After surviving cancer, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala found her calling in producing cause-oriented non-fiction films. One of her latest, Delikado, made the finals of this year’s Emmy Awards for US television. The film follows a small group of daring land defenders in Palawan who make citizen arrests and confiscate chainsaws in the forests around the resort town of El Nido. One of them was killed before the film was finished.
Kara has produced numerous history films, including two on martial law in the Philippines — Batas Militar and the more recent 11,103, about martial law survivors.
She also talks to Howie about her cancer journey and the support group she established, and what it was like to be the daughter of legendary newspaper editor Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc.
Kara has produced numerous history films, including two on martial law in the Philippines — Batas Militar and the more recent 11,103, about martial law survivors.
She also talks to Howie about her cancer journey and the support group she established, and what it was like to be the daughter of legendary newspaper editor Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Good morning, Podmates!
00:01 It's Howie Severino again,
00:02 reminding you that long attention spans are very smart.
00:06 Our guest today is another great Filipino.
00:10 Kara Magsanok Alipala,
00:12 filmmaker and one of the producers of "Delicado,"
00:16 a thrilling environmental documentary about illegal logging in Palawan
00:20 that is an Emmy Award finalist in the United States.
00:24 Good morning to you, Kara, and congratulations!
00:27 Thanks, Howie. Good day to you and to all your fans and followers.
00:31 That's a lot.
00:32 You're a big guy.
00:33 You're a big guy to all of us.
00:35 Thank you, Kara.
00:37 So, what does it mean to you to be an Emmy Award finalist?
00:43 Yeah, I mean, it's such a cliche,
00:45 but I'm really honored.
00:47 I feel like a winner already.
00:48 I was so stunned when I found out.
00:51 I was like, "Huh? Emmy?"
00:53 You know, like people at home,
00:54 "Emmy? In the Philippines? USA?"
00:57 I said, "No, Emmy."
00:58 I said, "The Emmy Awards."
00:59 The Emmy Awards.
01:01 But this is a US TV award, the Emmy,
01:05 because it was shown in the United States,
01:07 right? On a US TV show.
01:10 Yes.
01:11 POV, which is a public television show.
01:12 That's why it qualified, yeah.
01:13 Yes.
01:14 That's why it qualified. It was shown in the US.
01:16 Okay.
01:16 But this is just the latest award or recognition for "Delicado,"
01:21 this documentary.
01:23 You're one of the producers for this.
01:24 And it's been screening around the world in various film festivals,
01:28 aside from US TV.
01:30 So what kind of audience reactions have you been getting to "Delicado"?
01:35 The most common is,
01:37 we did not know it was happening in this very idyllic province.
01:42 It's like a world destination,
01:45 one of the best resorts in the world.
01:47 So they're shocked that this is happening.
01:48 And number two, even though they know it's been happening,
01:52 they never really knew what it looked like inside the forest,
01:55 what goes on.
01:56 I mean, "Wow, this is how it is in Limo, and it's so hard."
02:00 So those are the two common reactions.
02:02 And third, really, what can I do?
02:03 I'm not a land defender.
02:05 I don't work in the forest.
02:06 I'm just a citizen.
02:08 As a tourist, I want to know,
02:10 is there a list of resorts you can recommend
02:13 that actually have sustainable practices?
02:15 Those are the questions to ordinary citizens.
02:19 Which are good questions.
02:20 Because the forest being featured here,
02:22 where some of the illegal logging has been taking place,
02:25 is near or in El Nido, right?
02:29 It's a drive-away, yes.
02:31 El Nido, of course, is famous for the beaches,
02:33 and the islands, and world-class resorts there.
02:37 But, yes, something like this is happening
02:40 near this famous tourist destination.
02:45 So maybe that's part of the surprise here about "Delicado".
02:49 But, yes, I think you should all watch the film
02:52 because we all have a responsibility
02:54 to create our own response to this.
02:56 Because it happens not only in Palawan,
02:58 but other parts of the country,
03:00 and in other spaces of the environment,
03:02 whether it's mining, overfishing.
03:07 In fact, it has found so much meaning
03:12 to other land defenders in other countries,
03:15 like Brazil, where we get really warm reception.
03:18 And they also have the same problem.
03:20 Even in Malaysia, wow, such good reactions
03:23 from land defenders there.
03:24 They also want to use the film as a tool
03:26 to promote their own causes.
03:28 Even this group called Climate Reality,
03:30 it's a group that Al Gore created,
03:33 and there is a chapter here.
03:35 They show it even to people who protect the mangroves.
03:38 So any environmental group can use it.
03:41 So it's part of our impact campaign
03:43 to screen directly to stakeholders
03:45 who can use the film to create change and impact.
03:48 So you're telling our audience to watch it,
03:52 but how?
03:53 I mean, is this on streaming anywhere?
03:56 That's a good question.
03:57 Well, you know, the commercial theaters have declined us.
04:01 They said the topic is too delicate.
04:03 So there you go.
04:04 So we're just hosting a lot of private screenings
04:07 as much as we can.
04:08 Of course, it's not cheap.
04:10 So you'll just have to stay posted
04:12 on our delicate Facebook page
04:14 to see where we'll be.
04:16 Right now, as we speak,
04:18 we're screening in Iloilo.
04:20 And soon in Naga.
04:22 We will have private screenings.
04:24 We will, like, you know,
04:25 in the US, they're a little luckier
04:26 because now that the film's nominated,
04:29 POV is streaming it.
