By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS
PROOF of the greatness of a creation is the emotion that it evokes, favorable or unfavorable.
Such is the picture of Jennelyn Olaires cradling the dead body of her partner, Michael Siaron, a 30-year-old pedicab driver, who was shot dead by motorcycle-riding men while he was waiting for passengers past midnight of July 22 in Pasay City.
Inquirer captioned the heart-wrenching photo by Raffy Lerma, “La Pieta,” after the famous sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti of the sorrowful Mary holding the dead body of Jesus.
Lerma’s photo was a medium shot showing a partial view of the background, a sign, “Bawal magsakay at magbaba ng psahero dito” and cardboard sign with the word “pusher”, which news report said, was left by the killers.
A close-up version was posted online by photo journalist Mark Saludes of UCAnews.
Both Lerma’s and Saludes’ photos captured the anguish in the face of Olaires.
ABC-CBN’s Basilio Sepe took a shot of the sorrowful moment from a higher angle conveying the feeling of smallness and helplessness of the couple.
The picture unnerved President Duterte who belittled it as “drama” in his first State of the Nation address last Monday.
“Eh tapos nandiyan ka nakabulagta and you are portrayed in a broadsheet na parang Mother Mary cradling the dead cadaver of Jesus Christ. Eh yan yang mga yan magda-dramahan tayo dito,” Duterte said.
Doubts about the photograph were raised in social media.
Musician and advertising executive Dennis Garcia said he sensed “something fishy with these shots,” referring to the many versions of the July 22 killing.
“why so many angles? staged with dramatic lighting? and no authorities in sight?inquiring minds want to know, Inquirer…” he asked.
Garcia further said, “in aid of destabilization?”
Sports broadcaster Manolo Chino Trinidad also voiced out his doubts about the too-perfect-to-be-true photograph with the following thoughts posted at 8:25 in his Facebook page.
“Ang tunay na drama sa likod ng litrato
“Kahit saan natin tignan ay walang paliwanag sa pagkamatay o pagpatay sa ating ka-anak. Ang drama dito ay kung paano nai-drawing ang kuha na sukat na sukat at may multiple angles pa.
“Eto ang imahe na sumasalamin sa katayuan ng Philippine Media—un klase na ginagamit para bilugin ang isipan ng sambayanan.”
Two hours after, Trinidad posted this:
“Binabawi ko ang sinabi ko kanina
“May nagpadala sa akin ng mensahe sa pamamagitan din nitong Facebook—isa sa mga tunay na tinataya ang buhay para lamang makakuha ng mga imahe na nailalaman ng ating mga pahayagan.
“Ang kuha na ito ni Raffy Lerma ng Philippine Daily Inquirer ay hindi raw drawing gaya ng aking nasabi kanina.
“Ang pakay daw dito ay makuha ang ‘honesty of the situation.’ Ang kumuha daw nito gaya ng ating mga photojournalists ay walang agenda kundi kunan ang napapanahong talakayan ng “extra-judicial killings.”
Trinidad shared the statement of Saludes, one of the photo-journalists who was at the scene of the crime.
Saludes explained that the lighting; “(It) was from floodlights (MMDA and Policemen who responded), ilaw ng mga TV Networks (ask GMA7, CNN, TV5 AND ABS-CBN who were there), flashlights from people who were looking at the crime scene (some were from cellphone flashlights), flash ng mga photojourn ng tabloids.”
Saludes further said: “Si Raffy Lerma walang dalang flash at hindi gumagamit ng flash tulad namin na nag-aral ng documentary photography. So sumasabay lahat ng walang ilaw sa kung anong available light.
“In fairness sa mga nakasama ko na photogs during that night, walang sumisigaw ng “ISA PA”. Lahat walang imik, hindi nagsasalita at nakikinig lang sa pagmamakaawa ng babae na tulungan ang asawa nya while trying to do our jobs.
“Totoo na maraming walang credibility sa industry natin, pero para gawing dahilan ito para ilayo ang issue ng extra judicial killings eh hindi naman yata tama.
“To think na inilabas din namin ang identity ng subjects sa frame.
“Nakakahiya naman siguro for fellow PJs na andun kung idrowing yan ni Raffy, ni Noel Celis, ni Eli Sepe, ni Linus Escandor, ni Vincent Go o ni Mark Saludes habang kagat-kagat ng eksenang iyan ang pansin at ulirat namin.
“Isama na ang puso.
“I am standing for Raffy and the rest of the PJs who were there.
“I am standing for photojournalism.
“Sa presscon lang uso ang sumisigaw ng “ISA PA” o ng “ATRAS KA NG KONTI ATE.”
“We are not just photographers, we are Photojournalists.”
