POOLED REPORT
Underpaid, Under Fire,
Under Pressure
Media workers may bask in
the limelight and may wield tremendous amount of influence. But, as four
topnotch Davao journalists tell davaotoday.com, they are not spared from
poverty and the corruption and danger that it brings.
BY GRACE S. UDDIN
davaotoday.com
Posted by Bulatlat
DAVAO
CITY – Print and broadcast journalists may have relative popularity or
notoriety because of the power of information they wield on air or on
print. But that doesn’t mean they are spared from the same hardships
suffered by ordinary Filipinos.
Four journalists here shared their own tales of coping with
poverty and their meager income, and overcoming the call of the
“envelope”, or bribery.
Carmelito Francisco, Managing Editor of the local daily
Mindanao Times, had been in media for more than 13 years. He recalled
that, back in 1992, when he was just starting out as a writer, he was paid
per column inch. He usually earns P600 per article.
”It was just very fortunate that my boss was kind enough
and would occasionally shell out, say, 100 pesos from his own pocket to
help me sustain my meager income,” he said.
Francisco went from one newspaper to another, and worked
for all the four established local newspapers in the city. In 2002, he
finally settled for Mindanao Times, where he later became the
managing editor, receiving an average pay of 15,000 pesos. He also writes
for BusinessWorld, where he is paid 1.50 per word. In a month, he
receives an average of 10,000 pesos from BusinessWorld.
Francisco knows he fares relatively better than other media
workers in the city. One problem he sees is the level of competition
among local newspapers here, which are competing for advertisers rather
than quality.
Francisco says in Cebu, for example, editors receive higher
pay compared to the editors in Davao City.
“This is an issue that should be addressed by the company
owners. If they are competing for a good paper, the advantage will be on
the reporters because they will hire the best and offer the highest salary
as possible,” he said.
A broadcast journalist, Jessie Casalda, reporter and
program director of Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) and also a writer for
Mindanao Daily Mirror, had his own share of money problems when he was
still with a big TV network.
It had something to do with the “lifestyle” that he needed
to maintain because people have higher expectations from employees of the
TV station.
“You tend to spend more than what you earn, because you
have to live up to the perception of the people, since you are working in
a big network,” he said.
Economic Difficulties
Mario Maximo Solis, more popularly known as Dodong Solis to
colleagues and radio listeners, is a station manager for RMN in the city
and the assistant area manager for Mindanao of the network. But before
reaching his current position, he went through economic difficulties as a
journalist.
In 1983, Solis was still a student at the University of
Mindanao (UM) when he started out as a writer for the University of
Mindanao Broadcasting Network (UMBN). The family of Eugenio Torres owned
both UM and the radio station UMBN. As an arrangement, Solis was paid by
way of free schooling plus a 50-peso allowance, which he used as transport
fare for coverages.
“That situation alone was indeed tough, much more if you
were an ordinary man who went here in Davao to look for greener pastures.
Before, we would just eat banana cue, drink water, and that would be
enough for lunch.”
The next year, Solis was hired as a reporter of the Manila
Broadcasting Company, where he was given a salary of 800 pesos a month.
The employees later went on strike to ask for a 50-peso increase in their
wages. The management, however, rejected their call and eventually closed
the station.
Solis also worked for ABS- CBN. “They had a system where
in every program, you would be paid 1,000 pesos. If you can report in
another program, you would get 1,500 pesos. So, if you collect it all, you
would have 20,000 pesos a month. But you would get income only for the
duration of that program. What if your luck runs out and only one project
is given to you? Then you will have a take home pay of only 1,500 pesos,”
he said.
Solis also remembered the times when Davao was tagged as
the “Nicaragua of Asia',” because of the rampant killings; he was assigned
to cover these incidents. Those times, there was also tough competition
among journalists, who could earn commission from funeral parlors.
Whenever a person was reported killed, journalists would immediately call
his favored funeral parlor. For every body that the journalist could
report in, he got 50 pesos.
“It's our own way of striving and funeral homes do that out
of pity on us. So every week they pay us,” Solis said.
In 1987, Solis said being a media worker was already very
hard.
