"Bye-Bye Birdie"
Dokumentaryo ni Howie Severino para sa I-Witness
January 26, 2009

Kadalasan, ginagamit sa dagat ang mga lambat para ipanghuli ng
isda. Pero sa mga kabundukan ng Luzon , ginagamit ang mga net na ito
para manghuli ng mga makukulay at kakaibang ibong matatagpuan o
bumibisita sa Pilipinas.

Sa dokumentaryo ni Howie Severino para sa I-Witness ngayong
Lunes, kikilalanin ni Howie kasama ng kanyang team ang mga tinatawag
na mag-aakik, mga taong nanghuhuli ng ibon para gawing pagkain.
Aalamin ni Howie kung paano naging bahagi ng kanilang kultura ang
panghuhuli at pagkain ng mga ibong ito. Sa pagpunta nila sa Nueva
Vizcaya, sasamahan sila nina Arnel Telesforo at Nicky Icaringal, mga
bird lovers na maigting na nangangampanya para sa proteksyon at
preserbasyon ng kanilang mga kaibigang ibon.

Pupunta rin si Howie sa Balanga, Bataan kung saan libo-libong
migratory birds din ang makikita, pero hindi naman sinasaktan. Dito,
nire-rekord ang kanilang bilang at kinukunan ng litrato ni Arnel,
kasama ng iba pang bird enthusiasts.

Sa dokumentaryong ito, susubuking sagutin ni Howie at ng
kanyang team kung ano nga ba ang dapat mas pahalagahan: ang
pangangailangan ng tao o ang kapakanan ng hayop? At sa bandang huli,
mananatili na lang bang mga manonood ang mga dokumentaristang gaya ni
Howie, o gagawa sila ng hakbang para makalaya ang mga nahuling ibon?

Isang dokumentaryong gigising sa inyong kamalayan ang mapapanood sa
"Bye-bye Birdie," dokumentaryo ni Howie Severino para sa I-Witness
ngayong Lunes ng hatinggabi.



"Bye-Bye Birdie"
(Counting the ways of loving birds)
Howie Severino's I-Witness documentary
January 26, 2009

Fish nets are designed to catch fish. But in the cold mountain passes
of Luzon , in the darkest of nights, fish nets sweep the air to catch
wild birds. Some of the birds are colorful and rare, but nearly all
are eaten. More than a few could be migratory birds bringing in bird flu.

Howie Severino and his team of adventure-seeking documentarists hang
out with these native bird trappers and try to understand their rugged
culture and raw motivations. Accompanying the documentarists on their
journey to Nueva Vizcaya are two passionate bird lovers, artist Arnel
Telesforo and bird guide Nicky Icarangal, who struggle to come to
terms with the harsh treatment of their feathered friends, and remind
viewers that the Filipino's relationship with the wild is changing.

Howie and his team also venture with Arnel to Balanga, Bataan where
wild migratory birds in the thousands are not harmed. Rather, in the
bright morning sun, they are counted, recorded, and photographed by
Arnel and friends with tender loving care.

In this story of life and death, set in both night and day, I-Witness
finds a parable that encompasses both the ruthless force of human need
and the redemptive power of compassion.

The documentary ends with a stark choice facing the documentarists: do
they remain detached observers of willful killing or do they cross the
line to extend innocent life?

Howie Severino's thought-provoking documentary airs this Monday on
I-Witness after the late night newscast Saksi.