“Siya talaga” — Olympics reporter JP Soriano on Carlos Yulo’s clearcut triumphs | The Howie Severino Podcast
JP Soriano, GMA Integrated News veteran reporter, had a ringside seat while covering the Paris Olympics and witnessed not just Yulo’s golden moments but the heartbreak of the Philippines’ other athletes. Soriano describes the excitement as Carlos Yulo beat strong rivals, especially the defending champion from Israel who had more fans in the stands. Our reporter also saw how the Philippines’ first gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz privately offered the gymnast comfort as he tried to block off the distractions during the competition. JP was also at the exhilarating gold-medal basketball game between Team USA and Team France.
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00:00Magandang araw, Podmates! Howie Severino muli na nagpapaalaala na nakakatalino ang mahabang attention span.
00:07Ang guest natin ngayon ay nagcover ng Paris Olympics para sa GMA Integrated News, JP Soriano,
00:14ang veteranong reporter na karaniwan ay nasa Foreign Affairs Beat. Magandang araw sa'yo, JP Soriano!
00:20Magandang araw, Sir Howie! Nako, finally, natuloy na rin at sa iyong mga avid podcast listeners and viewers.
00:29So magandang araw po. Bonjour!
00:32Bonjour sa'yo. Thank you for joining us, JP.
00:36Andalami siguro ang nag-iisip na napakaswerte mong nakapagcover ng Paris Olympics.
00:42Pero alam natin na pag nagcover ng malaking event na ganyan na maraming ganap,
00:49alaki rin ang pressure at halos walang pahinga.
00:53Sinong kasama mo na cover at paano kayo nag-prepare?
00:57Ang cameraman ko, Sir Howie, si Rico Banwa. You may know him.
01:04Si Rico Banwa, kami dalawa lang actually nagpunta doon. So it's a two-man team for GMA Integrated News, GMA Network in general.
01:14Mahaba yung preparation period kasi I went there officially as Philippine Olympic Committee Media Delegation.
01:27Kasi because of the restrictions of the IOC and yung mga allowed lang na pwedeng bigyan ng credentials,
01:37limited lang siya to accommodate journalists from both print and TV.
01:42Mahaba yung preparation, Sir Howie, mga buwan. Siguro more than six months.
01:48Kasi I remember attending meetings with the POC, with our desk editors.
01:53Sila ma'am tech, sila the sports editor. We have a sports desk now by the way.
02:01So what were you able to see, do, and experience na hindi na bawal sa karaniwang media doon?
02:09Okay kasi yung aking ID allows me to go to the mix zone. Mix zone is the area where lahat ng atleta after ng game nila are required to pass and we can do interviews.
02:22So not all media people na nagkocover doon, allowed sila sa mix zone. So that's one.
02:27So doon pala meron akong guaranteed interview. Not necessarily video because yung video is reserved for the media rights holder.
02:36And in this case, it's another of our colleagues na meron dito sa Philippines, not GMA.
02:42But we can record audio, we can take photos, and do interviews which I did.
02:49So that's one. Mix zone, napaka anong laking bagay na yun.
02:53Allowed din kami to go to the media tribune. Media tribune is where parang akong may ticket nanonood sa mismong game.
03:03Parang talagang alapit niya, parang siyang VIP ticket na lalaki. Hindi lahat din ang media meron noon.
03:10Sometimes you need to get a day pass. It has to be approved by the media IOC members doon sa venue.
03:21So lahat ng sporting events ay may ganoon section para sa nagkocover at para sa mga katulad mong affiliated sa POC.
03:33So you had a ringside seat to historic sporting events at the Olympics.
03:41Absolutely sir. Sobra. Sobrang I was able to watch the Team USA, Team France finals.
03:49All access doon kahit na that's a very high demand games.
03:56I had access doon sa lahat. Lahat ng championship ng games natin ng Pilipino athletes, pati kay Simone.
04:02Yun nga lang sir because I'm not IOC. Ang International Olympic Committee mayroon na ang pwede kumuha ng video on the playing field or the media rights holder.
