Under police custody

COVERING the police beat, it was exactly what I expected it to be: filled with machismo, brashness and grit.

For a queer, feminist Journalism student, the setting is uncomfortable at the very least and discouraging at most.

“Why did I ever pick this beat?” I asked myself.

Me and my fellow rookie reporter Marcelli Papas were given the freedom to pick our preferred beat after being one of

top three applicants in the PhilSTAR Boot Camp.

We initially wanted to cover politics, but were only able to choose from police, education, environment, health, general assignments and social media beats.

I suggested that we pick the police beat since I thought that it was the closest to the political beat.

Of course, this assumption led to our being completely clueless the moment we set foot in the office of the Manila Police District Press Corps (MPDPC).

While both of us were campus journalists, the most that we know about police beat is from our classroom lessons and the intensive training sessions at the start of the Boot Camp.

With whatever knowledge we gained from these lectures and our experience as campus reporters,

we faced our first day in the field heads on.

But we faltered. The Public Information Office denied us access to the police reports for that day. If it weren’t for the other reporters, we would not have been able to write our reports.

We were clumsy and flightless birds among veteran flyers. We were unworthy to stand in the presence of greats, some of whom even have pictures that adorn the MPDPC office. But we weren’t flightless for long. After some bureaucratic processes, The Philippine STAR reporter Rey Galupo took us under his wing. He told us where to go and who to go to in the MPD Headquarters to find stories.

Sure enough, we began to take flight.

We started to learn how to write news reports, how to filter spot reports and even how to talk to police to get stories.

Eventually, I found myself fully adapted to the environment of the police beat. My timid and shamefully

conyo self on his first day on the field now barged into the PIO and Homicide Division with a loud, “Sir!”

Marcelli and I found ourselves loving the police beat, and even if we had the opportunity to switch to a different beat, we stayed for the entire duration of our internship.

Personally, it came to a point where I did not even feel compelled to report to work because the internship is a requirement for my Journalism degree or because I would be scolded by my mentor. I was truly, madly, deeply in love with the profession and with crime reporting.

This appreciation for what is arguably the most primal journalism genre and my now-sharpened pen would not have been possible without the help of many people.

Thanks to Marc elli for introducing me to the PhilSTAR Boot Camp, I would have been wandering about until now if it weren’t for you.

Thanks to STAR VP for Operations Tammy Mendoza, who forwarded my e- mail to Vberni Regalado who, in turn, accepted me into the Boot Camp. This entire experience was truly incredible and helpful.

To the reporters and photographers of The STAR who imparted their knowledge wto us, I will be forever grateful.

To all the sources I have interviewed during the opening of classes, the Metro Manila Shake Drill, the Metro Manila Pride March and the mass gay wedding, and to all the contacts I have cultivated along this journey, I deeply appreciate your time and insights. Please take the time to reply if I happen to text you in the future.

To Mr. Galupo, Ed Gumban, Gina Mape, and all the reporters and photographers who helped us foolish kids take our first clumsy steps in journalism, thank you. I hope that I would prove myself worthy of being called your colleague in the near future.

For the hardworking policemen who have been very accommodating to our buggy requests for spot reports and updates on cases, I salute you. I appeal that you continue your work with all honesty and integrity, and with faithful adherence to the rule of law.

Mom and Dad, thanks for giving your fat child enough money to eat a good meal and have extra cash for Uber rides. Lorenzo, thank you for keeping me moving.

To the University of Santo Tomas and to TomasinoWeb, I am deeply indebted for the knowledge that you have imparted.