The cost of reporting too close to home

By Ryan Rosauro

While shooting images of the aftermath of Tropical Storm Sendong in Barangay Hinaplanon, Iligan City in the early morning of Dec. 17, photojournalist Richel Umel was at first detached from the scene of muddied cadavers being hauled by army rescuers for identification.

Several moments later, he could not move. His tears flowed uncontrollably at the sight of lines of drowned people and the throng of grieving flood survivors.

“Images of tragic events I went through and witnessed since I was young, especially the wars, flashed on my mind,” Richel related.
(Click here for the full story)