04:12But still, mas madali siyang isulat for a reporter like me na nakita ko siya up close.
04:20For example, kay Carlos Hilo. Lahat ng laban niya, but of course, yung two finals, yung men's floor and the following day, yung men's vault.
04:32So I was witness to that. Nasa media tribune ako noon. Nakikita ko lahat ng angulo, pati yung mga reaction ni Caloy instantly.
04:40I can tweet about it. I was tweeting about it because I can do that while I cannot share videos.
04:47Pero pag ngaalala ko, nakikilabutan pa rin ako. Kasi ito yung time na kitang-kitang yung reaction ni Caloy na nalaman niya wala na, wala na nakabeat ng score niya.
05:00And then of course, lupang hinirang was played.
05:04Okay JP, for Filipinos of course, this will be remembered for the double gold medals of Carlos Hilo.
05:12So you were there during his actual competition. Pero ano yung, before I ask you about his performance, ano yung atmosphere at Buzz sa competition?
05:25Siya ba yung isa sa mga favorite? Paano nag-react yung crowd sa kanya?
05:30How did he interact with people like you and other athletes? What was the vibe like around him during the Olympics?
05:45Obviously, yung mga Filipino community na sa France, very excited. Yung mga fans from the Philippines na bumiyahin to Paris to watch.
05:54Siya talaga yung inaabangan and isa siya sa mga inaabangan.
05:58Pero I can, siguro masashare ko lang yung reaction from the international sports journalist.
06:06Merong buzz kay Kaloy kasi he's the only Southeast Asian athlete there. Lahat ng kalaban niya are from Western countries.
06:19Hindi naman siya nag-place ng Tokyo Olympics but ang taas ang anticipation niya kasi coming in from world championships, siya yung champion.
06:29Pinag-uusapan siya in short ng mga international journalist. In fact, may mga kasama kaming mga reporter from ESPN, New York Times na nag-aabang sa kanya.
06:41So nakita ko, na alam ko na siya yung inaabangan talaga. Nakakausap namin si Kaloy because I have access dun sa Mixzone.
06:50Lahat ng game niya, after, dadaan talaga siya sa amin. So nakakausap ko siya, na-interview.
06:56I can tell him na pwede ba kitang makausap ulit outside sa labas ng Mixzone para I can use the video of Rico.
07:04So ganoon, ganoon yung mga interaction namin. And of course yung mga Pinoy fans, sobrang mahal kasi ng ticket.
07:13So yun ang kwento din ng mga Pinoy doon. So may mga bumiyahe from Manila to Paris or Philippines to Paris, but not necessarily nakabili ng ticket.
07:24Either punung-pununa ng ibang nation or super mahal na nung bibili sila. So nag-aabang sila sa labas ng Bercy Arena.
07:34Naging barkada ko ng iba doon sir Howie kasi ang tagal na. Ilang araw na kaming nag-aabangan doon kasama na nagkikita na kami.
07:42So they asked, ako pa ngayon tinatanong nila, Sir Jay pinalabas ako ba si Karl?
07:48So parang in a way ako na yung alam nilang I have access and I see them.
07:54So grabe yung anticipation kay Kaloy, not just for Filipinos but meron din international journalists na nag-aabang sa kanya.
08:06So during the competition itself, was there tension? Matindi ba yung laban? People expected him to do well but there were other top competitors there.
08:21Ano yung pinaka-threat sa kanya doon? And how well did he have to do to get the gold?
08:30Yung sa first niya, yung sa floor exercise, I remember very close talaga. Parang ang ganda rin yung performance naka-silver medalist yung Israel na reigning Olympic champion from Tokyo.
08:45At yung venue ng Bercy Arena, ang grabe, punong-puno ng Israeli fans. So I could parang see their flags. Parang nabili nila yung buong stadium that night.
09:00Bilang-na-bilang lang yung makikita ko may Filipino flag. So scattered sila. Nakikita naman ako pero lahat ng katabi ko from where I was seated in the media tribune.
09:13Puro mga Israeli flag, meron din Great Britain. So mga European countries na doon.
