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[I did not introduce myself as a journalist. I always tell them I'm a tourist, going around Egypt, around Cairo.]
This was how veteran broadcast journalist Raffy Tima pulled through with his 29-day coverage in Egypt to cover the much awaited evacuation of Filipinos from war-torn Gaza.
Setting up to go live for 24 Oras in Giza, Egypt with the Pyramid Complex as a background.
It was crunch time at the newsroom of GMA Integrated News on October 15 when the Department of Foreign Affairs placed Gaza City under Alert Level 4, meaning the 136 Filipinos staying there would have to be mandatorily repatriated.
At the time, Israeli forces began their retaliatory strikes on Gaza after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on October 7, prompting its government to declare a state of war.
Gaza, in return, was left in ruins due to Israeli air strikes. Thousands were killed from both sides.
It was when Raffy knew he had to take a bigger mission.
Carrying only his mobile phone, DSLR and 360 cameras, baggage, and lots of courage and experience of covering conflicts abroad, he left alone bound for Cairo on the night of October 17.
Once landed in the desert country, Raffy went straight to the Philippine Embassy in Egypt to get more data for his coverage, expecting that he would be able to get close to the Rafah Border Crossing which is the lone exit point for evacuees in Gaza that is not controlled by Israel.
Things didn't go as planned back then as apparently, reporters in Egypt needed to register first at the International Press Center and secure a permit to legally cover events—-a vital document which Raffy wasn’t able to get a hold of, along with many other journalists from various countries.
“Nagko-cover kami nang walang permit kaya maya’t maya kaming nasisita ng mga pulis. Basta’t naglabas ka lang ng cellphone at kumukuha ka, kahit na i-claim mo na turista ka, sisitahin ka pa rin. Ganon sila ka-higpit,” he recalled.
[We do our coverage without permit so we are always being questioned. Even if we take out our mobile phones and take photos and claim that we are tourists, we always get questioned. That's how strict they are.]
This is why, Raffy explained, he never introduced himself as a member of the media throughout his coverage. This way, he can avoid being apprehended, more so, being deported.
He was only a tourist, Raffy told himself, as he hired a driver who would also be his interpreter-slash-negotiator, took stolen shots here and there, and sneaked out for some live reports at restaurants for what he told authorities were merely “Zoom calls.”
Among protesters in Islaimia. Since the Israeli Defence Force started bombing Gaza, state sanctioned protest actions have been going on in different cities in Egypt in support of the residents of Gaza.
With Revelina Cargullo Al Abadla and her Palestinian husband on their way to the airport. Revelina refused to leave the Rafah Border Crossing with her kids even after being approved entry into Egypt after her husband was initially refused entry. After almost 24 hours, they were all allowed into Egypt as a family.
Raffy even looked back at the time when he was confronted by an undercover police officer while he was taking videos using his 360 camera which he would use for his reports.
“Sinita ako. ‘Yung undercover police parang medyo galit galit siya. ‘Anong ginagawa mo?’ Parang ganon. Nagsabi akong I’m tourist,” he said, turning off his camera.
[I was questioned. The undercover police seemed angry. He was asking me what I was doing, and I told him I'm a tourist.]
What saved him that moment was a ploy so simple yet something a journalist would only get to slay with years of experience.
“Nung time kasi na ‘yun, kumuha rin ako ng sunset photos doon sa cellphone ko. Just in case sitahin ako, ayun ang ipapakita ko. True enough, noong sinata ako ng undercover agent—naka-civilian kasi siya pero meron siyang baril sa bewang…Pinaligiran ako ng mga regular pulis at undercover agent—-so, pinakita ko ‘yung cellphone ko na kumukuha lang ako ng sunset photos,” he said.
[At the time, I took sunset photos from my cellphone, just in case I would be questioned. True enough, when i was confronted by the undercover agent, he was in civilian clothes but he had a gun tucked in his waist and now accompanied by uniformed policemen, I showed them the sunset photos.]
“Tinuruan ko pa siya kung paano kumuha ng blurred shots ng mga sasakyan. Napangiti naman siya, natawa ng konti kasi pinapakita ko na oh, pwedeng mawala ‘yung mga sasakyan na ‘yan. So medyo binola bola ko ng konti para lang hindi nila pansinin ‘yung 360 camera ko.”
[I even taught him (undercover cop) how to take blurred shots of vehicles. He even smiled when I showed him how the vehicle would disappear. I flattered him a bit so that he won't notice my 360 camera.]
During crucial times throughout his Egypt journey, which he described as very risky, Raffy stressed the need to remain calm. He was just only a tourist, after all.
“Naka-ready naman na ako kung anong mga sasabihin ko. Dapat ready ka lang, hindi ka magpa-panic, ‘wag mong ipakitang takot ka, normal lang kasi nga turista lang naman ako. ‘Yun ang vibe ko sa kanila—turista ako, kasi nga wala naman akong madaming dala dala,” he said.
[I was always ready on what I would be saying. Just be ready, don't panic. Don't show them that you are afraid, I'm a tourist and I just acted normally.]
Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedin Tago explaining the complexity or reaching the Rafah Border Crossing. With him is Bojer Capati, Third Secretary and Vice Consul of the Philippine Embassy in Egypt who ended up spending almost two weeks at the Rafah Border Crossing waiting for Filipino Repatriates leaving Gaza.