04:31 They're streaming all their Emmy-nominated films
04:34 for the whole season,
04:36 and up until the Emmys.
04:37 So yeah, it's easier to watch it abroad, actually,
04:40 than to watch it here.
04:41 But yeah, with our impact campaign rollout,
04:44 there are people in the US
04:45 who are listening to this now.
04:46 So they can watch it there.
04:49 Yes, we even have an educational partner there,
04:52 Good Docs, where you can contact them
04:54 if you want to show them in your schools.
04:56 That's possible, too.
04:58 Or just message us on our Facebook page
05:00 because we can also help screenings
05:02 anywhere in the world.
05:03 We have impact partners
05:04 who can help stage a screening.
05:06 And we're rolling out the campaign here,
05:08 so we'll be going all over the country.
05:10 And we have actually begun
05:12 screening to communities and to students
05:15 and to organizations, NGOs,
05:17 and some private groups.
05:19 So it's been a quiet crawl.
05:22 So, about the content of this,
05:24 it's about environmental activists in Palawan
05:27 who are doing citizen arrests
05:30 and confiscations of chainsaws.
05:34 It's really dangerous what they're doing.
05:37 How dangerous is this?
05:40 It's a life-threatening situation, Howie.
05:43 It can cost you your life.
05:46 Every day that they go out
05:47 or just stand waiting to go out,
05:49 their life is at risk.
05:51 They actually gamble the futures of their families
05:54 doing this kind of job.
05:56 Nobody wants to do this,
05:57 but they know they have to.
05:59 In fact, the one who started
06:01 the practice of confiscating chainsaws
06:04 and doing arrests of this kind
06:05 was D.E.N.R. in Palawan.
06:08 The government?
06:10 Yes, the D.E.N.R.
06:12 But again, later on,
06:14 I guess some authorities in Palawan
06:16 didn't agree with it,
06:18 and then she lost her job
06:20 and was reassigned to Manila.
06:21 But this foundation, PNNI,
06:24 was inspired by her work.
06:26 But it's different if the government did it, right?
06:29 Because that's basically plain law enforcement.
06:32 Because it's illegal, right?
06:34 But if the government did it...
06:36 Of course, and it is legal.
06:38 They have lawyers who have vetted the process.
06:40 It is legal for citizens to do that.
06:42 It is possible.
06:44 They never really jail anyone.
06:46 If you notice, they just apprehend
06:48 and then sometimes take them to where they should go.
06:50 But really, there's really no one
06:52 who goes to jail or anything.
06:54 Which is really why, all the more,
06:56 those in authority and those with the resources
06:58 should be doing their jobs.
07:00 Someone has to be a counselor.
07:02 How rampant is this in the Philippines?
07:05 You've shown certain areas in Palawan.
07:09 But is it going on beyond those areas in Palawan?
07:14 Are there other places in Palawan?
07:16 Because I know that there was a ban
07:19 on commercial logging in Palawan years ago.
07:22 Maybe decades ago.
07:24 Because logging there was a big issue back then.
07:28 So now, there's this illegal logging
07:30 that you're featuring in this...
07:33 It is rampant. I don't have the figures,
07:35 but it is rampant.
07:37 And it is dangerous.
07:38 Remember, the Global Witness Group ranked us
07:40 at one point as the most dangerous place
07:42 in the world for land defenders.
07:44 I think 2018, 2017.
07:46 That recent.
07:48 Anyone should take a look at the report.
07:50 We are being depleted really fast.
07:54 How did they rank us the most dangerous?
07:59 They did investigations.
08:01 They went through different countries
08:03 where land defenders were threatened.
08:05 So they did a lot of studies.
08:07 They were here.
08:09 It just so happened that while they were doing that,
08:12 we were doing the film.
08:13 So we met them and we were helping each other.
08:16 But we did not do it because we knew they had this.
08:18 No, not at all.
08:19 It's a story that the director stumbled upon.
08:22 The director is Australian
08:23 who used to live in the Philippines.
08:25 Carl?
08:26 Carl.
08:27 He used to head the Ajans France-Presse.
08:29 He was the bureau chief.
08:30 He was going to Palawan for a fluff piece, tourism.
08:33 He was like, "I'm not going to do news anymore.
08:35 Tourism, Palawan, I'm relaxed."
08:37 His contact at the time for the story was Jerry Ortega.
08:40 And then of course, just when he was planning the trip,
08:43 Ortega is shot because of all the work he's doing
08:47 protecting the environment.
08:49 So Carl went to Palawan to investigate this,
08:52 find out more,
08:53 and he stumbled upon all these land defenders.
08:55 That's how it started.
08:58 So Jerry Ortega led to these stories in a way.
09:01 Yeah.
09:02 So Jerry is a legacy.
09:04 Yeah, that's true.
09:05 He was a radio commentator.
09:06 I used to be in touch with him as well.
09:08 He was hard-working when it came to the Palawan environment.
09:11 He was brave.
09:12 He was brave and hard-working.
09:14 So what are you trying to change here in Delicado?
09:19 Wow, that's a difficult question.
09:20 What are you trying to change?
09:23 Well, the immediate thing right now,
09:25 let's say for Delicado,
09:26 besides of course preserving whatever's left of Palawan
09:30 and for other people,
09:31 wherever they are to preserve their environment,
09:34 is to protect the land defenders.
