DAILY TRIBUNE photographer Toto Lozano, 45, is no stranger to the intensity of rallies. He’s covered countless demonstrations through his lens, honing his craft during years on the bustling streets of Davao City.

But last Sunday in Manila, what began as just another day on assignment turned into an unforgettable experience when he found himself amid a group of black-clad protesters marching from Luneta to Malacañang.

Call it a veteran’s instinct. “I had a feeling something was about to happen,” he recalled.

During the hour-long march, Lozano noticed a glaring lack of coordination. “It didn’t look like anyone was really in charge,” he said. The group rerouted at least twice, as no one seemed sure how to reach Malacañang via Ayala Bridge.

“These were mostly young kids, probably teenagers. I figured they were inspired by what happened in Indonesia and Nepal. They carried Philippine flags and black banners with skull markings,” he said.

The tension simmered early on. “Some vented their ire on parked cars along T.M. Kalaw,” Lozano said.

When they reached Ayala Bridge, their path was blocked by a barricade of trucks and a container van. The air grew thick with the threat of violence. Sensing the shift, Lozano moved behind the police line, camera at the ready.

“The police were badly outnumbered,” he said. “Then the stones started flying.”

Chaos erupted as debris flew from every direction. A truck went up in flames, a fiery signal that the protest had spiraled into something darker. Lozano kept shooting until something made him lower his camera.

An unconscious policeman was being carried away from the frontlines by his fellow officers. Lozano rushed over and checked for a pulse. Nothing. “Does anyone know how to do CPR?” he asked urgently. Silence.

So, Lozano did what he hoped he would never have to do, not since learning CPR a decade ago. He began chest compressions.

In that surreal moment, a strange thought crossed his mind: “What song should I sing?”

“Should it be ‘Stayin’ Alive’ or ‘Salamin, Salamin’ by Bini? Both have the right beat,” he said with a faint smile. In the end, he went with the classic. “I chose ‘Stayin’ Alive.’ It just felt right.”

The moment the officer gasped after the first compression, Lozano knew he had made the right call. Medics arrived shortly after and took over. By the time the policeman was placed in the ambulance, he was conscious.

Reinforcements eventually arrived and the police regained control. The crowd was dispersed, the fires extinguished, the violence subdued.

But for Lozano, what stood out the most wasn’t the chaos, the flames, or even the images he had captured.

“If there’s one thing I learned that day,” he said, “it’s this: safety first — not just for us behind the camera, but for everyone on the street.”