Covering for two decades now, Raffy has seen firsthand a number of wars and conflicts — from Mindanao to Afghanistan.
Despite this, he admitted that executing a one-man team coverage in Cairo, where stranded people in the Gaza Strip were seeking freedom from the bombings and killings, was not an easy feat.
The Rafah border was eventually opened for evacuees at the start of November, with two Filipino doctors fortunately being among the first group to exit Gaza. They were volunteers for the international humanitarian aid group Doctors Without Borders.
Raffy, who is used to standing in front of a camera already set up by his crew, said the downside this time around was that he had to break his reports all on his own.
“Sa TV, lahat ng ginagawa ng isang buong team, gagawin ko. Ako magse-set up, ako magte-test... gagawin ko lahat ‘yun. Pagkatapos ko magsulat, pagtapos ko mag-voice, ako pa nage-edit ng ibang mga reports ko kasi nga 360 camera ‘yung gamit ko,” he said.
[I was now doing what a TV team usually do... I will set it all up, do the testing. After writing my report, after doing voice-overs, I would also be editing the reports since I was using a 360 camera.]
“On top of that, of course, ‘yung oras kasi may oras ‘yung 24 Oras na kailangan by this time nakapag-test ka na, nakatayo ka na, at nakapag-submit ka na ng script para ma-edit on time. Ang daming considerations, at lahat ng ‘yun challenge kasi nga magkaiba pa ‘yung oras [sa Egypt at Pinas].”
[On top of that, of course, is that at a certain time for 24 Oras, you have to stand up, done with all the testing and scripts should be submitted ahead of the airing. There are a lot of considerations, challenges because of the time difference between Egypt and the Philippines.]
During his coverage, Raffy also thought of his foreign colleagues who were killed performing their duties amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Despite being miles away from Gaza and Israel, and considering himself quite lucky for being far from these places, he admitted that he was also affected by the attacks committed against his fellow journalist who had become sources of news from the insides.
“Mapapaisip ka rin doon sa danger na pinagdaanan nila. Pero if kung para sa akin lang naman, ‘yung concern ko lang is hindi ako mapa-deport. So, masuwerte ako na wala ako sa lugar na I’m sure mas mahirap na hindi hamak ‘yung pinagdadaanan nila,” he said.
[I could only think of the dangers that they were into. My only concern was being deported. I was lucky enough since their situation was more risky.]
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), more than 50 journalists and media workers have been killed amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants.
The Filipino evacuees, whom he had his eye on, also told Raffy traumatic stories which would humble anyone who has heard of them. These stories, he said, were not at all dramatic, but were plainly based on their sufferings in the besieged Gaza.
“Ang sabi nga nila, oras ‘yung binibilang nila na mamamatay ba ako ngayong oras na ito o hindi? Kapag natulog ba ako ngayong gabi, magigising pa ba ako o hindi? Hindi siya dramatic na words, kundi very factual lang ‘yung pagsasalita nila kasi nga nangyari ‘yun sa paligid nila,” he said.
[They told me that they were just counting the hours if they would survive this ordeal or not. Would they be still alive after sleeping?]
“Very real sa kanila ‘yung danger. Very casual lang nila sasabihin na baka mamatay na ‘ko, pero kung titignan mo, talagang totoo ‘yung fear nila kasi nangyayari ‘yun na na-experience nila ‘yun.”
[The danger to them was very real. They will tell it very casually that they could die there anytime, but you can sense that their fear is real because they experienced it themselves.]
But much has changed now since Raffy went to Cairo in mid-October.
One of the notable developments is that most of the Filipinos based in Gaza—over a hundred of them—-have already been evacuated with their families. However, around 25 still decided to remain there due to their own personal reasons.
Many of these evacuees have also been repatriated back to the Philippines, receiving much needed assistance from the various government agencies and other generous individuals.
The two Filipinos who were earlier tagged as missing since the war broke out have also gone back safely to Israel from Gaza after being freed as hostages by Hamas.
More importantly, a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas is also in effect now and more hostages are being released from both camps.
Raffy is also back in the Philippines now after a month-long coverage in Egypt.
Looking back at his recently concluded coverage, the renowned journalist disclosed that he had not learned much, but proudly said that he was able to apply everything that he learned during his stint in the media industry.
“‘Yung experience for the last 20 years as a journalist, nagamit ko do’n. Kumbaga, wala akong bagong natutunan, kundi lahat ng mga experiences ko, nagamit ko sa Egypt—-’yung pakikipagusap sa authorities, pagko-cover nang palihim, pagkuha ng mga videos na palihim, how to deal with people na hindi sanay sa news,” he said.
[My experience of being a journalist for 20 years, I was able to use there. Though I didn't learn any new thing there, all my previousness experience I was able to apply in Egypt ... talking with authorities, discreetly doing my coverage, taking videos in secrecy, how to deal with people not familiar to news.]
He also underscored the importance of mobile journalism at this age. He said using his mobile phone, along with his 360 camera during the entire Egypt coverage, helped him a lot to work faster and better.
“Importante na mabilis, puwede kang mag-solo, kung may biglaang coverage, puwede kang makatakbo kaagad na hindi ka matatakot na meron kang mami-miss o hindi magagawa sa trabaho mo as a journalist,” Raffy said.
[It is important to move and act fast ... you can do it alone when there is a sudden coverage. You can move right away without fearing that you'll be missing something or won't be able to do as a journalist.]
