Cameras off but life goes on
Entertainment was among the first sectors devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It did not help, too, that Ruben Franco had lost his job as a cameraman for several block time programs when the government ordered the former media giant ABS-CBN shut in July 2020, just when the coronavirus was wreaking havoc in the country.
His services were in demand for ABS-CBN’s Studio 23 and Sports and Action, yet he still found time as an independent videographer for corporate events until the pandemic hit.
“My wife gave birth last year at the beginning of the pandemic. In a month, my savings were depleted. I was so devastated as I have two young children,” he shared.
“Worse, I did not receive the P8,000 assistance from DSWD because my parents are living with me. My mother is a stroke patient too,” he added.
Without a job, he planted
pechay to make ends meet.
“All of my gadgets were sold. My Mac for editing, DSLR cameras, all of those that I bought as fruits of my hard work. They were all gone,” Franco told
Daily Tribune.
He recovered and when the government eased the restrictions, giving him opportunities to accept gigs in private and corporate events.
“That time, I thought happy days were here again since we have events to cover twice a week, enough for a month’s sustenance for my family. My wife was also hired. Months of GCQ and we were able to save for the rainy days,” he continued.
They were back to tighter days, however, when the enhanced community quarantine was imposed again in Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, and Bulacan Franco’s home province.
“We were jobless again. No work, no pay for us,” he lamented.
The daily infection rates that hovered about 9,000 cases, however, are enough to make Franco accept what he has to face.
“All we have to do is obey the health protocols to protect ourselves and our families. And be vaccinated. Continued prayers will help, because after all these trials, this too shall pass just like the devastation we faced at some point of our lives,” he said.
Ruben Franco had lost his job as a cameraman for several block time shows when the government ordered the former media giant ABS-CBN shut in July 2020, just when the coronavirus was wreaking havoc in the country.