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Jim Paredes' daughter provides 'snapshots' of Andal arraignment


(Updated 12:41 p.m.) With video and digital cameras prohibited during Tuesday's arraignment of the prime suspect in the Maguindanao massacre, the media had to make do with illustrations of the scene drawn by Ala Paredes, daughter of Jim Paredes of the performance trio Apo Hiking Society. She was commissioned by the Supreme Court and introduced to the media by Supreme Court spokesman Midas Marquez outside the arraignment venue in Camp Crame. "Let me present to you our artist. Mayroon tayong inimbitahan na guest artist," said Marquez, calling out the only person authorized to produce images from the arraignment of Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who faces 41 counts of murder. As though taking a cue from the high court spokesperson, Ala squeezed herself into the huddle of reporters and spectators, clutching her hand-drawn "snapshots" during the arraignment. The second daughter of Jim Paredes and now based in Australia, Ala graduated in 2009 with a diploma in Design Illustration from the Sydney Design Center in Emmore.
Angela 'Ala' Paredes, daughter of Jim Paredes, shows to media her official sketches of the scene during Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr's trial in Camp Crame Tuesday. Andal Jr pleaded not guilty to all 41 murder charges hurled against him. AP
Marquez told GMANews.TV that he decided to allow an artist to sketch activities inside the court upon requests from media workers since taking video footage or photographs of the arraignment was not allowed. Marquez said he personally handpicked Ala to do the job after she was "highly recommended" by a staff member of the Supreme Court's Public Information Office. "We really wanted to give the task to someone who is really good [in sketching]. The request from the media came on short notice... and Ala was recommended to me," Marquez said. He said Ala carried out the sketching job free of charge and "for the love of the SC." Marquez was the one who arranged the holding of the hearing inside Camp Crame.
Ala's sketches taken from video grab of Balitanghali report. GMANews.TV
Sketches As Ala raised her five sketches for everyone to see after the arraignment, the room was flooded with flashes from cameras of photojournalists eager to get official illustrations of the scenes inside the arraignment venue. Ala's first drawing of events during the arraignment showed a wide picture of the room, showing from afar Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (Refer to Photo 2). The judge, who was earlier hailed for not backing out of the case unlike a colleague of hers, later appeared in another sketch with a tighter "shot" (1). National Bureau of Investigation anti-terrorism division head Ricardo Diaz was also shown in two sketches taking the witness stand (3). One of the most the striking sketches was that of Andal Jr. turning his head to people behind him, while sandwiched between two men (4). "Once lang siya tumingin sa likod so mahirap talaga hulihin yun (He only looked back once so it was really hard to capture that moment)," Ala recounted. On the art website that she maintains - aptly called Ala Paredes: Illustration - the 26-year-old illustrator and designer was described as someone who "loved doodling even before she learned to walk properly." Ala also studied at the Ateneo de Manila University where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She ventured into modeling at one point of her life and had a short stint as a video jockey (VJ). Known as an environmental activist, Ala blogs to promote her advocacy. Jim's daughter also became a television show host, an advice columnist for a magazine, and a front woman for Pinoy rock band Hiraya. In 2006, she and her family migrated to Australia, where she took on the job as an Australian news correspondent for a show catering to Filipinos in the land down under. - Mark Dalan Merueñas/RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV
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