25/10/2026
A core memory I'll never forget and not for a good reason.
I remember doing a simple shoot with a celebrity here in Intramuros nothing commercial, nothing extravagant. Just taking photos for social media for IG and FB lang.
No fancy lighting, no bonga setup, no production crew. Just a photographer with a camera in hand doing what I've always loved doing but what should have been a simple creative experience turned into one of the most humiliating moments.
A Guardia Civil approached us and threatened to confiscate my camera and erase all the photos we had taken. I was told to leave or he would take my camera.
I remember feeling like I was being treated as a criminal simply for being creative.
I've been a photographer for many years. I've covered countless events worked with different personalities, and photographed in all kinds of locations.
But never in my entire career had I felt so humiliated and disrespected for simply doing what I love to do.
What hurt the most wasn't being told to stop, come on law abiding citizien ako if bawal talaga susunod ako. It was the way I was treated, as though holding a camera and taking photographs was something criminal.
Photography is an art.
It's a way of preserving memories, telling stories, and celebrating the beauty of places like Intramuros.
And yet, that day, I was made to feel like I had no right to be there.
Seeing this news today brings back that experience. I'm glad things are finally changing because no photographer should ever have to feel criminalized simply for expressing their creativity.
Creativity should be welcomed, not intimidated.
Sana totoo to, TARA SHOOT NA! 📸🙏
(c) Poster from GMA NEWS