09:36 So many of them are dying and no one deserves to die
09:39 or feel threatened for protecting the environment.
09:42 Like what one of our,
09:44 one of the indigenous women in the film,
09:47 the way she,
09:49 when you talk to them,
09:50 they protect the earth with their whole life
09:53 because they treat the earth as a member of the family.
09:56 They call the earth their parent.
09:59 So it's so important for them that, you know,
10:01 you protect this member of the family at all costs.
10:04 So, I mean, we want everyone to feel that way,
10:07 whether you live in Metro Manila or elsewhere,
10:11 you have to live consciously.
10:14 And anything you do, remember, there is a consequence.
10:17 Someone might live or die
10:19 when you do something irresponsibly.
10:21 It's all connected.
10:23 And, you know, whatever you can do, do your bit.
10:25 I mean, you know,
10:26 one of the best things I heard was John Lloyd, the actor,
10:29 he's building a house in Palawan, in El Nido.
10:32 In fact, when he was hibernating,
10:34 that's where he was all this time.
10:35 He loves Palawan.
10:36 And he was saying,
10:37 "Dahil sa inyo, hindi na ako makabili ng kahoy.
10:39 Ang hirap-hirap bumili ng kahoy sa Palawan,
10:42 pagawa ng bahay."
10:43 Well, I guess hardwood, no?
10:44 I wouldn't know what kind of wood he was looking for.
10:47 But stuff like that, that's the change we hope.
10:50 So, John Lloyd watched this?
10:52 Because that's why he was there?
10:53 I think so, yeah, yeah.
10:54 Yeah, and he met the director in Australia
10:57 because our film was competing there,
10:58 and so was his film.
10:59 So, yeah, there's a lot of engagement with him about the film.
11:02 So, changes like that would make us happy.
11:04 Of course, on the highest level, that would be the best.
11:07 I don't even need a new law.
11:09 There's so many beautiful laws.
11:11 We just really need to implement the laws
11:13 and save Palawan and other places,
11:16 you know, with, you know, pristine environment.
11:19 But, yeah, in any documentary I do,
11:22 it usually comes with an impact campaign.
11:26 I don't know if it's a new thing.
11:27 Maybe in the last 20, 30 years, there's a movement.
11:30 In fact, I'm part of a group called the Global Impact Producers.
11:34 It was started by the British Documentary Society
11:37 where people who do documentaries,
11:39 I guess mostly social justice-themed documentaries,
11:43 who make sure that their films create impact.
11:46 It's not never just awareness, but making sure change happens,
11:50 or you offer your film as a tool for different stakeholders
11:53 who can actually use it to create their own change,
11:56 changing behaviours or, you know, giving them ideas
11:59 how to, you know, improve their space, stuff like that.
12:02 So, in fact, I'm trying to build in the Southeast Asia impact producers.
12:07 In the US, Europe, our other counterparts in the Middle East,
12:14 when they do budgets for their documentaries,
12:16 the impact producer, the impact producing team, is already in.
12:20 Wow.
12:22 Yeah, it's a whole new universe, right?
12:24 It's also a way of...
12:25 It's also alternative distribution in a way
12:27 because a lot of our films, a lot of documentaries,
12:29 we'll never find homes in all these, you know,
12:32 swanky commercial cinemas.
12:35 They always think, "No one's going to watch it, right? Let's not."
12:38 So, we have to create our own outlets.
12:41 Yeah, well, that's a great concept, right?
12:43 Because it's one way of widening the dissemination of the work
12:47 but at the same time, you know, we want to influence public opinion
12:51 through the impact.
12:53 Yeah, and going direct to the stakeholders who need that impact.
12:56 Yeah.
12:57 Who need to feel that impact the most. Yeah.
12:59 That's great. It's a good model for other filmmakers
13:02 because a lot of filmmakers, when they're done,
13:06 they'll go on to another project.
13:07 It's up to them, right?
13:09 You can do that, right? Others let go, right?
13:11 But I'm married to the topic and the protagonist for life.
13:16 But you've been doing a documentary since the 1990s
13:20 and before that, of course, you were working at Pro Productions
13:24 where you learned a lot about TV and production.
13:28 But you started doing independent documentaries in the '90s
13:32 with No More Sabado Nights in 1996.
13:35 Oh, for PCIJ, yeah.
13:37 Yes, and that was an independent production with collaboration with PCIJ.
13:44 But that was about the domestic abuse, the abuse of women.
13:48 And then in 1997, you did Batas Militar,
13:52 which is, I think, much better known
13:55 because it got a lot of screenings.
13:59 It was about martial law, martial law using a lot of--
14:02 I think it's the most bootleg documentary in the country.
14:06 Oh my gosh, there's a lot of copyright infringement.
14:09 But okay, I'll turn a blind eye. People need to watch it.
14:13 Yeah, and in those days, it wasn't given much attention.
14:17 So I'm conflicted about that, okay?
14:19 It wasn't given much attention.
14:21 But in fact, I heard that it's no longer accessible, partly for that reason.
14:27 Right?
14:28 Yeah, different networks are starting to block their own material
14:33 that they know is being pirated.
14:35 So we don't have resources like that.
14:37 I wish we did, but people who have resources are doing it.
14:40 So you may find--we did a History Channel documentary,
14:44 and so there are some chapters that are missing or some scenes
14:47 because some TV stations started to block it.
