by Yvonne T. Chua

IT WAS August 1987, and renegade soldiers were attempting yet another coup against the Aquino government. Naturally, GMA-7 reporter Jessica Soho made sure she was at the government-run Channel 4, which the rebel soldiers had taken over. But Soho sensed that fighting could break out any time, and she and her crew quickly sought shelter in the nearby Viva office compound. But she couldn't resist trying to peep through a window to see what was happening outside—only to be roundly scolded by a Viva employee. "You want to get shot?" he yelled at her. So Soho and her team stayed close to the floor. A few minutes later, Soho saw the employee sprawled on the ground, felled by sniper fire.

Agence-France Presse photojournalist Romeo Gacad knew as well he was on dangerous ground when he had to drive through an oil field in Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War. That's why he made sure he drove over tire marks, and stopped once the marks ended. He then looked out the window and saw a landmine protruding from the ground beside his left tire. His companion, a British journalist, inspected the right tire, without getting off the car, and found another landmine. "We backed out right away," Gacad says.

Gacad and Soho are veterans in covering conflicts. In the Philippines, they have covered the communist, military, and Muslim rebellions; people power revolutions; marches, rallies, and demonstrations; labor strikes, bombings, and hostage-taking incidents. Overseas, Gacad was assigned to the Desert Storm operation in the early 1990s and the war in Afghanistan more recently. Soho just got back from reporting on Israel. Earlier, she was in Pakistan. Both have emerged from all these assignments unscathed partly because they have taken this advice to heart: "No story is worth your life." While they take risks, as most journalists do, they avoid taking unnecessary ones that could cost their—or other people's—lives or limbs.

Unlike many journalists in developed countries, who have taken courses on personal security, Gacad and Soho have had to rely solely on experience to learn to keep themselves out of harm's way. They both agree that conducting safety training for journalists would be a good idea, especially in conflict-prone Philippines.

International press groups have identified the Philippines as one of the world's media hotspots: 37 journalists, mostly provincial reporters, have been killed in the country since 1986. Yet no local news organization has seen the need to follow the global trend of sending journalists to train for dangerous assignments.

Big media organizations like the BBC, CNN, Reuters, ABC, NBC, Independent Television Network, Associated Press Television, and The New York Times have been sending their staff to hostile environment courses run by the UK-based Centurion Risk Assessment Services and AKE Ltd. Even before the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, enrolment had leaped following the deaths of APTN's Miguel Gil Moreno and Reuters' Kurt Schork in Sierra Leone in May 2000. Then came the attacks and the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in February; now the hostile environment classes are packed even more.

Centurion and AKE's five-day courses show journalists the operation of different weapons and ballistics, recommended procedures during abduction and captivity, recognition and avoidance of mines and booby traps and emergency first aid, such as how to prevent a colleague from bleeding to death, as well as coping with the post-traumatic stress disorder. Centurion now also conducts biological and chemical warfare seminars following the anthrax attacks.

The courses are so realistic that one female journalist who was "ambushed and kidnapped" as part of the course bashed her arm on the door of her vehicle then split her bottom lip as she was thrown to the ground, face down. All that training paid off when she was assigned to Sarajevo.

As many journalists cannot afford to pay for such courses, several groups have stepped in to help. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has sponsored safety-training courses for journalists in danger areas like Afghanistan, Palestine and Pakistan. In addition, the IFJ has an International Code of Practice for the Safe Conduct of Journalism and a safety manual called "Danger: Journalists at Work," which outlines steps to take to make sure journalists stay alive or out of danger. The manual also lists organizations to contact like the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Sans Frontieres if a journalist goes missing, or is captured or arrested. Plus, there is an IFJ safety fund for these beleaguered journalists.

In memory of Kurt Schork, the Reuters Foundation last year began an annual program sponsoring local journalists from 12 countries to participate in Centurion's five-day hostile environment course. Freelance media workers, meanwhile, have the Rory Peck Training Fund to turn to for funding assistance.

For Filipino journalists who may not get the chance to be sent to these special courses, here are some survival tips from Gacad and Soho:

BEFORE YOU LEAVE
Be mentally prepared. Research where you're going-the people, the climate, the road condition, the security situation. In foreign countries, Gacad gets briefings from the AFP bureau chiefs on the security situation before embarking on his assignment. Once in the field, he gets a daily security situation assessment from authorities, such as the mujahideen commanders in Afghanistan, before heading for the frontline. He also relies on radio communication to find more about the security conditions.

For potentially risky provincial assignments, Soho coordinates with GMA's local stations. She also gets in touch with the mayor or governor to find out what's happening on the ground. For overseas coverage, Soho consults the embassy for an assessment of the situation and occasionally for assistance, such as booking a hotel room. Know the embassy's press attaché or point person, she advises.

Soho also says that journalists should learn the culture of a foreign place or any unfamiliar group they will be dealing with. She recalls her arrival in Pakistan as scary, having been one of the only two female passengers on board the airplane that landed at midnight in Lahore. Both she and the other woman passenger, who was Caucasian, stood out in the crowd and drew stern stares; they had no burkas.

Be physically prepared. Gacad does basic exercises, especially to strengthen the body. A conditioned body is important for any travel condition.

Pack a compass, map, flashlight, binoculars, and first-aid kit. If space permits, bring a bulletproof vest and a helmet. Gacad wears a watch fitted with a compass. Soho always carries a small flashlight in her bag. Gacad never leaves for a risky assignment without a map; Soho often has neither a map nor a compass leaves on local assignments. "We're not oriented to maps or compasses, and it's easy to get around the Philippines," she explains. But covering conflict in a foreign land without a map is a no-no, she says.

A bulletproof vest enhances the safety of journalists, but takes up a lot of baggage space. Wearing a 15-kilo vest the whole day can also be impractical. "You'll be dead from exhaustion," says Gacad. "It's really a choice between wearing the vest and being productive the whole day." Soho, who has worn a bulletproof vest once or twice, says it's not comfortable to wear one in warm weather.

Gacad is unaccustomed to bringing a first-aid kit, but pays attention to the locations of first-aid stations and medical teams. For the Gulf War assignment, Gacad made time to drive up to Pampanga to buy a chemical warfare suit.

Choose your flight. Soho now realizes that flying the Israeli airline El Al to cover the fighting between the Israelis and Palestinians was a mistake. The likelihood of suicide bombers or hijackers on board the plane was great, she says.

Be familiar with weapons. What are these? What are their effective ranges? This would help journalists assess their chances of getting out alive when the shooting or bombing starts, Gacad says. Journalists can learn from the experts, including the soldiers and rebels they normally come across.