We Storm the Capitol

Written by Chrishandra Sebastiampillai   

Pictures by Melissa Chia

The night before the Kasadyahan parade, we held a council of war in the Conference Room. We had to plan an all-out assault on the city of Iloilo. The mission: cover a complex and sprawling street festival as comprehensively as possible, with just four camera teams dispatched to various locations the parade would pass. We decided unanimously on a James Bond theme: we would be teams Skyfall, Thunderball, Octopussy and Moonraker conducting Operation STOM (take Iloilo City by storm).

Teams Skyfall, Thunderball, Octopussy and Moonraker. STOM. Yes, really.

And I think you’ll agree that we succeeded.

    We arrived at the Capitol judging area at 8 am to find that there was not a large crowd, and that access to useful filming spots were being sold by touts at PHP 50 per seat. We retired to McDonald’s for breakfast and a strategy meeting. A decision was made to “invest” in three seats which we would rotate among the five of us throughout the afternoon. 

     Upon returning, we quickly realised that the three seats would not help us- largely because we were stuck behind the Arroyo fountain.

Meet the Arroyo fountain

     We had by this stage acquired magnificent footage of the fountain- and very little else. The seat touts turned out to be very helpful, and constantly called us to new empty chairs which they would urge us to climb to get better footage. We felt bad about getting on the chairs though, because we were blocking the view of other people who had paid to sit behind us.

The chairs afford a good view of the crowd. And the fountain.

     After some time, we decided to try a different tactic, and instead squatted in the front row to try and get better shots. Squatting in front of several ladies, we found ourselves being unexpectedly championed by a row of elderly women. All speaking perfect English, they urged us to talk to the policemen to get beyond the cordoned off area. When one of them found that we had been unsuccessful at getting past the police, she personally interceded for us. Several other ladies seated nearby also pled our cause, resulting in the junior policeman referring us to the head of his unit for permission. Unfortunately, he refused to give us permission, and we settled back down to wait. The ladies weren’t done yet, and instead told us that we should try getting into the Capitol building. 

We wanted to get to the space under the yellow banner...

     The second floor was under renovation, and we could see several people sitting with their legs dangling off the side. L.A. and I walked to the front of the Capitol building, and made our case to the security guard at the desk. She in turn consulted with her superiors, who after some debate agreed to let us in for 15 minutes, escorted at all times by the front desk security guard. L.A. went back to get Melissa, and I sat down in the foyer with a friendly man who began to talk to me about the festival. 

     Suddenly there was a commotion at the doors. My new friend excitedly informed me that the ruckus was caused by the arrival of Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, who had his office in the building. We sat there in silence for a minute, watching him make his way to the elevators and disappear upstairs. L.A. reappeared with Melissa in tow. We were led up the stairs by our security desk guard. She took us to the door of the construction site, which was locked shut. We very nearly gave up then and there, but then she managed to pry open the door, and the four of us slipped in.

And we made it to the space under the yellow banner. 

     Just inside was the head contractor who looked at us with some misgiving. The guard spoke rapidly with him, and somewhat reluctantly, he agreed to let us through. And so we found ourselves scrambling over cement bags, bricks, planks and other debris towards the crowd and stage. When we reached the end, we were rewarded with a spectacular aerial view of the proceedings. We sat there for 15 minutes, dangling our legs in the breeze and soaking in the carnival atmosphere of the festival. At the end of our 15 minutes, we got up to leave, thanking our security escort for all her help. 

And that’s when L.A. had an idea. 

She wanted to go ask the Governor for free tickets. 

     Not unnaturally, we were unenthusiastic about the idea. But L.A. believed that he would give them to us, and that we should try. Some time ago, she had been a student ambassador to the Governor’s office. Most of his staff knew her, and would let her through. 

And so we found ourselves on the third floor, standing in front of the desk of the Governor of Iloilo. 

     He looked up at us, and asked us what we wanted. L.A. spoke quickly and persuasively, explaining that we were students on a study trip to Iloilo, and that we were having difficulty getting footage of the performances. He motioned to his assistant, and just like that, authorized three passes for us on the stage for both today and tomorrow.

Which we promptly photographed.

So naturally, we took a photograph with him. 

Thanks, Governor Defensor!

     As we sat in the bleachers of the stage, I found myself reflecting on the wonderfully generous and accommodating nature of the Filipino people. Certainly, this was not possible in Malaysia. Here, we were, escorted by a security guard to a construction site, and told where to sit by the head contractor. Then the Governor shakes our hands, gives us free tickets, and poses for a picture with L.A.’s arm draped around his shoulders. Everywhere we have gone so far, people wave, smile, pose for pictures, offer helpful advice and generally enjoy just having us around.

     Even at the stands, concerned citizens tap me on the shoulder and gesture that I should come into the shade, not shoot out in the sun. 

The view was markedly improved.

But we hadn’t managed the perfect shot just yet...

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Chrishandra graduated from Monash University’s School of Arts and Social Sciences in November 2012, determined to go far in life.  She made it exactly three floors downstairs to the Advancement department where she is currently working till starting Honours in an office called ‘Relationship Management’.  Yes. Stop sniggering.