The announcement ended at eleven twenty-three in the morning. By eleven twenty-four, the first clips of Timothy Guerrero's speech had appeared online. Studio 3 at GMA Network Center emptied into the hallway. Producers rushed past one another, preparing for follow-up broadcasts. Cameramen wheeled equipment out of the set. The newsroom was already shifting into analysis mode.
Outside the studio, the city absorbed the broadcast in waves.
The public reaction started quietly, and then grew.
11:30 AM
Quezon City – Commonwealth Market
Vendors took breaks from arranging vegetables and fish to gather around a small television mounted above a stall. The signal flickered, but the replay from GMA News was clear enough. Timothy's line about collapsing classrooms drew a few shakes of the head.
One vendor crossed her arms.
"So it takes a private company to fix what the government should be doing," she said.
