Crime story reporters Gus Abelgas, Jeff Caparas, and Jessie Cruzat join host Ganiel Krishnan on Oh My Gan! at the ABS-CBN Digital Studios in Quezon City on July 29, 2026. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News
ABS-CBN reporter Jeff Caparas opened up about surviving an explosion while covering conflict in Maguindanao and how the incident led him to undergo therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder.
During his guest appearance on “Oh My Gan!,” Caparas described the February 2014 incident as one of the most difficult moments of his career.
“Actually, this is my second life,” Caparas said.
Caparas recalled that his team was covering the conflict in Maguindanao following the military’s capture of a BIFF camp when they encountered the site of an earlier roadside explosion.
His team got out of their vehicle to document the scene, unaware that another explosion would follow.
“Hindi namin alam, may secondary explosion, may naghagis sa amin ng bomba,” he recalled.
Caparas said he was struck by shrapnel and still carries scars from the incident.
He also vividly remembers the sound and force of the explosion.
“Alam mo ‘yung sa pelikula, Ganiel? Totoo ‘yun! Pag may sumabog, ‘yung ‘tingggg,’ totoo ‘yun,” he said.
Caparas said he and his cameraman were eventually evacuated and brought from Maguindanao to Cotabato before he was transferred to Makati Medical Center.
It was there that he realized the psychological impact of what he had experienced.
“Pagdating sa Makati Med, nabagsak ‘yung takip ng pagkain, napaganun talaga ako. So trauma. PTSD is totoo,” he said.
Caparas eventually underwent therapy and recovered, but acknowledged that difficult stories can stay with journalists long after their coverage ends.
Among the more recent stories that affected him emotionally was a case involving the killing of a policewoman and her eight-year-old child. Caparas recalled entering the house connected to the case and later struggling to process what he had seen.
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“Pag-uwi ko ng bahay, hindi ko na-contain ‘yung emotion,” he said. “Paano nagagawa ng isang tao sa isang tao ‘yun?”
To cope with the emotional weight of crime reporting, Caparas said he talks to his family, calls his mother, and journals.
For him, witnessing tragedy has also become a constant reminder of how quickly life can change.
“Ginagamit ko siyang reminder na sa isang iglap, puwedeng mawala ‘yung tao,” he said.
Caparas also recalled covering the Venson Evangelista case and witnessing the moment Evangelista’s father was confronted with the reality of his son’s death.
Experiences like these, Caparas said, can change the way a journalist sees the people around him.
“‘Yung nako-cover naming story, parang pag tinake mo siya personally, mas lalo mong mamahalin ‘yung mga tao sa paligid mo. You get to appreciate the simplest things,” he said.
Caparas also stressed the importance of talking about difficult experiences instead of keeping them bottled up.
“Ginagawa ko, I talk to someone, kay Sir Gus, pag-usapan namin ‘yung mga ganitong istorya,” he said. “Nag-uunload ka… kasi nandiyan ‘yan, mag-stay talaga siya.”
Despite the risks and emotional toll of the job, Caparas continues to cover crime and investigative stories. He now works alongside veteran journalist Gus Abelgas and fellow reporter Jessie Cruzat in “S.O.C.O.” and also co-hosts “Philippines’ Most Shocking Stories” with Cruzat.
For younger journalists who want to pursue the same beat, Caparas emphasized that getting the story should never come at the expense of compassion.
“You have to be human first,” he said.
Caparas said reporters can be aggressive in pursuing information, but they must remember the victims and families behind every crime story.
“You have to be human first para at the end of the day, wala kang inaagrabyado and nagawa mo ‘yung trabaho mo as journalist,” he said.
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