Giving 'history a face': DT photojournalts featured in Marcos exhibit

Armed with their trusty cameras, the photographers covering the Malacañang beat are important chroniclers of our time. They capture moments that tell a story where no words can. They catch snippets of history in ways no pen can define.

What they see behind the lens gives viewers a point of view that lives within the exact moment the shot was taken. And these lenses, these visual storytellers, offer us a rare peek into the life and character of the man who leads the Philippines today.

Among the photojournalists featured in “In Focus: Marcos Presidency,” an ongoing exhibition chronicling key moments of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration, are Yummie Dingding and Toto Lozano of DAILY TRIBUNE.

Dingding, DAILY TRIBUNE’s chief photographer; and Lozano, its deputy chief photographer, are among 14 members of the Presidential Photojournalists Association (PPA) whose work is displayed in the exhibit.

Their photographs document Marcos’ official engagements, state events and interactions with Filipinos, providing a visual record of the presidency, as well as candid and unguarded moments that are rarely seen by the public.

The work of a Palace photojournalist is not as simple as being present in a venue and clicking on a camera. What many do not know is that they work “under strict security protocols, limited access and constantly challenging positions to capture each anticipated moment,” as the PPA members attest.

More important is that “in an age when technology can create convincing illusions and artificial intelligence can generate images that fuel misinformation and disinformation, these photographers stand as enduring testaments to reality,” to further quote the group’s statement.

The exhibit opened on 13 August at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Hall in Pasay City, with Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos touring the display with Secretary Dave M. Gomez, Acting Secretary of the Presidential Communications Office and Noel B. Pabalate, PPA president.

“In Focus: Marcos Presidency” is open to the public until 30 August, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Mondays.