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| (Image Source: GMA Network) |
“Sundo: A GMA Integrated News Documentary” recently bagged a Bronze World Medal at the 2024 New York Festivals TV and Film Awards. It marks a significant milestone for GMA Integrated News (GMAIN), the multi-platfrom news arm of the Philippines' largest and leading broadcast media company GMA Network, since this is the first documentary production under GMAIN 360. Affirming its “mas malaking misyon, mas malawak na paglilingkod sa bayan" commitment, the News Authority of the Filipino stood at the forefront as the first Philippine news organization that covered the latest developments straight from the Middle East.
Veteran war correspondent Raffy Tima, a one-man team in Cairo, Egypt, chronicled the grueling pleas and attempts of Filipinos and their loved ones to be granted safe passage at the Rafa Border. On the other hand, long-time foreign affairs correspondent JP Soriano, accompanied by video producer Kim Sorra, traveled to Israel to document firsthand accounts of Filipino survivors and the heroism of those who fell in Tel Aviv. Through their lens, they revealed overseas Filipinos' hope, despite the harsh realities and destructions of war, and the joy in returning home and reuniting with their loved ones. Aired last December 3, 2023 on GMA-7, "Sundo" documented the profound impact of the relentless conflict between Israel and Hamas on Overseas Filipino Workers. It captured the resilience, indomitable spirit, strength, and unwavering courage of Filipinos working amidst the war, risking their lives to provide for their families back home in the Philippines.
Four Filipino workers, including two caregivers who valiantly shielded their wards, succumbed to the sudden assault from Hamas and the lethal retaliation of Israel. Despite being offered repatriation which provides a chance for OFWs and Filipinos living in Israel to go home safely, some hesitated, unwilling to abandon those under their care, as exemplified by the courageous plea of Filipina caregiver Camille Jesalva. As the militants stormed at their dwelling place, she offered her savings just so she and her elderly ward can be spared. In Gaza, over a hundred Filipinos found themselves trapped, their desperation imminent. Among them is Nadia Alzanki who still mourns the loss of 27 relatives who all perished in a single airstrike. She and her husband Mahmoud attempted to cross the Gaza Border several times.
As the war intensified, the urgency for Philippine embassy officials to mount a rescue mission heightened. GMA Integrated News was one with them in carrying out the task of bringing our Filipino workers back home to safety. GMA Integrated News gave an up-to-the-minute account of the continuous repatriation of Filipinos. The stories and narratives in “Sundo: A GMA Integrated News Documentary" make up a compelling narrative that champions the human spirit which is world-class worthy that GMA Network is known for across the globe through the years. Catch "Sundo: A GMA Integrated News Documentary" on-demand on GMAIN's official YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/live/uuPB4K_Eoc8.
