MD Episode 3: Buhay Magsasaka

Magsasaka ang mga magulang at mga kapatid ni Tata Martin.

Umiikot ang mundo niya sa bukid.

Mula pagkabata, hanggang sa tumanda, walang inatupag si Tata Martin kundi ang maglinang ng lupa, at magtanim ng palay.

Pero sa tagal na niyang magsasaka, ni minsan, hindi siya nagkaroon ng sarili niyang lupa. Kahit kapiraso lang.

Lupa para sa lahat. Madalas na ipangako ng gobyerno ito sa mga kagaya ni Tata Martin.

Pero ang pangakong lupa, nauuwi sa wala.

Sa edad na mahigit 60, malakas pa si Tata Martin.

Hindi biro ang mga gawaing bukid sa Nueva Ecija na siya namang itinuro niya sa akin sa loob ng dalawang araw.

Sa ritratong ito, sinamantala ko ang pagkakataon habang nagpapahinga kami sa pag-aararo para makapagpakuha ng picture!

Mahiyain pa noong una si Tata Martin, pero nung makilublob ako sa pilapil at malaputik na lupa, dehins na nahiya ito. :)

'Che' Rode With Us to Mahagsay

From Butuan City, we travelled around 3 and a half hours before we could reach the town of San Luis, where we jumped off riding the local transpo "habal-habal"---a motorcycle with an engine displacement of 125 cc, where wood planks are attached on the sides for more cargo and passenger space.

Riding the Habal-habal is the only way to reach Brgy. Mahagsay. The back-breaking ride takes around 4 to 5 hours of rocky terrain with occasional clay-like narrow trail along the way.

Our military escorts warned us that during the first two hours of our trip, we must wear our bullet proof vests and helmets due to some security concerns.

This photo was taken during our trip to Mahagsay, right before our habal-habals crossed a small river stream. Notice on the lower right portion of the photo, a Che Guevara sticker on the taillight.

One of the show's inspiration is the book and movie "Motorcycle Diaries" where it narrated how the young medical student Che and his companion Alberto, rode the "La Poderosa"---the name given to Che's 1939 Norton 500 cc bike in exploring the "alternative" road around South America in 1952.

It was during this adventure where Che "transformed" after witnessing the social injustices and other ills of his country.

Motorcycle Diaries airs its first episode tonight at 8pm on GMA News Tv.

"Motorcycle Diaries" program manager Ms. Angel Directo, wrote this PR about our new show.

A motorcycle can tell a story.

Peabody awardee Jay Taruc will give the art of documentary-making a
different take on GMA News TV's newest public affairs program-Motorcycle
Diaries.

"In the four corners of the country, and even in the most remote areas
of the Philippines, you will find a motorcycle. My motorcycle is not
just a prop but a dynamic element of story telling. I want the
motorcycle to be a symbol of how extreme and far the organization will
go in foraging for untold stories of people and places," explains Jay.


A known motorcycle enthusiast, Jay is more than happy to unite his
passion for documentaries and motorcycles in his new show. Jay got his
first big bike in 1999. It was a Japanese cruiser, a Yamaha 650 cc
Dragstar. At the time, he didn't know anything about motorcycles, but
always thought that he had to learn to ride this two-wheeled machine
because his heroes as a kid -- Marlon Brando, Peter Fonda, James Dean,
Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, and Voltes V's Steve Armstrong -- all rode
bikes.

As the son of radio broadcaster Joe Taruc, Jay is no stranger to the
life of a broadcast journalist. He started his career with GMA in 1994,
learning from the likes of Arnold Clavio, Israel Cando, and Jessica Soho
during his stint as production assistant and researcher for Brigada
Siete. It was also in Brigada Siete where, in 1996, Jay first did a
reportorial job for the network: the coverage of the flash floods caused
by a break in the crater of Mt. Parker in South Cotabato.

From then on, Jay began honing his craft not only as a reporter but also
as a documentarist. A confessed fan of Akira Kurosawa, Jay brought to
bear his passion for filmmaking in producing his reports for Brigada
Siete. As a result, he received, in 1998, a CNN World Report
Award/Category: On Going Story. And in 1999 his story, "Batang Alipin,"
along with Jessica Soho's "Kidneys for Sale" and "Kamao," brought GMA
and the country its first George Foster Peabody Award.

Jay joined iWitness in 2000 and began producing documentaries that would
bear his trademark. For his first attempt, Jay did a story on the use
of landmines by Muslim extremists in Mindanao. It entailed immersing
with a team of landmine diffusers from the Army's Explosives Ordnance
Unit, scouring hectares of cornfields in Maguindanao looking for deadly
improvised land mines. Jay had to sleep in the fields together with the
EOD team while brushing aside some ambush attempts from rebels that are
unseen but could only be heard because of occasional gunfire.

In "Kapit sa Patalim," his dream project, Jay brought to light the issue
of logging in the country . It also showcased his skills in the art of
filmmaking. In "Basurero," meanwhile, he "tasted" how it felt like to
rely on fast food leftovers to survive extreme poverty. And in "Batang
Kalabaw" Jay exposed how some illegal loggers were using minors as log
couriers. This documentary won for him a UN Child Rights Special Award
and for I-Witness, the CMMA Best Documentary Show Award in 2009.

This time in Motorcycle Diaries, Jay 's motorbike will be the tool with
which he will find stories, develop them, and bring them to conclusion.

"Motorcycle Diaries marries the two things I am most passionate about:
riding and documentaries. I am looking forward to and very excited about
being part of another pioneering TV documentary experience."

Motorcycle Diaries starts rolling July 15, 8 p.m. on GMA News TV.