“One of my classmates said that I was adventurous to the point of being reckless,” says broadcast journalist Ces Oreña-Drilon. “I didn’t know what he meant by that then,” but now she knows only too well how he was so right.
I wasn’t going to scream. I wasn’t going to beg. Hindi talaga,” says veteran ABS-CBN senior correspondent Ces Oreña-Drilon about her abduction by the Abu Sayyaf in Maimbung, Sulu. One of her companions, cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, came to the point of begging for his life when their abductors tied his neck and arms. Death and how painful it would be swirled in Ces’ thoughts, yet she was adamant that she would not beg. “I thought if I had to beg for my life, it would be useless because just because you beg, you think they’ll let you go? If they really intended to kill you, you think they’ll spare your life?
“(So instead) I just prayed to God that He give me the grace and the peace to accept my fate. I prayed to be ready to die.” And finding solace in the thought that all her sons – Gian (19), Mikhail (21), Ory (23) and Andre (16) – were all grown, capable men, she was willing to let go.
But thankfully, it never came to that point for this I Survived host and anchor of ABS-CBN’s Bandila and ANC’s The Rundown as she and her companions were released after 10 days. Since the traumatic incident, Ces says that she and her team have only grown closer and stronger. In fact, they recently celebrated their “second anniversary” with a dinner with their family and wives. “I could never repay them enough,” she says humbly.
Looking back, despite the terrifying circumstances at the camp they also had funny memories to share. Ces recalls an incident when the armed men made them lie down on the ground. “There were so many ants… and we were afraid that they would get into our ears so sinira namin yung panty liners na nasa bag ko and used these to cover our ears. So I was blaming them because they used up all my panty liners,” she chuckles.
Right after their release, she remembers that she had never felt better than after that first shower. “For me, I discovered that taking a bath does wonders to your spirit. It lifts your spirits.” But unfortunately, she adds, it was also a gross experience. “I took a shower in the bathroom of the mayor and it was so dirty. Mas malinis pa nga yung batis (The creek was cleaner). I was thinking ‘Did the cat die here,’” she laughs. Desperate for a shower, but not desperate enough to step on the filthy floor, she took to taking a bath in the balde (pail).
Ces has retained much of her humor despite such traumatizing ordeals. But her ability to bounce back should not only be credited to the weeks of therapy but maybe also to her father who raised her to withstand adversity.
Taking Root
Ces, the eldest in a brood of four, was born in Baguio to a conservative and disciplined household. Her grandfather Arsenio Espiritu was a news junkie who would read the newspaper back to front; her mother Lourdes Oreña was an educator but full-time housewife; while her father Bernabe Oreña was a strict military man who brought up his four children to become very competitive. Her father was like a broken record, she remembers, who’d lecture them every morning about the importance of education and excelling. On the way to school, he would always drill them about math problems. Ces recalls, “Pag may ipapakilala kami na kaibigan, he wouldn’t ask kung mabait ba yan or what. (When we would introduce our friends, he wouldn’t ask if he was a good person.) He’d ask if you were better than that friend. ‘Mas magaling ka ba dyan?’ (Are you a better person than him?)”
This ingrained competitiveness pushed each of the Oreña siblings to succeed, especially Ces who had to live up to the expectations of being the eldest. “At times I thought it was unfair that I had to always be a model for my brother and two sisters. I made it known (that when I had my own kids) I would not do that. But I find myself saying the same things to my eldest son.”
As her father was an important figure in her becoming the strong, determined woman she is today, he was also pivotal in her career. It was her father who suggested that she leave her first job in public relations and try her hand in network TV. And through her father’s connections, Ces landed a job on the government-run Maharlika Broadcasting System (later renamed People’s Television 4) in 1985. “He probably knew my potential and knew I could do better on TV. I could do more than PR.”
Learning the Ropes
“When I was a trainee (on Channel 4), I really, really liked it. I thought every day was different. It was exciting.” As trainee, she was made to tail a reporter and was made to write the story as if she was going to report it. “I remember I was so overwhelmed by the information, I did not know what to read, what to watch, what to look for… but then eventually I got the hang of it.” Her first feature story was a piece on the New Bilibid Prisons and their livelihood projects. But when it was aired, it was voiced by another trainee, Angelique Lazo. “I felt so bad. But then she had a better reading voice.”