14:50 Yeah, and that's too bad because it's an important film.
14:54 It's about recent history, martial law, which is, of course, still relevant today.
15:00 But why do you think so many bootlegged it or copied it
15:05 and screened it without your permission?
15:09 What do you think explains that?
15:11 I think they wanted to know what happened.
15:14 Back in the day, we didn't have internet and all that.
15:20 Back in the day, you didn't see a lot of things
15:22 unless the newspapers or the television came out with it.
15:26 So I think one of the things back then when we came out with the film
15:29 was we showed video that was never shown before.
15:33 You know, the--shall I say the ugly side of martial law
15:37 or the real side of martial law that people didn't know about.
15:41 So people need to know.
15:42 People still debate if it really happened,
15:44 and so they use the film to probably settle a score
15:46 with someone they're discussing or debating.
15:49 A lot of teachers use it in schools.
15:51 I've met so many students who've watched it in school.
15:55 It's a required thing.
15:57 In fact, I'm sure you know Xiao, the historian.
16:00 Xiao Chua.
16:01 Yeah, he said he was inspired to be a historian
16:04 because of Batas Militar.
16:06 He memorizes the dialogue word per word.
16:10 Oh, my.
16:11 So I know.
16:12 I was so thrilled to meet him.
16:15 But yeah, you know, so--and that film--
16:17 you know, when we were told to do that film,
16:20 the producers told us, "The message is
16:24 the price of democracy is eternal vigilance."
16:26 You know, we were like, "That's corny.
16:28 Isn't that basic?"
16:29 They were like, "Okay, basic.
16:30 But why--"
16:31 It's hard to really heed this, I don't know,
16:36 this theme that we were trying to propagate.
16:38 It's not easy.
16:39 I guess eternal vigilance, really.
16:42 You really can't let your guard down.
16:44 And then you circle back to martial law
16:46 in a more recent work, only in 2022,
16:49 this 11,103.
16:51 That's the title of your film,
16:54 "About Human Rights Victims During Martial Law."
16:57 And that number, 11,103, that became the title,
17:01 is the number of victims, human rights victims,
17:06 who were compensated for what they went through,
17:11 what they endured or suffered during martial law.
17:14 How do you choose your projects?
17:19 And how did you choose that one?
17:21 I think destiny just wants me
17:25 to keep doing martial law stories.
17:27 I keep finding myself--
17:29 I don't know.
17:30 We did 11,103 because it was the 50th anniversary
17:33 of martial law.
17:35 We've done so many martial law stories
17:38 for History Channel or whatever channel.
17:40 And we've done it usually in different ways.
17:44 And it's always usually--
17:45 One was sort of voiceover.
17:47 One was told from the point of view
17:48 of all the decision makers.
17:50 Analysts and all this.
17:53 And what people remember the most
17:55 whenever we do that are the stories
17:56 of the human rights survivors
17:59 or those who did not make it.
18:01 That's what they remember
18:03 more than someone's analysis or take on martial law.
18:06 So we decided, why not just dedicate
18:08 a documentary to their stories?
18:11 So 11,103 is about real stories
18:14 of people who suffered under martial law,
18:17 even families who survived massacres.
18:20 They are there.
18:23 And when you see them speak,
18:25 I think you can tell that they're not lying.
18:28 And 11,103, just to clarify,
18:31 it's a very small number.
18:32 They're actually over--
18:33 There are hundreds of thousands of victims.
18:36 I don't actually want to call them victims.
18:38 Maybe heroes, martyrs, but there are a lot more.
18:41 But these are the ones documented.
18:43 And you know how it is.
18:44 Some people don't even have IDs.
18:46 They don't even know the date of birth.
18:48 But it's the requirement of the law.
18:51 Even when Attorney Swift also did another--
18:56 There was another claimant group.
18:59 Same thing, the same rules were required with the U.S.
19:02 You have to have an identification.
19:04 You should have had a witness and all this.
19:06 But who will be witnessing your torture, right?
19:09 Who's going to do that affidavit?
19:11 So it was hard to vet.
19:13 So 11,103 is a very small number.
19:16 But the 11,103 were the ones who were compensated with money.
19:22 So where did that money come from?
19:25 That money came from the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.
19:30 It came from Swiss banks.
19:33 So this was based on a landmark law
19:36 that the late President Benigno Aquino Jr. passed.
19:42 And the law says that this ill-gotten wealth
19:45 will go to these human rights survivors and martyrs.
19:50 Right there and then, you have the acknowledgement of two facts,
19:54 that wealth was ill-gotten,
19:56 and that, yes, there were human rights violations.
19:59 And Senator Ingrillo and Senator Bomoy at the time
20:02 were members of Congress when the law was signed.
20:06 I won't say anymore.
20:09 Okay.
20:12 So you've been doing this topic for, I mean, you started in '97
20:18 with Batas Militar,
20:20 and I know you've done work since then, aside from 11,103.
20:27 And these were powerful films.
20:29 They were distributed widely.
20:31 They were being used in schools.
20:33 A historian memorized your dialogue.
20:36 So it had an impact.
20:39 However, as we've seen,
20:41 a lot of people still don't believe that this happened.
20:45 There's these narratives about, you know, it wasn't so bad,
20:49 and it was actually a golden age.
20:53 And all of that influenced the election of 2022.
20:58 So how do you feel about that?
21:02 Well, I feel like a failure.
21:06 I feel like a failure.
