IN THE THICK OF THINGS

STUDENTS of The Manila Times College (TMTC) are considered junior correspondents of TheManila Times, the oldest existing English newspaper in the Philippines.

As such, we get to see our bylines and tag-lines in a national circulation newspaper and in its online and digital editions even when we are still in school, from freshman to senior years.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to cover this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte, and I savored every bit of experience I had.

Although I had covered other news beats and events in the past months, the SONA was the biggest and most challenging so far. All eyes were on the protest rallies where thousands of pro- and anti-administration groups march near the Batasan Pambansa, where the President spoke before a joint session of Congress.

In previous years, protest rallies turned violent. Policemen dispersed protesters with tear gas or water canon to stop militants from breaking the security cordon.

This time, TMTC students were excited to mingle with the crowd

- ing for by interviewing them as they marched and capturing their emotions and expressions through the lens.

With my classmates, I had the opportunity to work like a real journalist. I was assigned to cover the main rally site, where the action was.

When we arrived at our designated post, we were overwhelmed with the realization that we were taking part in a historic event.

Our main task was to advise and update the news desk of what was expected to happen and what was happening in real time at our respective areas of assignment.

From my viewpoint, it was a blessing that I was right in the middle of the action, in the vicinity of St. Peter Church on Commonwealth Avenue. It was the main converging point of the anti-Duterte groups.

From this context, I had a deeper insight of what was happening

Interns of The Manila Times College, like regular reporters, are sent to cover major political events such as the State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte in July. The photo above was taken by Mia Macatiag on assignment for Muralla, the official publication of the ( TMTC), as posted on Alec Naldo’s Facebook page.

because I was right there. I interviewed protesters, listened to statements by authorities such as the PNP chief, MMDA spokesperson, and even former authorities, among others.

that we forwarded to the news

desk for publication in the next day’s issue of TheManilaTimes.

My classmates and I experienced what it was like out there. We saw the emotion and the action of people opposing the current administration; their fervor echoing along the stretch of Commonwealth Avenue, their

uproars almost being heard to as far as the Batasan Pambansa about a kilometer away. Their message was clear: the people have woken up, and they wanted change.

Being a journalist is rewarding. It may be exhausting, it may be a cause for burnout, but it is what

there are many passionate individuals who love the adrenaline, who want to inform the public what is happening, and who want to make an impact on society.

Being a journalist means being where the action is. We were, and we will always be!