Shooting from the heart

I followed every twist and turn of my friend John Chua’s battle against cancer that he shared on Facebook.  And what a fight he put up!  He sucked every bit of the marrow of life, made memories for his family, especially the grandchildren, forwarded his many advocacies, tapping all the resources available to ensure their continued viability, and established his legacy as a photographer par excellence.

I met John in 1975 when I was asked to co-edit a company publication of General Motors called Goodman. It was the third year of martial rule with all its strictures, and journalism and publishing had become dull and sterile.  Ed Sanchez had just been hired by General Motors to handle public relations and, the journalist that he was, he thought of publishing a bimonthly magazine that was sleek, colorful, interesting and intelligent.  Although published by GM, it would not be all about motor vehicles.  It would be general interest magazine with at least one feature article about cars.

He contacted Lorna Kalaw Tirol and I to brainstorm on his idea.  It was an exciting project, we had tons of ideas, but we needed strong backup. Nik Ricio, then a new name in graphic design, came in as layout artist, and John Chua joined us as photographer. We were young, scrappy and hungry and, pooling our creative juices, we came up with a magazine that responded to the crying need of the day for vibrant reading.

Goodman was a refreshing new player on the publishing scene where at the time, only the risqué Ginoo had made any waves since the imposition of martial rule.  With John’s photographs, Nik’s art direction and layout, and printing by Louie Reyes of Vera-Reyes Press, our stories and those of our contributors were packaged into a glossy and relevant magazine that won the Anvil Award for company publications in 1977.

Even after Goodman folded in 1977, I continued to work with the team of John, Nik and Louie on various projects.  John brought me to Banaue, where he introduced me to the rice terraces that he had become enamored with.  With his wife Harvey and his young daughter Ching, we hiked on a narrow rocky trail from Banaue down to Hungduan, a small settlement amid the terraces.  On the way back, I was so exhausted I had to lie down.  Ching, gave me a sip of water from her canteen before merrily skipping ahead, shaming me and my weak legs.

Our second trip to Banaue was for the “Imbayah,” which John helped the community organize, where the residents, in their native attire, participated in a festival of indigenous games. He invited the media and a host of sponsors, which resulted in wide coverage of Banaue’s many charms. I wrote a feature on the Imbayah for Panorama magazine.

In the following years, John brought more excitement to Banaue.  He flew in on a helicopter, the very first time the residents recalled seeing one. He introduced windsurfing from the terraces, and more recently, drone photography that enhanced the coverage of the age-old terraces.  A few years ago, he organized corporations to sponsor the widely reported repair of parts of the rice terraces that were falling apart. 

At his wake last Wednesday, denizens of Ifugao province struck their gongs and danced in honor of John, their beloved adopted son on whom they had bestowed the rank of Warrior. 

Banaue was only one of many advocacies  that John was passionate about.  He would wake up in the morning with an idea, write down a proposal, meet with possible sponsors, and — sooner than later — a new project was born.

John loved flying. He could always get a ride on a Philippine Air Force helicopter or C-47 to get to his photo assignments. He thought it would be wonderful for children with special needs to experience his two loves: flying and photography.  He connected the concerned groups and achieved both.  An exhibit of photographs by PWDs stunned the public and empowered the kids. 

“Making a difference in my own little way,” he wrote on FB. “Shoot from the heart.”

John’s love for Maali, the lone elephant at the Manila Zoo, is well known.  He fed, bathed, cared for and defended Maali against animal protection advocates who sought to have her shipped to Thailand and released in the wild.  John researched on elephant care and took on the international lobby of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).  He redesigned Maali’s area in the zoo, attended to her health issues, and publicized her plight, which brought more visitors to the zoo, whom John delighted by allowing them to feed Maali with the bananas and other fruit he brought her frequently.

Following John’s last year on earth via Facebook, I was amazed at how much he got done even in his pain and discomfort. He taught his doctors cellphone photography.  He organized exhibits of his photographs of Ifugao. He renewed his marriage vows with Harvey. Once, bored out his wits from a prolonged stay in the hospital, he walked out in the middle of a storm that flooded Manila’s streets, hired several kalesas and brought his grandchildren to spend the night at Manila Ocean Park’s marine-themed hotel.

Whether it was advertising photography, a field he dominated, or his advocacies, John did everything with focus, dedication and enthusiasm.  On his FB page, he shared his favorite quotes:  “Just do it.” “Live life to the fullest.”

My friend John Chua passed away on January 7, 2018.