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Last Friday, September 11 at the Manila International Book Fair in Pasay City, seasoned journalist and I Witness host Howie Severino launched his book entitled People I Knew: And Some I Didn’t, But Wrote About Them Anyway.
In his opening speech, the Kapuso news pillar said that those who work on television, also love to read.
“Hindi ko rin ‘yan alam dati dahil lumaki ako sa pamilyang naniniwalang ang kalaban ng pagbabasa ay ang telebisyon,” citing that his viewing experience was curated during his younger years.
But when he transitioned from print to TV in 1997, as he joined the investigative documentary program The Probe Team, that view changed as he saw the potential of the medium to tell more stories that will encourage people to learn more about different things.
It was also there when he was able to learn to speak fluently in the vernacular language, especially with him being raised in the United States.
“Sa totoo lang, kulang ang airtime para sa lahat ng natitisod naming kwento at detalye, kaya madalas ay naghihinayang kami,” the journalist also said.
He also quipped that his fellow I Witness host Atom Araullo, who launched his book A View From The Ground also at the MIBF in 2025, might have started a trend. Perhaps, there fellow documentarist Kara David is also next, he joked.
Meanwhile, he also said that his book has a singular goal and that is to remember all the people who are featured inside it—famous or not, but all have traits he found fascinating.
