Toto Lozano

I’ll be having my first photo exhibit on July 16-23, 2008 at the 2nd Floor, Administration Building of the Notre Dame of Marbel University in Koronadal City.

This is an open invitation sa makakapunta. If not, I’ll be launching the online version soon. The photo exhibition is brought to you by the office of Congressman Arthur “Dodo” Pingoy Jr MD and Notre Dame of Marbel University.

After the exhibition, the photos will be donated to the Provincial Museum, Notre Dame of Marbel University and to Lang Dulay’s Weaving Center.

When I learned that Ces Drilon and her crew were abducted in Sulu together with their guide Professor Octavio Dinampo, I texted Sir Ernie Sarmiento of Inquirer if they need photos of Prof. Octa (the professor’s nickname). I also dispatched other photos to Mindanews.com and GMANews.tv and that was June 10.

Minutes later I got a call from Sir Ernie asking for the photos so that they can have it on the banner. I emailed the photos and at around 6 o’clock in the evening, Sir Ernie sent me a very short message saying,

“Page 1 photo m bukas”

and I replied Wow!Thank you Sir.

The following day, June 11, 2008 at 5:54 in the morning I received a message from Sir Ernie saying:

Im so disappointed seeing todays banner photo w/out ur byline. I left d ofc early yesterday after seeing ur pix layoutted on page 1, but never seen the final caption. D caption editor may have thought it was a file photo. Im sorry for this and will ask d editor for an erratum.

If I’m not mistaken I replied, It’s okay sir. Thank you. And to be honest, I never felt bad about the incident not having my byline. I accepted Sir Ernie’s apology and admire him for asking the editor for an erratum. It was my elder sister, and some of my friends who sees it the other way.

Ate Jan said, nagsigi na lang na sila. Which she also refers to some of the photos of my Tatay being published by the broadsheet without his byline.

» Read the rest of the entry..

For more than a year now, I have this habit of searching Tatay on the net and Google is my favorite search engine. If I’m feeling down and lost, I google his name and read the results.

So far, the number one on the list is an article written on him being a marked man. It was first published in International Wildlife Magazine(May 3, 1999). He became the butt of our jokes and used to tell him that he’s an endangered species because he was featured on a magazine that features…well endangered species. You can read the rest of the article here.

Next in line is his works as part of his residency at the University of Chicago’s Human Rights program and it features some of his works that earned him numerous awards (READ: DEATH THREATS).

The third one belongs to a blogger/journalist Nalaka Gunawardene whom Tatay met only once. He wrote couple of blogs about tatay and it was through his entry that I realized that my father is a “hero“. I don’t know the selection process goes but the hero list include Peter Gabriel, Mother Theresa, Jimmy Carter, Sister Dorothy Stang, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama among others.

The succeeding links about him still deals with the “marked man” article. Then a link from Witness website on Silverdocs AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival where a special award was named after tatay. It’s called The WITNESS Award in Memory of Joey R.B. Lozano. Read more on Silverdocs here and the Award here.

Tatay and I shared both good times, bad times and a sense of adventure. He’s been away for couple of years but I don’t miss his company. He lives on the lives of the people whom he come in contact with.

Every time somebody will tell me stories on how they come in contact with my father, I couldn’t believe he has gone that far. I was surprised when Tata Romy (Gacad) told me that tatay once provided photos for AFP during the Tasaday controversy.

Tata Romy told me that Tatay left me so many things to be done. I don’t know he meant it as a challenge or just to show how Tatay lived his life.

It’s Father’s day and if tatay’s alive, it will be a day of great food, movies and beer.

Missing. Prof Octavio Dinampo, chairperson of Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) extreme left is reportedly missing in Sulu together with ABS-CBN reporter Ces Drilon and her crew since June 9, 2008. This photo of Prof Dinampo, a professor in Mindanao State University together with Jabidah Massacre lone survivor Jibin Arula and MPC member Rexall Kaalim was taken during the Mindanao Youth Peace Caravan at Corregidor Island on March 18, 2008. Rexall Kaalim was tasked to investigate further on the incident. Photo by Toto Lozano.

I have personally met Prof. Octa on two separate occasions. First during his induction as chairperson of the Mindanao People’s Caucus and during the Mindanao Youth Peace Caravan when more than a hundred of youth (moro, christians and lumads) call for peace by travelling from Mindanao to Corregidor Island. On those two short separate event, I agree with Fr. Bert Layson calling the professor a man of peace.

I am appealing to the abductors to release Prof. Octa, Ces and her crew unconditionally. Holding them against their will cannot in anyway serve your purpose.Instead you will be condemned by the people and the journalism community here and abroad.

To the families of Prof Octa, Ces and her crew I am praying for your safe return.

I have been very busy for the past few months (10 months to be exact) and the reason, I’m shooting photo-stories as part of the portfolio development and presentation at ACFJ’s Diploma in Photojournalism. It has been a very challenging and rewarding course, and hopefully it can help in institutionalizing photojournalism in the Philippines.

I shot my photo-stories in Tboli, Lake Sebu in South Cotabato and in Malapatan, Sarangani Province. Aside from having limited resources, the more challenging part is giving justice to the stories that these communities would like to share. Stories of cultural survival, of existence and human rights violations.

Click here to view the photo-stories. Glad to be in the blogging mode again.

In a very rare moment I was chatting with my Ka-kunwaring Cris and one of our mentors, Alex Baluyut. We were discussing our photostories and the process of how we are producing it.

I can’t help it but share  my experience when I was working on my Lang Dulay photo story. Lang Dulay is the oldest tnalak weaver. Tnalak is a traditional cloth with abaca as one of the raw materials.

During one of my photo shoot with the old dreamweaver, somebody came for an interview and asked her to pose in different parts of her weaving center. It made me feel like Lang Dulay is becoming a comodity and not as a living legend.

“The living legend is old and sick, how I wish I can help more,” I said.

Then I got the best answer from Sir Alex saying, “Toto, you can never change the world, just continue creating photo-stories.”

It sounded like a single shot photo. One click and everything is there.