“Among other things we do to survive was to go to wakes to
have free snacks. The chief of police would give us breakfast because he
knew about our situation. Often times, your food would depend on where you
would be going. You go out with the mayor or cover press conferences just
to be able to eat and sustain your needs,” he said.
Of all the radio stations in Davao City, RMN enjoys not
only the widest reach but the highest credibility. Solis credits his
station and his colleagues for keeping their head above water, their
ethics intact.
Solis implemented a conducive working environment for
reporters when he became station manager of RMN, which is a family
corporation owned by the Canoy family. RMN employees are given wages above
the minimum set by the Department of Labor and Employment, he said.
Despite their strict compliance with the law, Solis
admitted that the 5,000 to 6,000 pesos minimum wage is not enough to cope
with the rising cost of living. “So what if you are a reporter? That
doesn’t mean that you will not be affected by the high cost of living
today.”
As a way of easing the burden on their employees, Solis
helped them by being creative in their use of revenues and income. For
instance, if the station earns 10,000 pesos from a certain event, he would
remit the 7,000 pesos to the station while the remaining 3,000 pesos is
shared among the employees.
Aside from this, the station hires its own people as voice
talents for radio dramas. In every recording, the production cost would
amount to 40,000 pesos, where 60% goes back to talent fees.
The station also provides free meals to employees. “Instead
of bringing packed lunch, or going out with the politicians, you will just
come back here because there's food available,” Solis explained, adding
that these lunches also strengthen the camaraderie among employees.
But RMN’s experience is, in a way, unique.
Tek Ocampo, a national correspondent of GMA-7 Manila,
admitted that, although a regular employee, what he earns from his regular
and main job is not sufficient. “Believe it or not, I am just earning
15,000 a month,” Tek said.
He augments this income by doing anchor jobs in the
network’s radio station, RGMA, and for being a talent in the local GMA TV.
He would receive between 20,000 to 30,000 a month all in all. He also
shuttles between Manila and Davao, but staying mostly in Davao helps him
save money. He says he's glad that at least he has a secured job.
Media Corruption
Ocampo, in his 13 years of practice, told davaotoday.com
that, early on in his career, he experienced being bribed.
He once served as a cameraman in another network due to
lack of personnel. One day, he accompanied a senior reporter to interview
a government official. While holding the camera, the senior reporter came
near him and inserted something in Ocampo’s pocket. Ocampo didn’t check
what it was until after the coverage and he was already at home: he found
500 peso bill inside his pocket.
The next morning, Ocampo approached the reporter and asked
him if it was him who put the money in his pocket. The reporter nodded.
Ocampo asked him why and the reporter merely said that it came from the
public official, for snacks. “I asked him, Is that proper? And he replied,
Nobody needs to know,” Ocampo said.
Ocampo thought about the incident for a while and felt
guilty but he was too embarrassed to give the money back. Being a neophyte
in the field, he ended up spending the money.
“At that point, I felt bad. It opened me to the reality
that this is how it goes,” Ocampo explained. There were more attempts to
bribe him but, according to him, he never gave in.
Not long afterward, the company where he was working closed
down.
Like Ocampo, Francsico had the same experience as a young
and innocent journalist. In his first few weeks covering a press
conference in a government company, he experienced being handed with an
envelope. He knew it was money because he saw on top of that bulk a 100
peso bill.
“The funny thing was, I returned it. I wondered why I was
given when in fact I never needed it because my boss was paying me,” he
said.
He confronted his editor and it was explained to him that
the incident was indeed a practice. “It even became a joke among us, that
if there is a press conference, there will be hand-outs,” Francisco told.
Although he could no longer remember what the bribe was
for, he still remembered the person giving it. “He's already dead but I
don't know if I earned his respect because after that he would keep his
distance from me and he mentioned that to me before he died,” Francisco
said.
Casalda, meanwhile, had experienced the same thing. Once,
he wrote a story about corruption at a public high school. After his
article was published, he received an invitation from the superintendent
of that school. He eagerly went and upon entering the office, the official
shouted at him, “How much are you worth?!” Casalda recalled being
dumbfounded.
But he managed to regain his composure and replied, “I'm
sorry, ma’am, I'm not for sale.” He then sensed that he was about to be
bribed by the official but he was able to make the first move by refusing
any offer.