09:21Grabe yung sigawan. Ang taas sa anticipation kay Yun sa silver medalist. But nung in-announced na, na nung siya na yung winner, well, naramda mo talaga yung quiet talaga.
09:31I cannot say na buong-buong stadium nagsisigawan for Kaloy. Kasi nga, bilang lang yung mga Pinoy. Pero yun yung mas nakaparang you want to, kung pwede mo lang isigaw lahat para tumulong ka sa pag-cheer.
09:45But they all stood. Kasi sasabihin doon sa pagnanalo na, if you can, please stand for the national anthem of the Philippines. So yun naman yung, tumayo naman silang lahat.
10:00JP, ang gymnastics kasi may judging, may judges diyan. Di naman yan papilisan o palakasan tulad ng ibang events. Madalas malinaw kung sino yung nanalo.
10:11Nung in-announced na nanalo si Carlos Yulo, was there any dispute? Were there questions about the judging? O talagang malinaw kahit doon sa mga kalaban, kahit doon sa mga kababayan ng mga ibang nag-compete na si Carlos talaga yung pinakamagaling?
10:30Based sa nakita ko Sir Howie, malinaw talaga. Although the way you measure yung game na to, it's really based on judging. Pero nakalagay naman kasi sa scoreboard yung mga difficulties. Parang very transparent naman din.
11:00It's like you observe yung performance ng iba. Although magaling nga din yung iba, including Jake Jarman, yung Phil British na nakasama niya, nag-bronze. His mom is from Cebu and he sort of lived there for a while.
11:30He won many nationals, mga flags nila. Ang taas na expectation sa kanya dahil di nga siya yung former champion. Ayun yung napansin ko. Wala naman mga nagboo or anything, walang ganon. Talagang malinaw based sa nakita ko.
11:53Very close actually Sir, yung laban. Performance wise, although hindi naman din ako expert sa gymnastics. Based sa mata ng isang nanonood lang din ng line doon, mas close, mas dikit yung performance sa vault.
12:13Yung second gold ni Kaloy. Pero sa floor, sobrang glaring. The following day, you know it's Kaloy but magaling din yung performance ng iba. Doon na rin papasok yung mga technicalities na pag-judge, pag-number ng mga judges.
12:35Well yun nga yung medyo in a way shocking. We were just celebrating his gold medal and then the next day, nanalo siya ulit ng gold. Parang when it rains, it pours. Parang ganun ng pakiramdam. Ano ba yung mga reaction doon sa Paris?
12:56Grabe. Yung Philippine Olympic Committee, yung buong Philippine team. Tamay na yung pagkakadescribe mo. Alam mo yung hindi pa tapos doon sa high na gold.
13:26Hindi imposible na talagang manalo siya ulit. So parang alam mo na nag-celebrate ka pero parang hindi rin far-shot na mag-gold siya ulit. So parang sinasike na ng POC yung sarili nila just in case. In fact nagpa-plano na nga sila kung paano yung gagawin which nangyari.
13:56So I could sense that even Kaloy knew that he was going to celebrate doon sa gold niya kinagabihan. Pero the following day meron na. Kaya pala si Kaloy noong time na yun, he did not want to parang lumabas muna para batiin lahat ng mga Pinoy fans kasi gusto niya mag-concentrate doon sa laban niya the following day which he did after niya mag-champion na double gold.
14:17So I could sense that even Kaloy knew sa sarili niya na malaki yung chance niya. And he's very confident, sinabi niya sa amin yun. Iba-iba yung confidence niya based on the way he speaks, mag-smile, makipag-usap.
14:48You have to be at your best both physically and mentally. You make a small mistake, pwede ka nang matalo. Every movement there is judged and watched. So the focus and the concentration have to be immense.
15:11Which makes his achievement even more impressive because when we find out later on na meron pala siyang malaking, for a lot of people it would have been a big distraction, itong family drama na mataga na palang nagaganap between him and the rest of his family, in particular yung mama niya.
15:33I have to ask you about this because sumabay itong pagputok ng balibalita tungkol sa pamilya niya while the whole country was celebrating and it became a debate as well.