21:08 I feel, as also a relative of several human rights victims,
21:12 I also feel betrayed.
21:14 And I don't want to go anywhere further.
21:16 There have been so many, you know, analysis on this.
21:19 But as a filmmaker, and that's all I can really do,
21:23 is to just really invite more filmmakers
21:26 or people who live the times to tell their stories.
21:29 We have to flood, you know, any outlet,
21:32 any media outlet with our stories.
21:35 The way the Holocaust victims just have their stories all over.
21:39 Whenever I go to a film festival abroad,
21:41 there's always a topic on the Holocaust,
21:44 whether directly, you know, related or not directly related.
21:47 How can you forget?
21:49 You know, they keep retelling stories
21:51 in a way that's relevant for the generation of that day.
21:54 And we should just keep doing that.
21:56 So whenever we screen the films, we keep telling people,
21:59 if you just have a cell phone, talk to your Lola,
22:02 talk to your Tita, ask them to tell their story.
22:05 You know, it seems so easy,
22:07 but it's not easy for them to tell their stories.
22:09 Everyone we interviewed actually were,
22:11 most of them were telling their stories for the first time.
22:13 And it's still traumatic for them up to now.
22:15 They never really processed it.
22:17 There's some shame involved.
22:19 And even if their families, they never told the details.
22:22 So we had an interviewee where his son was a few feet away.
22:28 And right after we stopped the cameras, he said,
22:31 "You didn't tell me, you asked me."
22:34 And then he cried.
22:35 You know, they didn't know these things.
22:37 It's hard for them to talk about.
22:39 In fact, even very famous activists,
22:42 people who you see on TV all the time,
22:44 you know, started to sit down,
22:46 because we would talk to them and say,
22:48 "Yeah, you know, actually, I haven't really told all the details.
22:51 It's not easy. And I don't know why."
22:53 So can you imagine a whole generation of people like this
22:57 going around without having processed their trauma?
23:00 And, you know, I mean, wow.
23:02 Yeah. And this generation is fading away.
23:05 So, "Ga gawin na ati ni tala yung record na."
23:07 And it's generational. It passes on to the other, you know,
23:10 like even, yeah, you know, Ida Maranan, right?
23:14 So we were just interviewing her.
23:16 Everybody knows her story.
23:17 And then her son, who was there when you were interviewing her,
23:20 was saying something like,
23:22 "He still has the feeling of being watched and all that."
23:24 And this was just like in, I don't know, 2017, 2018.
23:28 And Ida was so shocked to find out.
23:30 I mean, he's a grown adult.
23:32 And, you know, she felt so guilty about it.
23:34 So these things keep surfacing.
23:36 Or some people are, you know, mad at the kilusan.
23:40 Or just, not the kilusan, but for their parents fighting.
23:43 It's like, "Hindi kayo naging parent sa amin."
23:45 Ang daming-daming issues.
23:47 I mean, brought about by these people who fought for our democracy.
23:52 But the irony is, whenever we interview these people,
23:55 they're the ones who have never given up hope.
23:59 You know, despite the win of Amarcus again.
24:02 They keep saying, "No, we have to stay the course
24:06 and keep fighting for democracy."
24:08 They're the most reasonable, most hopeful people I know,
24:13 despite the trauma they've been through.
24:15 There's one guy, he's Muslim, part of the Palembang massacre.
24:20 Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night
24:23 and goes to the garden, and he can't sleep.
24:26 He's crying.
24:27 He can't even tell his wife why.
24:29 But, you know, the trauma still haunts him.
24:33 So, despite your feeling that you failed, in a way,
24:38 you're going to keep doing this.
24:40 And you think the rest of us should keep doing it as well.
24:44 Yes. I don't think failure, maybe that's too strong.
24:47 But I know if we influence some pockets here and there,
24:50 that's still planting seeds.
24:52 But if more of us do this, you can create a bigger ripple.
24:55 Because it's not even just about the Marcoses.
24:58 It's just really protecting your democracy.
25:01 It can even mean democracy in school.
25:03 You know, if someone's doing something wrong, call it out.
25:08 Do not stay silent.
25:09 If someone is bullying you in school, tell the teacher.
25:12 If the teacher doesn't believe you, tell the principal.
25:14 If the principal doesn't tell you, find professional help.
25:17 But someone has to know you have to be seen, you have to be heard.
25:20 Someone has to be accountable.
25:21 I mean, that's the most important thing for me.
25:25 That's what we want to teach.
25:27 You cannot stay silent.
25:29 You cannot stay silent when you see something that's not--
25:32 something wrong or something--
25:34 if you see injustice.
25:36 On many of these films, especially the more prominent ones
25:39 you've been involved in, you're credited as the producer,
25:42 not the director.
25:44 Usually, the director is better known.
25:45 People understand what the director does.
25:47 But the producer for these films, what do they do?
25:51 What did you do, for example, on "Telekaan?"
25:54 You know, the producer is really uptight.
25:56 It's always like, "Just a producer."
25:59 Or there's double discrimination, "You're just a TV producer."
26:02 You know, there's that.
26:04 I don't know if you've ever felt that.
26:05 You're not a cinema or whatever.
26:08 But actually, the lines are kind of blurred now.
26:10 And we're trying to unite the community.
26:12 You can define however way you want to be the producer.
26:15 But basically, you're the conductor.
26:17 That's the easiest way to put it.
