Emer and Friends

I-Witness dokyu ni Howie Severino, airing Monday midnight July 28, 2008, after Saksi GMA-7

Howie Severino and his I-Witness team immerse themselves in the world of people who talk like robots and have holes in their throats.

One of those is Emer Rojas, a former radio announcer who suffered his worst nightmare: he lost his voice when he contracted cancer of the vocal chords which had to be surgically removed. He and others like him now have to breathe through a hole in their throats.

But with the help of a small device, he regained his voice but now sounds like a robot. Like other cancer survivors, he lives on borrowed time. But Emer also becomes a man on a mission. He has organized those like him, former chain smokers who lost their vocal chords and talk like robots. Others have learned to use esophageal speech or talking by burping and ended up sounding like frogs.

Emer uses his voice to draw attention to his cause: anti-smoking. He speaks on campuses and even returns to radio booths to champion his cause.

Emer and his allies are advocating putting pictures of people with cancer on cigarette packs, which is done in other countries. But the opposition is as powerful as the tobacco industry. Howie and his team visit the biggest cigarette factory in the Philippines, which supplies one of the most smoking-addicted nations in the world.

CREDITS:

Marissa L. Flores
Executive-In-Charge of Production

Nessa S. Valdellon
Program Manager

Howie G. Severino
Host/writer

Ramil de Jesus
Executive Producer

Nowell Cuanang
Field Producer/Director

Egay Navarro
Jason Dimla
Dennis Torres
Cameramen

Ma. Criselda Sto. Domingo
Researcher

Chelsea N. Sombillo
Production Coordinator

Bb. Abril Carpio
Production Assistant

Elmer Gatchalian
Script Editor

Jessie Bernardo
Asst. Cameraman

Ivy Q. Magparangalan
Production Administrator

Ma. Cristina Macatulad
Edit Supervisor

Antonio Payomo III
Rayziel Rosento
Bb. Abril Carpio
Editors

Francis Almario
Graphic Artist

Noli Liwag
Master Editor

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Boses Upos
• Howie Severino
• I Witness
• Emer Rojas
• Laryngectomee Club
• New Vois Association
• Survivor
• cancer
• support group