15:52Was there some soul-searching among many of us observers, journalists na dapat bang patulan ito? How much attention should we be giving it? Di pa ito nakakasira ng mood natin na bihirang ma-experience ng Pilipino?
16:09After all, these are only the third, two medals niya are only the third, the second and the third gold medals ever ng Pilipino. Tapos nahaluan pa ng ganitong klaseng issue.
16:25You were there in Paris while some of this was going on. Were you paying attention yourself? Ano yung nakita mong reaction ni Carlos? Did you notice that this was also distracting him? Was anything bothering him during the competition?
16:44Did you have any clue that this was going on in his life and maybe even in his mind?
16:53Yeah. Well, I had a clue Sir Howie kasi parang usap-usapan na rin naman siya among sports circle, mga journalists na may pinagdaraanan ng personal si Kaloy with his family.
17:09It's really not, hindi naman siya something na parang hindi alam totally. Pero yung magnitude ng developments, nag-unfold yan nga after ng mga ano niya. Wala akong nanotice kay Kaloy na obviously he's not, obviously meron man siyang pinagdaraanan, obviously it did not affect his performance kasi he elevated himself to greatness kahit nga ganoon yung pinagdaraanan niya.
17:36I cannot say kung yung mga smile ba niya, may lungkot sa mata niya, I cannot say that. Wala akong maganong mapicture. Pero when it happened Sir, of course I have to listen, I have to watch out.
17:54But never pumasok sa isip ko even our desk na parang tanungin siya about it or unahan siya with questions unless he volunteers. Kasi remember at that time meron mga press ko na nagaganap dito from his mother and all.
18:13Ang argument ko at that time, and I'm sure yun din yung desk, is hangna hindi naman siya government official, we're not talking about government funds here. Walang inalaman dito ang pera ng bayan so walang urgency to ask. Kasi ang story dito is his victory, yung kanyang enormous achievement for the country.
18:42So never really occurred unless he volunteered. Ganon yung agreement. Very sensitive din nag-usap kami ng desk editor na kailangan mo itong i-handle na napaka-delegate matter because wala tayong technically kahit pinag-uusapan na siya ng buong Pilipinas at lahat sa social media, yung totoo lang wala tayong pakialam dyan.
19:09Wala tayong kinalaman. This is a personal, personal nilang pinagdadaanan yan. Personal na pamilyan nila yan. So again he's not a government official. We're not, walang pinag-uusapan dito ang pondo ng bayan. So walang dahilan para ungkatin kung anuman yung pinagkatalunan ng family nila.
19:29It's sad, ang lungkot lang na hindi ko matignan si Kaloy at some point. When I was able to meet him after two days after his double gold medal because we interviewed him live for 24 oras.
19:59So nag-arap kami sa Paris. May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask?
20:29May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May
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26:29May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May
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27:29ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? May I ask? Maybe
27:52starts fading, you know, we're thinking about a lot of other things, you know, winning another gold
27:58or achieving more in gymnastics and other sports where Filipinos can win. It takes a lot of work,
28:06resources, commitment, right? So there are those plans, what you're saying JP, to make sure that
28:15the impact of Carlos Yulo goes beyond what he has achieved on his own. If you go to the
28:24Gymnastics Association's gym in Intramuros, Manila, where that's the biggest and only
28:33Olympic-approved gym for gymnastics, it's full of kids just to register
28:41and train there. There's a lot of anticipation. Well, Carlos has already proven that you don't
28:48need to import anyone to win a gold medal. I mean, that's right. We need to develop the
28:54grassroots. Of course, you know, we don't want to discount also the Filipinos who grew up overseas.
29:03Many Filipinos, second-generation migrants, OFWs, many of them also feel that they're as
29:12Filipino as anyone else, even if they didn't grow up here. But in other countries, there are a lot of
29:18programs for young athletes here in the Philippines. They really need help. So it's a good priority of
29:27the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines. But I want to ask you, JP, about the other athletes
29:33who won medals. Let's not forget that two boxers won a bronze medal, Ira Villegas and Nesty
29:44Pelecio, whom you also watched. So tell us about them. What are the memorable moments
29:55about them in the Paris Olympics?