26:19 I mean, as a producer, I get involved in the writing
26:22 because I love writing.
26:24 And I like interviewing.
26:26 So I get involved that way.
26:28 So my involvement's in different ways.
26:30 I don't necessarily fundraise, which I hate to do
26:33 because I also run a cancer foundation.
26:36 I do so much fundraising.
26:37 So usually, I prefer to supervise production
26:41 than do the fundraising part.
26:43 But of course, it's inevitable.
26:44 I end up doing it as well.
26:46 So you're actually the--I don't know.
26:48 You're the mother of the entire thing,
26:50 running the whole show and making sure you provide
26:53 a work environment where everyone can perform their best
26:56 and everybody works well together.
26:59 So you'll have fun on our sets.
27:01 You know, nobody ever curses.
27:03 Nobody's fighting.
27:05 It's a peaceful set.
27:08 There's very good synergy, and there will be discourses,
27:12 but they're all healthy.
27:13 So I usually work with the same people,
27:15 the same pool of people with shared values.
27:19 Some people, some producers don't write,
27:21 don't get into production.
27:23 They just do the money part.
27:26 You know, some people just do that.
27:27 There are many ways, you know, you can define
27:29 a producer for documentaries.
27:31 It depends also on the producer.
27:33 I mean, we actually have a director,
27:35 which the producer engages.
27:37 The producer makes many of the decisions.
27:41 It's not even the host.
27:43 It's the producer who--
27:46 Yes, and I also only want to work with people
27:49 who want to collaborate.
27:50 You know, you get involved in the editing,
27:52 the output of the editing, even directing.
27:56 The directors I've worked with are very open.
27:58 I mean, not just me.
27:59 Anyone on the set can give their opinion.
28:00 We actually always show the rough cuts to everyone,
28:04 not involving post-production.
28:06 In fact, the nice thing about Delicado,
28:07 the director is a first-time director.
28:10 I mean, remember these guys working with a print medium,
28:12 and he even had to Google how to make a documentary.
28:15 He's a foreign correspondent, right?
28:17 Yes, he was the bureau chief of a Johns France press
28:19 at that time in Manila.
28:21 He's now a Hong Kong deputy bureau chief for the region.
28:25 So the post-production was totally collaborative
28:30 because it was his first time.
28:31 So there were so many of us, you know,
28:33 and it was online during lockdown,
28:36 helping out in the edit.
28:37 It was a bloody two-year edit,
28:39 practically two years for Delicado.
28:42 But it was a true collaboration of different minds
28:45 and hearts and souls.
28:47 You know, it's had different cuts, Delicado,
28:50 and, you know, it took different directions.
28:52 And what you see is what we actually all agreed upon.
28:55 Your mom was the highly respected newspaper editor,
29:00 Letty Jimenez Magsano.
29:02 So she was a longtime editor in print.
29:06 And I know she also did a magazine.
29:09 But she was known even during martial law
29:12 as a brave journalist.
29:14 She kept pushing, pushing back on the regime
29:17 and asserting press freedom
29:20 at a time when, you know,
29:22 there was still official censorship.
29:24 So what kind of influence did she have on you
29:28 and your career choices
29:30 and any temptation to do print journalism?
29:33 Influence, how do I say it?
29:35 I mean, influence, it's huge.
29:38 Maybe influence, I can't even, you know,
29:41 put a finger on, but she made her life a prayer.
29:45 And so I think I tried to imbibe that.
29:48 She was very spiritual.
29:50 Not, I wouldn't say just religious, but spiritual.
29:53 And if you are that prayerful,
29:55 your commitment to your country is total
29:59 because it's your commitment to God in a way.
30:02 That's why she was brave and clean,
30:05 because it's her commitment to God through country.
30:08 People forget that.
30:10 They don't understand that sometimes
30:12 when they do what they do,
30:14 it's not just about them or the security of their family.
30:17 For her, it was all about faith
30:18 because her whole life was a prayer.
30:20 So, I mean, essentially that's how she influenced me.
30:23 You're always aware that it's not just about you or your family.
30:28 You always have this, especially if you live in a,
30:30 you know, a low-income country.
30:32 I think everyone here has a responsibility
30:34 to do something outside, you know, your comfort zone.
30:38 It's a crime not to.
30:39 There's just too many poor people,
30:41 you know, too many people without access to opportunities.
30:45 We all have to do our bit, and that's what she did.
30:49 And in fact, she even says that she's not brave.
30:51 She was just clueless and perhaps ignorant
30:54 of the risks of her job.
30:56 Yeah.
30:57 It's like it's not something she went out to,
30:59 "I want to be brave. I want to do an exposee."
31:01 It just felt so natural for her to do her duty as a citizen.
31:05 She saw something wrong.
31:06 She called out this person and held that person accountable.
31:10 It was that simple for her.
31:13 But yeah, I've been surrounded with storytellers all my life,
31:16 and my mom is one.
31:17 So, of course, it had an influence on me.
31:20 Print, you know, when I first tried to,
31:24 I actually studied print.
31:25 I even have a master's degree in print.
31:28 And when I came home to Manila, I tried to write.
31:31 You know, it was so hard to write
31:32 because if I write something well,
31:34 they say my mother did it.
31:36 And if it's bad, they're like,
31:37 "Oh, she can never measure up to her mom."
31:39 Maybe unconsciously that discouraged me.
