He was a pleasant surprise for viewers who tuned in to the coverage.
On Sunday, November 9, TV5’s news department News5, together with its sister organizations under the Mediaquest group, held a joint marathon coverage on the onslaught of Super Typhoon Uwan in Luzon.
As with other companies, various news teams were deployed across the island to cover the impact of the powerful cyclone.
In Albay, a crew was also sent to monitor the situation in the province, which was one of the first few to experience the wrath of the super typhoon.
As the evening coverage, anchored by Ed Lingao and Gretchen Ho, continued, viewers tuned into the specially-extended coverage were greeted with a pleasant surprise.
This, as News5 cameraman Mac Ortiz was tapped to do a live standupper, a sight unseen in the local media landscape, and discussed the goings-on in the immediate vicinity and other towns in the province.
Ortiz admitted on-air that he felt nervous, telling everyone that it is because it was only his first time to do a report, a live one on that as well.
Meanwhile, Lingao and Ho were proud to see their “multi-talented” colleague finally moving from behind the camera to the front of it.
The said report immediately garnered attention among netizens on social media, with the cameraman earning praise for his dedication to the craft and rising to the occasion, especially during a calamity.
The upload of the segment has since amassed over 600,000 views on News5’s YouTube channel, with various users resharing the video online.