30:01One of the biggest heartbreaks of the Paris Olympics is Nesty Pelecio.
30:09Ira Villegas, this is her first Olympic competition and yet she won a bronze medal.
30:20So it's really something. See, Nesty came in as a silver medalist at Tokyo and everybody was
30:26hoping and expecting her to be an Olympic champion because it's her time. Her performance is so good.
30:33We watched all her competitions. It's a joke that she passed all the preliminary competitions and
30:39unanimous decision. ABAP questioned her last fight. I'm not going to go into the technicalities
30:53of it, but you can feel the frustration of the whole Philippine team. But you know,
31:01I can't forget how Nesty Pelecio settled for bronze. How she handled it with pride and
31:13dignified. She was the Olympic champion. As a fan, as a viewer, her actions after that
31:23heartbreaking loss. She showed her hands, she bowed, she raised the Philippine flag.
31:36In the interview, I could not look at her, but she gave me the reassuring look that,
31:44it's okay boss, it's okay. God has better plans, she said. God has better plans.
31:50And then, but she suddenly said, I'm holding back my tears. She said that.
31:55So it's like, her action, that's what's more true, I said, that's why you're an Olympic medalist.
32:04She's not an Olympic medalist for nothing. Her action was amazing. She showed sportsmanship
32:11and courage. Okay.
32:14Speaking of basketball, the Philippine team did not qualify, but the Olympic tournament is still
32:25exciting for a lot of Filipinos. You were there in the Team USA versus Team France finals, the
32:34gold medal match. And then of course, this is in Paris. Team France had the home crowd behind
32:43them, in addition to probably one of the most famous athletes and one of the best basketball
32:49players in the world, Wen Banyama, versus Team USA superstars. So it was an epic battle and it
33:00was a good game. JP, you were there. So give us the lowdown.
33:05I was there because, well, I was there primarily because in those finals,
33:11our Filipino athletes had no match. So in short, there was no conflict. Because my priority,
33:17as much as I want to attend all those games, the historic games, is our athletes. Plus,
33:23by the way, that venue where Team USA and Team France won the championship in basketball is
33:30Bercy Arena. It's the same venue where Kaloy won the two golds. The fans were amazing. I don't know
33:41if the USA fans went from the US to France, or they're really based in France, or they're French
33:49nationals. But there were a lot of Team USA, they were all flagged. You know how sports,
33:57you know how Americans are very super fanatic about their sports. But when I went to the media
34:05tribune in the stadium, all the French nationals were there. It's like 60% French nationals fans,
34:2040% USA. So it really went up and down. Wait. JP, was that on purpose? Because I'm sure
34:29tickets were sold out, and the French could have easily filled that arena with 90% French fans.
34:41But as you said, 40% were Team USA fans. So the home crowd was almost even.
34:51I just don't know, Sir Howie, how the system of distributing the tickets worked. But I can only
34:57assume that they were the first to buy the tickets. They really prepared it. Because remember,
35:02the reach of Team USA are primarily NBA superstars. Although we have a few in France,
35:11Maniama.
35:15Yes. And on the day of the finals, I saw Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg.
35:27Because they were all there. The other NBA superstars, Dwayne Wade, they were all there.
35:35There were a lot of celebrities. French President Emmanuel Macron was there.
35:42Even us, who are normally only able to attend the media tribune, it took us 30 minutes to attend
35:47because of the security check. Because the head of state was there, their president.
35:53And then coming in from a match in Serbia, the match against USA was so close. There were a lot of
36:00people there. They were almost eliminated in the finals. And the entire game itself was close.
36:09USA didn't have a lot of advantage, but France didn't lose either.
36:14France had a chance in the last couple of minutes, right?
36:18Yes, they had a chance. So there was a lot of pressure. Because the people there were thinking,
36:25if the NBA superstars lose, it's a big deal, right? Although it's a big blow,
36:33because they are considered as the NBA. It's just that simple. And of course,
36:39France also had NBA superstars. I mean, stars.
