Nelvin Sia, 37, is a cameraman for Solar News TV, where his most memorable coverage so far was Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban.
But natural disasters are nothing compared to what he used to cover at ABS-CBN where he spent the better part of a decade as an assistant cameraman.
He started in 2002 with the morning show Hoy! Gising and later became part of criminal investigation shows, like Mission X, Private Eye and SOCO: Scene Of The Crime Operatives.
“Ang trabaho namin dito (sa Mission X) lumulubog kami. Kailangan namin sundan yung mga sindikato. Undercover talaga kami, may mga spy camera kami dala-dala. After ng operation namin, ‘pag nahuhuli na namin sila, diyan dumadating yung mga death threat. Minsan sulat lang pero minsan pinapadala kami ng bala.”
Before moving to another TV network, his job for SOCO included helping exhume bodies from graves, and filming in crime scenes and morgues.
“Marami na akong nakitang multo, mga na chop-chop, mga binti. Yung amoy ng cadaver, immune na ko.”
Souls of Manila is a Coconuts series of street photography inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York. Every human has a story to tell and we intend to share some from the millions who call Metro Manila home.
MORE SOULS OF MANILA:
– Eds Gabral at UP Diliman
– James Macariola
– Manny Francia at Ukulele Philippines
– Earl Chua in Makati
