Reporter Bam Alegre survives after falling from ship while on news coverage
GMA Integrated News reporter Bam Alegre survived after falling from the side of a ship on the morning of Jan. 26 during a news coverage.
In a Facebook post, the journalist recalled the accident that took place around 4:30 a.m. at Pier 13 in Manila. He was on duty to report on the return of 15 rescued Filipino sailors, whose cargo vessel, M/V Devon Bay, had capsized near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Jan. 23. Two were confirmed dead in the incident.
"10 feet. 18 feet. Hindi ko alam paano sukatin. Basta nang mahulog ako sa gilid ng barko, tila isang segundo akong nakalutang sa ere bago bumulusok sa dagat. Madaling araw. Madilim. Aksidente sa pier," he began, sharing photos of him in a hospital as well as his scarred hands.
According to Alegre, he knew the water was deep because he couldn’t reach the bottom when he fell into the sea. At that moment, he had only a few moments to think about how he could survive the fall.
"Hindi pa ako handa na mag-flashback ang buong buhay ko. May ilang segundo pa ako para mag-isip: 'Kung hindi ko kaya lumutang, baka hindi nila ako makita kaagad. Lulutang na lang ako mamaya bilang bangkay,'" he shared.
Alegre recalled what he learned from his training years ago. "Langoy aso. So that’s what I did. I raised my hands and naglangoy aso ako," he said. "Sabi ko bahala na. Langoy aso na."
He was eventually rescued and brought to the hospital for medical assistance.
In another post, Alegre shared that he was willing to go live on TV to deliver the news about the rescued sailors, but his home network insisted that he get checked first.
"Nang maiahon ako, sabi ko sa opisina, kaya ko pang mag-LIVE sa Unang Hirit at ibalita ang mga na-rescue sa West Philippine Sea na dadalhin sa Maynila. Pero inuna ng GMA News na matignan ako sa ospital. Duguan na rin ang mga kamay ko. Hindi ko napansin. Adrenaline," he said.
The journalist shared his realization after the fall. "Sa taas ng tumba, kung may tumama sa ulo ko, o kaya nawalan ako ng malay, wala na ako. Pero may himala. May wake-up call din. Hindi pa oras. Dapat bigyang saysay ang panibagong buhay," he mused.
Alegre has been a GMA News reporter since 2012.