36:42Yes, they have. They have.
36:44Rudy Gobert, Wemba Niama. Maybe Wemba Niama is a superstar now.
36:49He's also a superstar. Actually, his level. But sir, the dynamics that you're seeing,
36:55LeBron James, LeBron Thottie, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, KD. It's so nice to see up close best
37:07friends. LeBron James is a BFF and Steph Curry is on the court.
37:13Because they've been rivals for a long time.
37:15Yes. You can really feel that they've been playing for a long time. There were a lot of moments in
37:20court where LeBron was holding Steph's face. They were hugging. So as someone who watches NBA,
37:31they're paying for USA. And every time there's a chant for USA,
37:34it's like everyone is there. It's like you're not American USA, but you're cheering for USA because
37:39you watch the NBA. Although, their opponent is French. At the same time, I want France to win
37:47because it's their home country. And they're the host of the Olympics, which they did so well,
37:54by the way. What was the mood in Paris when Team France lost to USA?
38:02In fairness, they didn't leave the stadium right away. They were still there. They stayed
38:07in the awarding ceremony because I felt curious because even the French nationals that I saw,
38:13they were taking pictures. And the Olympic champion, gold medal, USA. So they were taking
38:24pictures. They were very curious. Of course, they were waiting for the silver of France.
38:30It was still fun. I cannot say that the vibe was sad. Although, of course,
38:38there were more cheers from the fans. But it was still fun. Maybe because they saw their idols,
38:49NBA superstars, LeBron James, who was wearing gold shoes at that time. He was wearing gold.
38:57He was preparing himself for a gold medal. It was a lot of traffic, by the way,
39:09after that game. JP, I have to ask you about another Filipino athlete who didn't win a medal,
39:16but he was one of the favorites. He's one of the top pole vaulters in the world,
39:22EJ Obiena. I interviewed him two years ago when he was already number two in the world
39:32behind the eventual gold medal winner in Paris. But Obiena didn't get fourth place.
39:44What was that like when he didn't medal? There was a lot of disappointment. People were moved
39:50by his own reaction. You mentioned earlier the reaction of Nesty Peleso when he won bronze,
39:59despite the fact that she was a favorite to be a gold medalist. EJ was a favorite to
40:09stand on the podium as a medalist. Fourth, of course, in the world,
40:15it is already an honor, but he didn't win a medal. You were there, you witnessed that,
40:23you were able to talk to him. Give us your impression of that moment when
40:32everyone realized that he was not going to medal. We were the first people that EJ talked to
40:39after the pole vaulting finals in Mixon. We waited for him for almost an hour,
40:51even if he was already fourth. The first words that he saw from the media delegation of the
40:57Philippines were, I'm sorry, I made you wait. We were trying to console him. We were trying
41:08to congratulate him because coming in from 11th place, I think, on Tokyo, fourth, it's still an
41:14achievement. What Filipinos should understand, Sir Howie, is that you can only enter the Olympics,
41:23you can only qualify and you can compete there. That's a lot of sweat. That's what EJ said.
41:33Fourth place is the harshest place to be. He apologized if he failed the Filipino people.
41:50But he was still, by the way, he was wearing the socks of his parents.
41:56That's what he said. You can feel his sadness. But again, I think I understand now why people like
42:06him so much and Filipinos can relate to him. He's like your cousin, your nephew who achieved
42:16sports, very humble, very down to earth, still smiling. He's like a good boy who loves his
42:25parents. In fact, he brought in his parents there, his dad. His dad is also a former pole vaulter
42:33there. His mother went to Paris to watch him with his sister and his girlfriend from Germany,
42:42also an athlete. So we were able to talk to them as well after the fight.
42:47Yeah, so I think I got to know EJ better after that fight. I have seen his interviews with you
42:53and other interviews in the past. He's very genuine in a sense that he's like a poster boy.
43:05He's like a poster boy. He has that effect. So he's very relatable to Filipinos.
