As an artist, Hersley Ven Casero is used to sharing his photographs with the public. Because of the internet, his works reach far and wide. Sometimes, he gets paid for his work while sometimes, he only gets recognition from fellow artists, budding artists, his photography students and friends.
But he was not prepared for what he saw on last Saturday’s TV show Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho where a Batangas-based artist, Niccolo Jose, who has been featured in several national publications, claimed one of Casero’s photographs as his own.
The photograph of Casero’s own nephew showing a hearty laugh, was made into a subject of cuisine shaping and painting.
“This is a boy who is a cancer survivor who is from Batangas, so this is a pasta of joy,” Niccolo said on national TV.
That episode of Soho’s program was also uploaded on the internet and obtained the approval of several viewers.
But Casero’s nephew saw the show and was not among those who approved of Niccolo’s doing.
“My nephew cried when Niccolo said that the boy in the photo was a cancer-survivor and my nephew thought he was sick and that his parents were hiding it from him,” Casero, an artist-in-residence of Foundation University, told the MetroPost.
Casero said his only objection to what he saw was the Batangas-based artist’s claiming ownership of the photograph. “I am an artist, too, and I respect other artists’ work. That is one reason why I did not even put a watermark on that photo because I know artists from other places do not use any property without permission and with false information.”
He wrote the artist, as well as GMA 7. GMA promised to look into the matter but nothing else was heard of it.
The MetroPost also sent an email to Niccolo Jose’s email address but has not received a reply.
Last Friday, Casero emailed the MetroPost to say that he got a reply from Niccolo, who admitted giving false information during the GMA 7 show.
“I am terribly sorry for issuing a false information in front of a camera. I never intended to hurt anyone, especially your nephew. I was nervous and said something without even thinking so the interviewer wouldn’t ask anymore photo,” Casero quoted Niccolo as saying.
Niccolo added that he was prepared to personally apologize to Casero and his nephew, and his family in Dumaguete and promised to “make amends for my mistakes and promise to learn from this.”