31:42 But then also, you know,
31:43 when I first came home from the US from studying,
31:45 I saw the Probe team on TV,
31:47 and it really caught my attention.
31:50 I mean, the storytelling with images
31:53 really grabbed my attention.
31:54 So I guess that's start,
31:56 I started to think about that medium.
31:59 And I find it a very dynamic medium.
32:01 I'm already hooked on print.
32:03 And at the same time,
32:04 I don't think I anymore have the tools to really write,
32:07 you know, as if something were coming alive.
32:10 And my writing is so news.
32:12 It's a who, what, when, where,
32:13 with a little sarcasm.
32:15 But yeah, I'll stick to film and video for now.
32:20 - Okay. You have another persona, you know,
32:23 as a cancer survivor and advocate.
32:28 You advocate for other survivors and current patients.
32:34 You're building a support system.
32:37 You have a foundation.
32:38 Tell us about that.
32:41 Why did you decide to be public about it?
32:44 A lot of people would rather keep it under wraps,
32:47 not really talk about it very much,
32:49 but you've been quite vocal about it,
32:52 very public about what you've been through.
32:57 Breast cancer, no? Cara?
33:00 - Yeah. Like I said earlier,
33:01 you can't live in this country with no risk,
33:04 you know, with a lot of poor people
33:06 and not do something about something you can do about.
33:09 That's why I do this.
33:10 So when I was doing Batas Militar in 1997, that year,
33:15 for some reason, I was just so happy about my life.
33:17 And every New Year's Eve,
33:21 we have a resolution, cartolina,
33:23 where we write all our resolutions
33:24 or what we're thankful for.
33:26 And I just said,
33:27 thank you for all these opportunities
33:29 and give me the,
33:30 make me an instrument of your peace, Lord.
33:32 That's what I wrote.
33:33 And in my mind, oh, this means Batas Militar.
33:35 You know, it will open minds and whatever.
33:38 And shortly after that,
33:39 while we were, we just wrapped filming for Batas Militar,
33:43 I was diagnosed with breast cancer.
33:45 So in my mind, instantly,
33:47 the first thing that came to my mind, oh my gosh,
33:49 this is my answered prayer to an instrument of peace.
33:54 I didn't know how I was going to be used,
33:56 but I figured this is how I'm going to be used.
33:58 It's not, it wasn't really just Batas Militar
34:01 or the awards that it reaped.
34:03 So at that point too,
34:05 having a desire for awards,
34:08 even though they were just bonuses already died.
34:10 They didn't really mean much to me,
34:12 but of course it's appreciation for the team,
34:14 which I appreciate.
34:15 But so, and I was misdiagnosed.
34:18 So there are many things I would have done differently
34:21 if I knew,
34:22 but not everybody gets the benefit of hindsight.
34:26 So that started, that embarked me on my advocacy.
34:30 So I had to go to the US for a second opinion.
34:32 This was like 26 years ago.
34:34 So things were so different.
34:36 Back in the day,
34:37 the doctor patient relationship was like,
34:39 father confessor, you don't ask me questions.
34:42 I just tell you what's going on.
34:44 You can't, you know, but when I got to the States,
34:46 one of the things that the doctors asked me was,
34:48 so this is what's happening.
34:49 What do you want us to do?
34:51 What's your next step?
34:52 I'm like, I don't know.
34:53 I'm not the doctor.
34:55 So they really expect you to be an informed patient
34:57 and a partner in decision-making,
34:59 a partner in your healing.
35:00 So that started to open my mind.
35:02 So when I came home,
35:03 I wanted others to have the benefit of my journey,
35:08 which is getting checked early.
35:10 So you catch cancers earlier.
35:11 If you have an instinct that something is wrong,
35:14 then, you know,
35:15 go entertain that instinct and know where to go.
35:17 And so we started the foundation called the I Can Serve Foundation.
35:21 We were just four women,
35:22 women friends who survived cancer.
35:24 And we really had no direction.
35:26 We just went to different public hospitals,
35:28 helping and talking to women.
35:30 And then, you know, every week,
35:32 every week somebody would call and say,
35:34 "Can you talk to my friend?"
35:35 So every week, we have a snack,
35:37 rich, poor, middle-class.
35:38 And it's the same concerns.
35:39 There's fear.
35:40 They don't know where to go for financial help.
35:42 So later on, we decided to, you know,
35:44 to be more proactive.
35:47 And we set up our flagship program called Ating Dibdibin.
35:50 It's a partnership with the local government or a city.
35:54 And we want cities because mayors call the shots
35:56 or the city health office,
35:58 where we institutionalize Ating Dibdibin,
36:01 which is called a breast cancer control program,
36:04 where you really make sure a patient is taken care of
36:07 from the beginning, from the time she or he discovers the lump,
36:10 up until the time, you know, she's done with treatments
36:13 or if she's stage four, there's palliative care,
36:16 hospice care, survivorship care.
36:18 So the whole continuum of care is taken care of in our partners.
36:22 And this is enshrined in a local law.
36:24 If the city doesn't want to put it in a local ordinance,
36:26 then we don't partner with them because it won't be sustainable.
36:29 There won't be funding.
36:30 If you talk to a different mayor, it will be different.
36:32 So that's one of the most important things that we put in patient navigation
36:36 because we realized you need the handholding from beginning to end
36:40 so that the patient can complete the whole process and financial navigation.