43:13And what he's saying is that he also had an injury. By the way, sir, he also had an injury
43:19during that time. His journey is not over yet. He's still going to fight, but he's not sure if it's LA
43:262020. Okay, JP, I can't end this conversation without asking you about August 21,
43:331983. Today is August 21, 2024. I want to ask you about August 21 because
43:42you did a film as part of your Master's in Film Studies at UP Diliman about Recto Mercene,
43:51a legendary news photographer who was at the airport. Back then, it was the Manila International
43:58Airport when Nino Aquino arrived from exile in the United States and was shot dead and changed
44:08the course of Philippine history. And Recto Mercene was one of the photographers who took
44:14photos of that event. And his photos in particular became iconic and dynamic as evidence
44:25in the hearings about the assassination. It led to a change in government, etc.
44:37But you decided to focus on Recto Mercene. You met him. He has passed away very recently,
44:44but I suppose you were one of the last to interview him about that event. I saw it just
44:52to disclose. You showed it to me while you were still working on it, and I did help you with
44:58subtitles. But the work was your effort. You directed it, you wrote it, and I think you shot
45:06a big part of it. It was a film project that had nothing to do with GMA News. This was a
45:13passion project on your part, in addition to being an academic requirement, I suppose.
45:18So it's August 21 today. What should people in your generation do? You're one year old.
45:23I'm just outing your age here. You were very young in 1986, so you don't have a memory of what
45:30happened. But you know more than most people in your generation because you spent time with Recto
45:37Mercene, who told you about that day. So what should younger people remember or know about
45:46August 21, 1983? Yeah, and thank you, sir, for helping me with this passion project.
46:02Yes, this film, I did it with my friends Carla Rimban and Sherwin Pescante, the editor.
46:12It's really, I know, it's a long story and it's a complicated case. But I decided to focus on
46:28the photojournalism aspect of it, of Recto Mercene, and how he did it, how he got it,
46:38what happened in between, how he got out of the airport, how it was printed,
46:44considering that it was martial law at the time, what were his restrictions,
46:51how he got it published, what happened afterwards, he was called to court,
46:57because he's still very active in the DFA, which I'm part of, the DFA Press Corps.
47:04So yeah, and then I think, the goal really of this story is to inspire photojournalists that,
47:16even though what's happening now, there's a huge obligation, a mission for you to fight for
47:25the truth. And I think it's also appropriate to discuss it now, considering there's AI and
47:31everything, manipulating photos and everything. Authenticity of photographs, its effects,
47:41history. That photograph, it's like 10 frames, but it shaped, it helped how,
47:50it shaped our history later on, because the events that unfolded afterwards, we all know that.
47:59I just hope that aspiring photojournalists, aspiring journalists for that matter,
48:07and not see it as anything else, but something that is a contribution of a reporter,
48:14that's all. I just want to see it that way, Sir Howie.
48:20Speaking of which, JP, where can people watch your documentary about Recto Merceni?
48:29Well, it's already on YouTube. It's already posted there. Just type in Recto, JP Soriano.
48:38By the way, portions of it were shown on GMA News previously, so snippets of it. Yeah,
48:47they can always watch it there. They can share it with the teachers, the teachers who teach
48:54photojournalism. We can learn something from Recto's experience. He told in a way that it's
49:04very engaging for Recto to tell a story. We call him Mang Recto, by the way.
49:10Yeah, they thought Recto was the documentary about the place.
49:14Yeah, but it's so nice to hear Mang Recto's story. You really want to listen to his story.
49:25So, I was just lucky to have that moment with him before he passed on during the pandemic. So,
49:33yeah, please do watch if you have the time. And thank you, Sir Howie, for believing in that film.
49:41Well, that's a good note to end on, JP. Congratulations on that film. Very timely
49:47today. Thank you for sharing your Olympic experience and for your service to the public.
49:53JP Soriano, documentary filmmaker and veteran reporter
49:58of GMA Integrated News. Long live to you. Thank you very much.
50:03Thank you, Sir Howie.
50:04Hi, I'm Howie Severino. Check out the Howie Severino Podcast. New episodes will stream
50:09every Thursday. Listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms.