in the Manila Times media car as Dilan talks about the Luisita coverage, parked near Welcome Rotonda where hundreds in red have convened for another rally. This time it is to celebrate a true hero’s birthday, Andres Bonifacio, and condemn what the protesters deem as a fake one, Ferdinand Marcos.

Dilan is tasked to cover the protestors march to Mendiola, but a program is still being held at Rotonda and not much is happening, so he continues to chat with us.

“Itong kotseng ‘to, punong-puno ng dugo noon. Mga patay at sugatan na katawan, ‘dito pinasok,” Dilan says without flinching.

Earlier that day we had met Dilan for a different but not unrelated coverage. Dilan, with only a handful of other photojournalists, were given inside information that the Kabataan Makabayan (KM)—the youth arm of the New People’s Army (NPA)—would stage a lightning rally along Divisoria in commemoration of its 52nd anniversary.

Unexpectedly however, an innumerable number of police forces were stationed at the place, forcing the group to relocate to Blummentritt.

The militant group, masked in red kerchiefs and communist caps, condemned the rampant militarization of many corners in the country, and invited their fellow youth to move to the countryside and join the armed revolution. Dilan moved seamlessly around the group, capturing them in calm ease.

It’s not a coincidence that Dilan keeps covering leftist activities.

In 2005, Dilan was arrested by the local police and military who had mistaken him for a rebel in Tarlac City. This was because he had covered a rebel-instigated attack at a provincial telecommunication office that no one could have known of, unless one was involved.

But Dilan maintained that he had just acted upon a tip from a source (whom he refused to name) and was released a few days later after the military failed to strengthen their suspicions into a valid evidence. His memory card however was swept clean of any photo he had taken in the area.

Then, just days before our meeting, Dilan had climbed the lush mountains of Sierra Madre together with a select few media persons. They covered the activities of the NPA based there, who were led by newly assigned NPA spokesperson Ka Diego. They were only kilometers away from a military base—anything could have happened at any time. Though Dilan was able to safely resurface he has plans of returning, though he doesn’t clarify if he will be back as media or not.

Covering then the KM rally was nothing new nor a big deal. Still, he warned us to wear our IDs and to not remove them at all costs. “You have to run fast, just in case,” he says. “At laging suotin ang ID para di kayo pagkamalan.”

Starting Out

Dilan did not have a romantic beginning with photography. Instead he discovered it later in life, through his brother-in-law.

“Binigyan niya ako ng camera tapos sinubukan ko lang,” said Dilan. His brother-in-law happened to have a position as a photographer in the Sun Star, and knowing Dilan’s interest in sports, asked him to cover a competition one time. One thing lead to another and soon enough, Dilan was on the sports beat. He started with Sports Plus magazine, then back to Sun Star again, until finally relocating to and staying with the Manila Times where he has been for 15 years and counting. All in all, the 58 year-old photojournalist has been practicing for 22 years.

Before this Dilan was in the t-shirt printing business—he had an office in Malabon where he lived. He mostly printed out sports jerseys, which he says was done out of his love for sports.

The Shift to News

Asked what he liked covering the most Dilan answers immediately—“Hard news.” As a photojournalist, Dilan says he does not see the value in other beats (excluding sports) and only does hard news because of its sheer difficulty and its weight. “Walang arte,” as he puts it.

He lets us browse through his soft copy of favorite photos, and it was hard not to gasp at every photo.

Indeed, they were all hard. Police brutality and gory crimes filled most of his drive’s memory. There were photos of men committing suicide, of men’s head being bashed wide open so that the brains and blood spill unforgivingly everywhere.

Though included in his collection of best pictures are also personal pictures—him smiling with friends, mostly fellow photojournalists, fooling around and having fun. Indeed, Dilan laughs more than he speaks.

His face is either cracking a smile or devoid of any expression at all: there is no in between.

Around colleagues, and especially his Manila Times staff, he is known simply as Chief. “Chip”, as they pronounce, rarely acts like their boss but more like a gentle mentor, often times a friend.

Only For the Brave and Dedicated

Aside from his fearless encounters with both the NPA and the military, Dilan has also broken his back (a SWAT member had shoved Dilan after he had attempted to take a closer shot at the Luneta Hostage Crisis) and braved through tear gas (during the Oakwood mutiny) and land mines (coverages in the deep provinces).

“Dapat ready ka at willing,” Dilan says of being a photojournalist. It is taxing, he quips, but someone has to do the job. It just so happens that he enjoys it, very much. Dilan enjoys the thrills, the encounters, the accidents. His family has asked him to stop what he’s doing a number of times, but there’s nothing to be done if it pays the bills, Dilan says.

His advice for beginner photojournalists? “Be brave and dedicated.”

“Kailangan talaga ng dedikasyon. At practice lang talaga, everyday kumuha ka, wag mong iiwan camera mo,” Dilan says. “Kahit saan ka pumunta may mangyayari.”

Newsea J123 Ladder to Heaven (Juice)

Female, all ages.

Original: Donation - Free

Retextures:

Beaverhausen

Eternila

Marie Antoinette