After Aquino's assassination in 1983, Severino returned home to teach at his alma mater Ateneo de Manila High School, and join the anti-Marcos movement.

He was arrested while taking pictures of a police dispersal of a student barricade in front of Ateneo campus on January 28, 1985, the same day as Lino Brocka and Behn Cervantes.

Severino was detained for eight days in Fort Bonifacio, which was at the time a dreaded army camp and not yet the high-end commercial and residential hub that it is today.

On TV, he was on Probe Team for four years with Cheche Lazaro before joining i-Witness, now one of the longest-running public affairs programs in the Philippines.

He set up the PCIJ's Environment Desk, built credentials as a leading environmental journalist, and worked closely with Ramon Magsaysay awardee Sheila Coronel.

In 2012, Alon, 10, was named Best Child Performer by the Aliw Awards for his role in Totong Hilot, a full-length play staged in the Cultural Center of the Philippines during the Virgin Labfest.

Included on the DVD was Huling Hala-bira, a documentary about a family living under the railroad tracks in Pandacan, Manila, which won second prize that same year in a United Nations-sponsored international broadcast competition.