On the Edge: On Assignment with Jiggy Manicad
()
About this ebook
On The Edge is a compilation of twenty of the news reports by one of GMA News and Public Affairs’ award-winning broadcast journalists, Mr. Jiggy Manicad. The book features Mr. Manicad’s coverage of some of the most relevant and controversial local and international events.
Related to On the Edge
Related ebooks
Honor, Courage, Faith: A Corregidor Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Google Song: And Other Rhymes for Our Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTop Ten Pinoy Travels: Cebu Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Filipino Connection: The Philippines in Hollywood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Primed for Life: Writings on Midlife by 18 Men Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lost Language: Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAt the Crossroads of Church and World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeart and Vision: The Inspiring Life Story of Dr. Jorge Garcia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPublic Choice: The Life of Armand V. Fabella in Government and Education Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPermutations of Love: Looking Glass 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Journey Through the Enchanted Isles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Novel of Justice: Selected Essays (1968-1994) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSandy Beaches to Snow, Snow to Sandy Beaches Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Adventures of a PR Girl: The Inside Story of Public Relations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Writer, the Lover and the Diplomat: Life with Carlos P. Romulo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Different Countries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Music Child & the Mahjong Queen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCOVID-19 and Public–Private Partnerships in Asia and the Pacific: Guidance Note Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDoc Prudente: Nationalist Educator Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriters and Their Milieu: An Oral History of Second Generation Writers in English, Part 2 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Diary ng Emo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmateur Images and Global News Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInterceptors: The Untold Fight Against the Mexican Cartels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rise of the New King of Africa: The Rise of the New King of Africa, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSand in My Shoes: Reflections from Somalia on the Environment, Violence, and Development Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWings of Change: The inside story of Australia's first female Green Beret Commando and her fight for change Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney Into Paradise from the Hell of Afghanistan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoasting Marshmallows: Finding Identity Within the New Iraqi Army and Information Perspectives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYou Got This: Mastering the Skill of Self-Confidence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Biography & Memoir For You
Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diary of a Young Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hilarious World of Depression Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leonardo da Vinci Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jack Reacher Reading Order: The Complete Lee Child’s Reading List Of Jack Reacher Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ivy League Counterfeiter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wright Brothers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mommie Dearest Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wiseguy: The 25th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste: My Life Through Food Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Afeni Shakur: Evolution Of A Revolutionary Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5People, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Eating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for On the Edge
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
On the Edge - Jiggy Manicad
MANICAD
I. INSIDE AFGHANISTAN
One day at the GMA newsroom, Ms. Jessica Soho saw me watching something about the war that had just started in Afghanistan. We talked for a while and I pitched the idea of deploying a news team to check the situation in that country where Osama Bin Laden was also suspected to be hiding.
What started as an idea was realized when I was informed that I will be sent to Afghanistan. I was very excited to be given this assignment as it was something that I considered a huge international story at that time.
Three of us were given this task, cameraman Jun Fronda, and fellow reporter Raffy Tima.
The day finally came when I was going to leave. I was in a flight to Dubai that will connect at Islamabad. As soon as we landed in Islamabad, we touched base with other reporters, especially Filipinos working for foreign press organizations.
From Pakistan, we had to cross the Khyber Pass to reach Afghanistan.
Our guide led us to some people who would facilitate our entry to Afghanistan. I remember this group asked for three thousand US dollars for us to be allowed entry. It was a big amount! Even news teams from Korea, Japan, the United States, and other countries had no choice but to pay.
Soon after this, we were asked to board our service vehicle. It was a pick-up truck. There were many passengers so I sat at the back bed of the pick-up the entire time, three hours of travel time, until we reached Jalalabad. The second largest city in eastern Afghanistan, Jalalabad is also considered the center for social and business activity. At that time, there were reports that Bin Laden was hiding in the Tora Bora mountains located also in eastern Afghanistan. There were even unconfirmed reports saying that some roads going to the city were planted with explosives. We had to be more careful.
As a young journalist assigned to tell the story about an important international news, I was getting ready to document the story and I was determined to deliver it the best I could.