Casalda said that, sometimes, he would receive gifts at the
office, with thank you cards, but he had no idea why or where those came
from. He would just think that he could have written something that
pleased somebody. But he never hesitates to write about negative things
about a certain company.
One time, an advertiser in the Mirror got mad because of a
story and threatened to withdraw ad placements. “It was just a very good
thing that our editorial department was separated from the marketing. I
was called by my editor not to block the news but rather to tell me to get
the side of the advertiser,” he said.
But Casalda later found that somebody had approached the
advertiser and took a bribe in Casalda’s name.
Bribery and other forms of corruption also thrive during
elections, Solis of RMN said.
A Matter of Principle
Some say it's a matter of principle. Others say it's
credibility. These are the reasons why the four media practitioners
resisted the temptation of “the envelope” in the course of their career.
Francisco said that he was lucky enough that after he
started in 1992, he also wrote for outlets like United Press
International, Today newspaper and wrote news for FM stations.
“I’m not saying that my income is big, but it is enough to
keep me from any mischief in my work,” he said. He knew that economic
reason is a factor, but he also said there are journalists who earn only a
little yet manage to be straight in their practices.
Casalda shared the same view. “You are building your
credibility for a long time and in just a wink of an eye, the respect will
disappear,” he said. Casalda is also a licensed electrical engineer, which
gives him extra income and which allows him to keep his name clean.
Before refusing a bribe, Casalda said, a journalist should
try to explain his job. This way, he believes, those who offer bribe will
not get insulted if the journalist refuses it.
Ocampo and Solis have a different view.
“We cannot blame those who accept bribes because it all
boils down to economics,” Ocampo said.
Solis agreed. “How can you do your responsibilities if you
yourself have needs. How can you write about people fighting for just
wages when you yourself is a victim?”
Media Killings
Aside from economic difficulties and vulnerability to
unethical practices, being a Filipino journalist these days has become a
dangerous job.
Recently, GMA 5-Davao conducted a “Media Threats Awareness
Seminar.” The staff learned about threats to media, surveillance,
profiling a suspect and evasive actions, or preventive measures that would
help them survive.
Ocampo said carrying a gun is not a solution, although he
admits he owns one but he doesn't carry it nor advocates arming the media.
Still, he said , the best way is to report facts objectively.
Criticizing should also be done in proper perspective, and
getting the other side is important, Solis said.
Media Situation in Davao
Solis said issues on economic conditions are a common
concern by every media practitioner. In his 23 years in media, Solis has
observed that only few media men are capable of surviving independently.
“Media practice here is rather dependent on who will
sustain their livelihood,” Solis said. He added that some journalists have
accepted the fact that clinging to some politicians or being the
mouthpiece of a governor, mayor or congressmen makes their lives better
economically.
Media companies should also ensure a more secured
environment for journalists. The government can help in this regard, Solis
explained, suggesting, for example, that before one can have a franchise
for a station, the government should require the company to sign an
agreement that it would give proper wages and job security to its
employees.
Francisco suggested that the justice system must be
improved, that killers of journalists should be put behind bars.
“The government should come up with a good system. No
matter how good your paper is, or how strong your company is, there will
always be someone who will kill you, because they thought they can easily
escape the law,” Francisco said.
Professionalism among media practitioners is also a
concern. Education and training, especially on ethical standards, is very
much needed and should be taught not just to those who are already
practicing but to journalism students as well, Francisco said.
Networks, they said, should stop their “ratings war” and
focus instead on quality reporting.
In the end, with the myriad of issues confronting
journalists – poverty, perils at work, unethical practice – the four
journalists agreed that the only way to protect their ranks from all sorts
of threats would be to unite.
“Once we are one, we cannot be easily shaken. We cannot
depend on the government, much more on others, therefore we should strive
from within our own ranks,” Ocampo said.
Solis agreed with Ocampo. “It will not be that easy because
we will be up against big capitalists. But if the media here in Davao is
united, time will come when only the station owner is left to broadcast
from sun up to sun down -- until he gives what is due his employees.”
(Grace S. Uddin/davaotoday.com/Posted by Bulatlat)
Visayas
Journalists Hit Media Corruption
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