The Wildcast

Neil Daza is a Director, Cinematographer, Photographer and occasional Photojournalist.

The son of a political detainee during the Marcos dictatorship and growing up in a family of activists Neil was exposed to the harsh realities of the Philippines early in life. He narrates how growing up he would spend weekends visiting his father, a former military colonel in Fort Bonifacio and picking up his sibling from police stations during the dark days of the martial law period.

At 15 years old after watching Roman Polanski's Tenant -he was so enamored by the emotions elicited by the film in himself that he decided right there that he wanted to make movies. Starting his career as a stringer photojournalist for broadsheets in Manila he photographed some of the most iconic events of the last 30 years -including being right in the action during the Mendiola Massacre where he himself ended up carrying bodies of the victims to the hospitals.

He has worked on some of the most iconic Filipino films including Dekada '70, Etiquette for Mistresses, Yamashita the Tiger's Treasure, Last Full Show, Signal Rock and has worked on numerous TV series such as Maalala mo Kaya, Be Careful with my Heart, and has won and been nominated and for Gawad Urian awards for his work in Crocodile and Signal Rock among others. One thing that truly stands out with Neil is how well regarded he is among his peers for his craft but also for his compassion and concern for those he works with from the biggest celebrities to the lowly production assistant one thing distinct about him is that he cares that people are treated well no matter their station.

Neil believes that Cinematography should never be the focus of a film -it should always blend with the story and shouldn't distract the audience it is there to help tell the story and not be the story. Learnings from 30 years of creating stories for the Filipino.

Welcome the Wildcast Trailer!

On Episode 11 of the Wildcast i talk to Steve Rogers in Sagada about his life in the Philippines. It is an interesting conversation that jumps from the streets of Manila during the EDSA revolution seeing the first tanks stopping in front of protesters to working on Hollywood movies like Platoon with stars like William Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, and Johnnie Depp and of course we get on to the adventure side of things chatting about whitewater kayaking in the Cordilleras and Mountain Biking in Sagada. In this discussion we also explore the ever changing landscape of community and development in Sagada and the Mountain Province how communities have adapted to changing times and changing economies and how culture is not a static image you see in history books but a living evolving process that communities and landscapes go through.

I enjoyed this conversation and hope to be able to visit him soon and get on that kayaking trip we've been planning for so long now. Here's Steve's interesting life.

The Wildcast Episode 7:

Manix Abrera talks about Kikomachine Comics

**99% of this episode is in Filipino/Tagalog

This week's podcast i talk to Manix Abrera one of the foremost comic artists in the Philippines. His comic strip Kikomachine Comics which appears in the Inquirer is a strip i have been following for the last 20 years. We talk on the podcast about his journey in the comic book business, cycling, and growing up in the shadow of his father, Jess Abrera who is also a comic artist known for his strip 'A. Lipin'

We talk about his inspirations for his work, how the current pandemic and political situation has been fodder for the stories that he has been writing and how we all seem to be living in a comic strip ourselves in these strange times.

Have a listen to this interesting conversation.

Episode 6 of the Wildcast with Jim Ward

This is a special episode of the Wildcast with a very good friend i have known for most of my adult life. Jim is one of the people who has seen me grow through the years from my college days in UP all the way to where i am today. He once owned Bliss Cafe a vegetarian cafe and art space in Baguio city -and a haven for people like myself who was always the odd person in the room he made a space where when you walk in you are with many other odd people creating something wonderful.

We chat about his early years as a young GI in Asia -he came to Asia at 18 enlisted in the army like many young Americans and decided to stay. He has seen the growth of China, Taiwan and South East Asia. Worked as a corporate big boss for the largest logistics firms across the region and ended up in Baguio. For the almost 20 years i have known him he has been one of the most insightful voices i have had the privilege of listening to and has had a tremendous impact on my life. In the last 2 months he has been on the frontlines organizing bicycle transport for our frontliners in Baguio and La Trinidad sharing his passion for cycling to those that work on the frontlines of COVID19. Listen to our conversation, it really only scratches the surface of the amazing life that he has lived and is still living today.

Easter is the time for renewed life, the resurrection of Christ so it is quite fitting that today i am releasing the second Episode of the Wildcast with a very special guest who has just gotten a second lease on life, Howie Severino who as patient number 2828 is one of the current pioneer survivors of the COVID-19 Virus. He is among a select few people on earth now who has survived this virus and he tells me his story among other things bits and pieces of his illustrious life experiences. I have to admit that i was incredibly nervous doing this interview especially interviewing a person who essentially amounts to one of the most respected journalists in the Philippines on only my second episode and you'll probably notice that nervousness in the first minutes of the podcast -in fact there is a bit here where he was doing all the interviewing which proves you can't take the journalist out of him even recovering from this virus. This is only the first in a series of episodes i will be doing with Howie as i believe his life cannot be contained in one episode there is much to talk about and stories to tell so here is part 1 of Howie Severino on the Wildcast's Quarantine Chronicles.

Welcome to the second episode of the Wildcast my name is JP Alipio I am an environmentalist, mountain bikers, trail runner, photographer and currently the director of the Cordillera Conservation Trust and we are here to talk about people, their histories, what makes them who they are, and the journeys they have had through their life.

Over the course of this series Quarantine Chronicles we will be talking to different people and personalities both here in the Philippines and across the globe on how COVID19 has affected their lives and businesses and how we can all cope. I am here to share their stories, their expertise, their lives.

On today’s Wildcast we have a very special guest. Someone who in the Philippines needs little introduction. Howie Severino -Award winning Journalist and Documentary Film Maker, Cyclist, Café owner, Kayaker, Environmentalist and just last week one of the pioneer survivors for the COVID19 virus -the list is long and this conversation only scratches the surface of who Howie is. This is the first in a series of interviews with Howie which we will be doing over the course of the next few weeks as he recovers from COVID-19 where we will discuss his life and all the rich experiences in it -I admit it is a lot! We also discuss the loneliness and isolation of being COVID19 positive and how this impacts both your recovery and also your mental wellbeing and how important social contact is in this time especially for patients like him as well as the frontliners.

If you notice in the first part of the interview I was noticeably nervous of interviewing someone I have looked up to for a very very long time, he is one of the people I’ve come to admire and respect and I wasn’t sure going into this interview how it would all pan out. Thankfully the conversation found its flow and I look forward to having you all hear the first in the series of chats with Howie Severino. Enjoy.