36:44 So the patient navigators in our cities look for, you know,
36:49 help from national agencies like PCSO, DSW, DD, DOH.
36:53 And then they also milk local funding.
36:56 So if you are a citizen or if you live in one of the cities
37:00 where partners with your out-of-pocket cost is so much smaller or maybe zero.
37:06 So we're saving more lives.
37:08 We're catching cancers earlier because we're cultivating the habit of,
37:12 you know, doing breast health exams, going to the Barangay Health Center
37:16 if you suspect something, just going for a checkup,
37:18 even though you don't suspect anything.
37:21 So that's what we're doing essentially.
37:24 Carla, can I ask you about your own illness?
37:26 I presume you're cured, no?
37:29 You went to the States, you got treatment.
37:31 Was it already advanced or was it early detection?
37:35 And how difficult was your journey to recovery?
37:41 I wasn't early detection because I saw the lump two years prior to my diagnosis,
37:46 but the doctor kept saying, "That's nothing. You're too young.
37:49 "You can't be cancer. Let's just keep observing it."
37:52 And my father is a doctor, and he never wants to interfere with another doctor.
37:56 But I think in the second year, he said, "Let's do a mammogram."
38:00 He had to convince the doctor.
38:02 And the mammogram said, "It's suspiciously malignant."
38:05 And my doctor still said, "Don't worry. That's nothing."
38:08 But my father stepped in, and he had to wage a bet with the doctor.
38:12 You know, I had to humor him, you know, "Just please do the biopsy.
38:15 "And if I'm wrong, I'll buy you a tennis racket." He was an avid tennis player.
38:19 And of course, fathers know best, parents know best, and the best instincts,
38:23 it turned out to be positive.
38:25 And so I think that's when our advocacy journey began.
38:29 So the doctor gave me all the things to do when we were done taking the stitches out,
38:34 and my dad said, "Don't read those orders. I'm going to study the options."
38:39 So he phoned all his former students, his colleagues abroad,
38:44 his colleagues in the Philippines, different experts.
38:47 He started his research.
38:49 And then one of his students was Dr. Diana Cua,
38:52 was training under a doctor in Stanford who kind of summarized everything
38:56 he had been hearing and who seemed like a voice of reason and a calm voice.
39:00 So that's why we went to that doctor.
39:02 And the doctor really, I guess, she was a very good, compassionate doctor and competent.
39:09 So that really helped all of us.
39:11 And so it's something I wish on everyone.
39:13 It was not an easy journey for me.
39:15 I was never afraid of dying.
39:16 I'm not afraid of dying because I want to be the first.
39:19 I don't want to be left behind.
39:20 I want to go ahead of my loved ones.
39:22 But what really bothered me the most when I was diagnosed was when the doctors in Stanford told me
39:27 I would never have children.
39:28 That's when my world started to collapse.
39:30 I said, "There are so many people going to Manila. Why me? It's so hard."
39:36 And so that was the hardest for me to accept.
39:41 I was single at the time.
39:42 I was just engaged.
39:44 And an aunt visited me in California.
39:49 And I told her, because everybody was so somber and so sad about it,
39:54 and I told her in private, the doctor said I'd never have children.
39:58 And I thought she would be in a drama mode.
40:00 She just said, "Oh, what do they know? They're only doctors. Just pray. Just pray."
40:04 And that snapped me out of it.
40:06 And that's the only option I had left, to pray.
40:08 But looking back now, prayer is not a last resort.
40:11 It should be the first option.
40:13 And so I just kept praying and praying.
40:15 And I'm blessed with a daughter who just graduated from college a few weeks ago.
40:20 So after that, I said, "I have to give back.
40:23 I cannot not give back with all these blessings I've had."
40:27 Wow. That's quite inspiring. Thank you.
40:29 Yeah, the cancer journey was a wonderful spiritual journey.
40:33 Many things happened.
40:34 I mean, people think it's just all physical inconvenience.
40:37 But there was a moment when I sat down,
40:41 and it's as if all the events in my life were placed in a card shuffler,
40:45 and they were shuffled, and then they were reordered or resequenced.
40:48 So I know why one event had to happen to the other.
40:51 I saw the rationale behind everything that happened to me in my life.
40:54 It's really weird.
40:56 And even when I was sitting in my bed when I first got home from my surgery,
41:00 I actually felt a heavenly presence sit beside me.
41:03 There was a dent in the bed.
41:06 So many, many other beautiful spiritual things have happened,
41:09 even within the family.
41:11 And so there are many blessings.
41:13 There are many blessings in disguise to cancer,
41:15 even setting up this foundation.
41:17 And also, our foundation is one of the founders of the Cancer Coalition Philippines,
41:22 if I may plug.
41:23 And we really spearheaded the lobbying of the passage of the cancer law in 2019.
41:27 That's a very nice way to end also.
41:30 Thank you for your sharing.
41:31 Thank you so much for your brave work through the years.
41:34 And this advocacy,
41:36 Tara Magsanok, Alipala Cancer Survivor and Advocate,
41:39 Filmmaker, Emmy Award Finalist,
41:42 Mabuhay ka!
41:44 Thank you, Howie.
41:45 Thank you to everyone.
41:46 God bless.
41:47 Hi, I'm Howie Severino.
41:50 Check out the Howie Severino Podcast,
41:52 an original for GMA News and Public Affairs.
41:55 New episodes will stream every Thursday.
41:57 Listen for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms.
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