I-Witness goes on tour

I-Witness has now reached its 13th year and the GMA 7 flagship documentary program hosted by Howie Severino, Kara David, Jay Taruc and Sandra Aguinaldo is bringing its roster of award-winning docus closer to the regional and young TV audiences.

The STAR caught up with the I-Witness team at the Cebu leg of its regional tour and docufest wherein Howie’s Saplot and Huling Hala Bira; Kara’s Gintong Putik and Ambulansyang de Paa; Jay’s Lapnos and Batang Kalabaw; and Sandra’s Batch 2012 and Iskul Ko No. 1 were screened at the SM City Cebu Cinema 1.

The cinema was brimming with mostly college students, who were curious about the nitty-gritty in docu-making, from how long does a shoot take (“About three to five days”), to what’s the main challenge of coming up with one (“time”), to how do they deal with pressing deadlines (“You got to do, what you go to do, because you have a commitment to air on Monday nights), among other questions during the open forums.

We also had a couple of questions for the journalists, whose provocative and potent “I-Witnessing” is characterized by a derring-do and willingness to immerse in the dire and seemingly hopeless situations of their subjects. The “immersion,” albeit for a limited time, has become the I-Witness signature and for the team, it has also been life-changing, according to Kara.

You’ll notice that Kara, as a documentarist, isn’t afraid to display some emotions, from elation to frustration. Like in Ambulansyang de Paa, she is visibly affected when a motherless, dehydrated baby isn’t still getting medical care, and then genuinely impressed by villagers acting as the “human ambulance,” carrying seriously ill neighbors of their far-flung barrio in Mindoro to the community hospital without complaint and pay. It may not sit well with other people who have certain notions of how a journalist should behave when covering a subject, but it effectively draws in the viewer to the story.

Apparently, the empathy goes beyond the airing date. Kara said it can’t be helped that “your heart goes out to them, that you can’t just interview them, then pack up and say, ‘Bye, thank you for your time’ without feeling guilty” after seeing, hearing and feeling their conditions.

She recalled that her first docu on malnourished children, wherein all three kids featured died a few months after it aired, left her depressed that she thought: “Is this going to be my job, simply reporting who’s dying? Why can’t I be a bridge (and) do something more than just document and giving the public stories? I know it’s not part of the job of being a journalist. But I always tell myself that I am a human being first, and all human beings have hearts.”

Her close encounters inspired her to establish her own foundation Project Malasakit, which supports the education of 15 scholars, many of whom were subjects of her docus. 

Kara also shared that while I-Witness doesn’t broadcast it, their researchers do follow-ups. The show has helped move people to action (i.e. the dilapidated hanging bridge spotlighted in Jay’s docu Tulay that had children dangerously crossing it like some Spider-Man is now brand-new, while the inaccessible roads in Ambulansyang de Paa are now paved). The show doesn’t directly handle donations, but it has helped find proper channels for any assistance extended, especially from donors abroad. 

Meanwhile, being on the frontlines of I-Witness has made them one of the most recognizable faces on TV. In Cebu and Iloilo, they were treated like celebs. At the restaurant where this interview took place, Howie got requested several times by young people to have their picture taken with him.

For Howie, recognition comes with the job, and they welcome it since it goes to show that they have an audience. But getting recognized isn’t going to define their work.

Howie, who started his media work as a newspaper reporter in the ’80s, said, “Television is really a different creature from print. I’m not saying one is superior over the other. But I feel lucky to kind of have mixed experiences and exposures. I thought I was doing important work as a newspaper reporter, but I was never recognized on the streets, so I went through a big part of my career that way.”

“Now that sometimes I’m recognized, I’d like to think my previous newspaper career is what keeps me grounded because I know that (recognition) is not the essence of my work. It just comes with being on television. But the essence of my work has never really changed ever since; it’s really in the story, the facts, the way you tell them,” Howie added.

Even if I-Witness has gathered a solid following in the 13 years it has been on-air, Jay said that there’s still a lot of work to do.

I-Witness has been credited for trail-blazing this kind of journalistic storytelling on Philippine TV, but Jay noted that the country is still lagging much behind countries like Japan that have embraced the docu culture.

He considers this, as well as the lack of advertising support, as stumbling blocks. But they glean their validation from the support and appreciation of colleagues, the academe and award-giving bodies, here and abroad.

What they produce every Monday night deserves a bigger audience. I-Witness makes for a meaningful, alternative viewing experience to the stereotypes of television. 

But how do you nurture new interest and sustain it? According to Jay, that’s why they’re traveling to the regions, showcasing the best of the best of their works and talking about them to young people.

Still, viewers have lamented that I-Witness airs very late at night and on a weekday at that, and viewers have to go to work or school the next day.

Despite challenges like that, Jay never thought they’d last this long. “When we started I-Witness, people said, it’s a good concept, but will it have an audience? Well, 13 years later, we’re still airing.”

The I-Witness Docufest 2012 will be traveling to SM City Naga on Sept. 15, SM City Rosales, Pangasinan on Oct. 6 and SM City Bacolod on Oct. 12.