As the youngest reporter on the network, Ces’ first assignment was to cover the opposition. “During that time Channel 4 was the Marcos propaganda machine. But it was no big thing (to be assigned to cover the opposition) because it’s not going to be aired and so I’d be looked at with suspicion by the opposition. Akala nila spy yata ako (They probably thought I was a spy). That was funny.”
In 1989, after her scoop on the capture of then Army renegade Col. Gregorio Honasan, she got invited by ABS-CBN to join the network. Since then, Ces has been sneaking past barricades, dodging men in uniform and sweet talking ushers to let her get a scoop. Today, Ces has become a household name.
She even found herself at times dodging arrests, like during the Peninsula Manila siege in 2007. “They were going to put handcuffs on us. (Some news people said) it would have been a statement if they put handcuffs on me but I said I didn’t want a picture of me (cuffed) for the rest of my life and in history… so I really resisted with all my might.” But she earned great marks for her coverage as their live feed was used and aired on BBC and CNN.
Almost Doesn’t Count
“I never say die. Never say no. You have to try. I’m very persistent,” Ces replies when asked why she stands out among other journalists. “There was a certain time that I wanted to give up (being a reporter) because it was so demanding physically. My kids were just growing up. As a reporter, I’d leave early. When I would leave the house, I wouldn’t even have time to comb my hair. When I got home (my children) would be asleep,” she reveals, but it was the love for the job that had made her stay for over 20 years.
“Some people find it surprising that I’m still here. Nasa isip nila may pangalan ka na tapos makikipag-agawan ka pa sa ibang reporters who are half my age (People think I already have a name yet there I am competing with the other reporters). Some newsmakers have told me to give way to the new ones. But I like being out on the field. I want to do it. I’m a full time reporter and I really (see) myself growing old in journalism,” she laughs.
Political CallingsCes insists that she has never turned down an assignment given to her… except may be one. She recently turned down an assignment to cover President Noynoy Aquino’s first 100 days in office and the interim between his having been elected and the inauguration, because of her boyfriend, former ANC anchor Ricky Carandang’s appointment in the administration’s communications department.
She had to refuse the assignment because “whatever story I come out with, it may be given color (even) when there isn’t. Even if I do my darnedest best and be fair, there will be color. People will think that I got a scoop because of (Ricky).
“I’m not really open to (going into politics),” she reveals. “The perception that people have is that you just used your profession and you had another agenda. You don’t have to be in politics to do good in the country. In media, there’s nation building also. Journalism is a means to help… it’s your job to make people in power accountable.” But she respects her boyfriend’s decision and says that it’s an opportunity well-suited for him. “Well, it’s also an opportunity to help. He’s always been enamored with politics but (maybe) it’s not his end goal. And it’s better early enough (that he joined) so that he can still come back,” she adds in jest.
The Age of Maturity
Having dodged death numerous times and having survived tumultuous ordeals unscathed, has time toned her down as a journalist? She answers with a smile and a resounding “NO.”
Actually, she developed a condition that is particular to journalists who have covered war and conflict — a sense of fearlessness and invincibility. “(After facing death in the face and surviving it), you think you’re invincible. You feel you could do anything. (But) you’re not.”
Ces often humbles her thoughts by remembering what is really important, “You have to think of the impact of what you’re doing on the people you love. And why it’s not just about you. I’m really, really, super lucky. So many people wished me well. So many people who don’t know me prayed for me,” she explains, so now she makes the time to be with friends and family. “There’s that conscious effort, unlike before when you’d say that ‘Yeah, they’ll understand’.”
But even for a feisty, fearless reporter like Ces Oreña-Drilon, at the end of the day, “There’s no story worth dying for.”
At times when she closes her eyes, flashes of the abduction and the siege: the armed men and camouflage uniforms flood her mind. But she wakes up more determined and excited for the day ahead that has yet to prove itself more adventurous than the previous. Ces’ spirit cannot be tamed. Fierce in her pursuit, loyal to her story and true to her being, Ces may have broken many rules but she has nothing to regret.
Source: People's Asia
The Maguindanao Massacre: A story about politics, media, and justice on ABS-CBN Sunday’s Best.
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