Doing a stand-upper in the streets of Jalalabad and our means of transport while in the city.
It was already past midnight when we arrived at the hotel. I was told that the hotel used to be just a house occupied by members of the Taliban. We were given security personnel who were former Taliban members who surrendered to the government. Our guide and translator was a young man who would later become our friend. His name is Zabi.
Helping me out with our stories, was our translator, Zabi. After we left Afghanistan, I learned that he became a translator for the United Nations contingent. Since then, I never heard from him.
The next day, other reporters and I met to plan our itinerary for the day. We decided to visit the airport that was bombed and the ammunition dump hit by precision guided missiles.
Former Taliban fighters secured us while we were in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
Our first stop was the ammunition dump. The depot was located at a police compound. According to reports, sixteen were killed and 200 others were wounded after the explosion. Our next stop was the Jalalabad airport, where a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was set up by the Taliban, killing 32 security forces. I remember going around these places and telling their stories. I remember reporting about the heavy damage in Afghanistan after the United States under George W. Bush administration promised to wipe out Al-Qaeda and exterminate Osama bin Laden, founder of the organization al-Qaeda that claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US.
The ammunition dump unloaded by the US military. Photo also shows what was left of the military equipment and the airport hit by suicide bombers.
On our third day, three foreign journalists from our group were killed by the Taliban.
We were all in the media center when three bodies in caskets were delivered in front of our doorstep. We were told that our fellow journalists were shooting somewhere when Taliban members approached them asking for their money and belongings. The journalists would not part with their cameras, which was reason enough for the rebels to shoot them.
One of the three bodies of foreign journalists, who were robbed and killed by the Taliban.
The group, led by the Associated Press, decided that it was not safe for everyone to remain in Afghanistan and that we had to evacuate immediately.
When I went to Afghanistan, I was feeling invigorated and keen to report everything that I would encounter. I must admit, however, that when the three dead bodies were delivered to us, I suddenly became fearful for our lives. I realized that getting into a war zone requires a journalist to be prepared in all aspects. It was more challenging than I had ever expected.
Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual preparedness can help in overcoming high-pressure crisis situations, especially when you are far away from home.
In war, the kids are always victims.
II. THE DAWN OF WAR IN IRAQ
Coming from my coverage in Afghanistan, it was expected of me to pitch to the news department a story that was starting to grab the world headlines—the possibility of war in Iraq.
In 2003, I was deployed in Iraq two weeks prior to the war. I was tasked to survey their situation and bring stories about the lives of Iraqis at the wake of the war.
I was with fellow journalists Mike Enriquez, who is also an executive for GMA Network’s radio arm DZBB, and documentarist Howie Severino. Mang Mike focused on other journalists covering the war, while Howie did a documentary about Iraqis getting married despite the impending war.
We were also with our cameramen Gregg Gonzales and Bodjie Sonza; and satellite engineer Dennis Mariano. At this time, GMA News believed that the war would have worldwide effect since the United States is considered a superpower and Iraq holds the world’s fifth largest oil reserves.
Preparations on a coverage like this one was quite in-depth. We had to study our maps, learn the culture, plot the exit points and be ready with the much needed supplies like food and medicines.
In my case, I went the extra mile. While in Manila, I tried to get inside
the military of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. So I tried hardest to establish a contact with one of his trusted aides. We traveled from Manila to Dubai and from there we went straight to Amman, Jordan. We stayed in Jordan for a while to settle and plan for our trip to Baghdad, Iraq which is almost a thousand kilometers away.
Structures built by Saddam Hussein were all over Baghdad. Prior to the war, banners expressing support for their leader were everywhere.
Together with the team of Grace Princesa, then Philippine Ambassador to Iraq, we traveled by land overnight. When we finally arrived at our destination, we were immediately assigned a minder
from the Information Ministry of the Iraqi government. The minder’s role was to report all our moves to the government. All our activities were calculated in this country. It was a counter-espionage measure, and I figured that it must be because of the