Writing about a YouScooper

May 3

It was a fun-day Friday! And my off would be tomorrow.

What I basically did during my whole shift was to write a profile of a YouScooper we met during the workshop.

We were not sure If this would be published in GMA News Online.

Here is what we wrote:

Shot, Sent and Shown: The Ultimate Scoop

by Claudine Complativo and Elizabeth Escaño

How far can a hobby take you?

For Roland Garceron, 41, it took him as far as becoming the citizen journalist who happened to document a speech in connection to one of the biggest news in 2012.

Armed with his cellphone camera and driven by the passion of reporting, Garceron was able to take a video of the speech which the last Department of Interior and Local Government Sec. Jesse Robredo addressed in the first founding anniversary of a non-governmental organization in Cebu.

It never crossed his mind that the video, which shows a blue spotlight cast on the well-loved secretary from Naga, would be the last footage this country would have showing a breathing and alive Robredo.

“Excited din akong kumuha. Scoop ‘to. Nandoon lang ako sa malayo kaya yung kuha ko medyo blue...kitang-kita siya doon,” Garceron said.

In fact, the news about the death of the late secretary reached Garceron through Howie Severino, GMA News Online Editor-in-Chief.  The latter called and asked him to send the footage.

“E walang Internet noon. Takbo ako kung saan-saan para makahanap ng Internet café. Mag-aalas dose na ng gabi, hindi ko pa rin natapos. Sabi ko, ‘Tomorrow morning, Ma’am, aalis kami ng Cebu. Dalhin ko na lang dyan’,” Garceron said.

Who would have thought that the simple gadget he always carries around would also be the reason for him to travel from Cebu to Quezon City.

Garceron is an Aparri-based YouScooper. In normal days, he manages their cellphone store business. He is a member of Kabalikat Civicom and the co-founder of its Aparri-chapter. The said organization is a radio group that helps people in times of calamities and national emergencies through communication.

He is also a volunteer for the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group - Criminal Investigative Support (CIDG-CIS).

Attending the first founding anniversary of the CIDG-CIS led him to be the person behind one of the biggest scoops by a citizen journalist in the history of the Philippine media industry.

A photography enthusiast, Garceron has been a loyal YouScooper for two years now. His first submission was about a typhoon which devastated their province. From then on, he started submitting photos periodically.

Ironically, Garceron never dreamt of becoming a journalist.

To him, being a YouScooper is just a hobby. However, Garceron believes that this hobby is meaningful, as YouScoop allows news from far-flung provinces to reach the whole country.

“Kasi walang media na malapit doon,” he said.

Garceron believes in the importance of citizen journalism, especially in the Philippines, an archipelago where communication can be a problem.

“Kung maraming ma-develop na citizen journalist, mas mabilis na maipaabot yung mga nangyayari sa mga liblib na lugar,” said Garceron.

Of all the citizen journalist platforms available in the country, Garceron saw the opportunity to report what is going on in their province through YouScoop.

“Through social media, through dun sa Internet, nakita ko dun. Then, naka-advertise din sa TV na merong YouScoop,” he added.

Although Garceron lacks a formal training, he also advocates for ethical journalism.

“Hindi lang basta kuha ng kuha ng isyu d’yan o kaya padala ng padala. Titignan din natin yung issue kung baka naman doon sa local official e matatamaan sila. E dapat balanse ka,” he said.

In addition to this, Garceron does not expect anything from the photos and videos he submitted.

“...Walang monetary [na] nakukuha. Unlike dun sa  pagiging stringer, you can receive money kasi binebenta mo. Ginagawan mo ng storya. Pero samin masaya kaming naibabalita yung nangyayari doon sa amin kasi naman, at least, nakilala naman [ang] Aparri,” he said.

This coming midterm election in May 13, Garceron said he will continue finding scoops.