It wasn’t too long ago when our collective Filipino hearts skipped  to a proud beat when we watched the US congressional hearings on TV. At the center of it all was this very Filipino-looking man in uniform, testifying about his report on the alleged abuses at the Abu Graib prison run by the American military in Iraq. It was an assignment given to him and like a good soldier, he did his work with thoroughness and dispatch.

He showed pictures of blind-folded prisoners, half naked being tortured by their American prison guards, testified as to his findings and pinpointed the blame squarely on the people responsible for running the facility saying they violated rules they themselves had set as a standard for proper behavior. 

I remember that as I watched, I felt a sense of pride–not in what he was testifying about but in the forthrightness, strength of resolve and the character of the man. I also remember thinking that the American sense of justice and accountability was at work and here was a clear demonstration of that fact.

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The interview turned out to be interesting. She was one of a few who were allowed to take pictures of the fabulous jewels before they were taken in for storage at the Central Bank. But what turned out to be more interesting was our conversation after the interview. While our crew was packing up, our small talk turned to why she had decided to live in the States. After all, she belonged to a privileged family and had no need to find a “better” life abroad.

But in fact, she did.

What she told us next put things in perspective. She decided to leave precisely because she wanted to move away from the memory of a traumatic experience that had shattered her life as a young teenager. People she knew raped her. Men she knew as “Tito,” men known to her family who had threatened to harm her if she spoke a word about her experience.

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We met them here in Samar where they told us the story of how they and many other young girls here were drawn by promises of free cell phones, a 3,000-peso per month salary and the possibility that they could help rescue their families from the poverty that surrounds them.

Indeed, amidst the lush greenery, fresh air and idyllic surroundings, you can see the poverty. In Anne’s family’s one room shack made of yero and wood, the dirt floor of the kitchen is bare, save for a triangular-shaped steel bar to hold a pot over some wood. On the sides, a few ears of dried corn, and three pineapples. I ask about where the food is, and her mother points to the dried corn. We are setting up our camera in this one room with nothing to sit on except the floor. I want to ask her mother about her bold attempt to have Anne rescued from the house where her “employer” held her captive.

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In behalf of my family, The Probe Team, my colleagues and peers in UP and in the industry who have all contributed at different stages in my career to get me on this stage today, I thank you for this distinct honor and recognition as the fourth Gawad Plaridel Awardee. It is like a homecoming for me because this is where I started my journey in broadcasting.

It’s been twenty years since we first thought up the idea of putting together an investigative newsmagazine for TV. In those 20 years, the ride has at different times been uncertain, exhilarating, many times bumpy, but always challenging.

Our very first challenge in 1987 was how to get on the air. We had an idea and the determination to make it succeed. But it seemed like we were the only ones that thought we could make it work. What we wanted to do was unfamiliar territory and we were met with a lot of skepticism about whether there was an audience for an investigative TV newsmagazine as well as a potential to attract advertisers to pay for a show that dealt with issues. We were like a bunch of amateurs trying get into the big league. We set up shop in my eight-year old son’s bedroom, transcribed interviews by long hand, and doubled up as PA’s, interviewers, editors and directors—all four of us for our weekly show. Twenty years later, we are more efficient but what has not changed is, the fire in our collective bellies is still there. Now, the challenge is how to stay on air in the face of all the changes that have been happening locally and globally.

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It started out with the usual Monday meet at the office. Come to think of it, this has been the “usual” for the last twenty years. Monday meets have become a “tradition” with Probe. We do Monday morning quarterbacking on the stories done the week before. At today’s feedback session, we had a lot of comments about the Aleli and Iggy Arroyo story. The ProbeTV site had many viewings of the piece which was uploaded the day after its airing on Wednesday.

ProbeTV is one of the newer items on our Monday meets…what goes up, who views it, and comments to the pieces we have been uploading for the last six months. It’s interesting how Mark (our webmaster) gives us profiles of our viewers…quite a number are from overseas (our relatives maybe?) with specific areas they are located in.

Today, I also added something else….

After the regular items in the agenda were done with, I thanked the team for trooping to Cine Adarna at UP for the Gawad Plaridel that was given to me on Wednesday. It was so heartwarming to see all of them at the theater even while they were still beating the Probe deadline that same night… but what else is new? The team has been trying (and trying is the word) to beat that deadline forever! Try asking any Prober… so it meant much more than just going there. It meant losing precious edit minutes!

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