Last hurrah

Episode on June 30, 2007 Saturday late night It’s been a landmark year for Sine Totoo host Howie Severino. This June, Howie received the Investigative Journalist of the Year Award in the 2007 Rotary Journalism Awards. It was his third time to win the prize, elevating him to the Journalists’ Hall of Fame. And in May, his documentary “Huling Hala Bira!" won Second Prize at the United Nations Asia Pacific Millennium Development Goals Media Awards. So, it’s but fitting that the upcoming Sine Totoo episode features Howie’s own award-winning work. “Huling Hala Bira!" is the story of the residents of Barangay Aklan, many of whom live beneath the part of the railroad tracks that crosses the Pasig River. From their homes, they can see the underbelly of passing trains! While making the documentary, Howie shot these residents happily preparing for the annual fiesta, a raucous event inspired by the Ati-Atihan in the real Aklan, where most of them are from. But the fiesta was also a bittersweet event, as the community had just received their notice of demolition from the government, which intends to upgrade the railroad. Howie invites his executive producer Ella Evangelista and researcher Liezl Mendoza to the Sine Totoo set. They discuss how in this case, instead of looking for the story … the story of the community under the rails seemed to find them. Catch Huling Hala Bira! – another award-winning documentary by Howie Severino -- on Sine Totoo this Saturday late night on GMA-7.

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Huling hala bira! Tila nagbubunga na ang mga storyang pinaghirapan ng Sine Totoo host na si Howie Severino. Ngayong Hunyo, pinarangalan siya bilang Investigative Journalist of the Year ng Rotary Journalism Awards, at dahil ikatlong beses na niyang mapanalunan ito, napasok na rin siya sa Journalists’ Hall of Fame. Nito namang Mayo, ay binigyan ng Ikawalang Gantimpala sa United Nations Millennium Development Goals Media Awards – ang dokumentaryo ni Howie para sa I-Witness na Huling Hala Bira! Sa dokumentaryong ito, ikinuwento ni Howie ang buhay ng mga residente ng Brgy. Aklan, na may bahaging matatagpuan under da riles. Natatangi ang kanilang tirahan dahil araw-araw, nakikita nila ang ilalim ng mga rumaragasang tren! Panahon iyon ng masayang paghahanda nila para sa taunang pista ni Sto. Niño. Pero may kalungkutan din, dahil ito na marahil ang kanilang huling pista sa lugar. Napipinto na kasi ang demolisyon sa komunidad upang mapaganda ang riles. Inimbitahan ni Howie sa Sine Totoo ang kanyang executive producer sa Hala Bira! na si Ella Evangelista at researcher na si Liezl Mendoza. Ikinuwento nila na madalas mahirap maghanap ng subject para sa dokumentaryo. Pero sa pagkakataong ito, tila ang storya ang pumili sa kanila. Panoorin ang Huling Hala Bira!, isa na namang award-winning documentary mula kay Howie Severino at kanyang team, ngayong Sabado ng hatinggabi sa Sine Totoo.