Bulatlat: Writing for the People

I first heard of Bulatlat through a friend and former colleague, Gem Muzones. She was the former Features editor of The Scholastican. She had her internship in Bulatlat two years ago; she told me about her internship experience in Bulatlat; on how they would assign her to cover mobs one after the other, and how they had helped her open her eyes and mind to the real world. Gem encouraged me to consider Bulatlat when I apply for internship.

And that was months before I became active in College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP). When I was elected as CEGP-NCR Chair, I had the privileged to attend forums, workshops, and gatherings that introduced me to the world they call “tibak world”; there I met Carlos Conde, and Len Olea, two of Bulatlat’s editor. Sir Caloy is one of those journalists I looked up to; he is a New York Times correspondent, a known progressive journalist that once put in the OB list of AFP. Ms. Len, on the other hand, was the former CEGP National President and is the first woman to be elected as one.

Having been part of CEGP for a while, Bulatlat is no longer a stranger to me. I know the quality of articles and researches they produce. Working for Bulatlat or for anything similar to their nature was a no surprise to me and to my friends.

Bulatlat may sound ‘tabloidish’, but it is not. It is the total opposite of tabloid, and most of the time even of mainstream dominant broadsheets and news sites; it offers alternative journalism. Alternative, meaning it writes what the dominant does not. It looks at the other side and at the behind of every story.

As what Sir Benjie Oliveros and other Bulatlat editors would remind us (interns), “Always remember that you are writing for the people; people who are unrepresented and marginalized. Write issues not just because they exist but because they affect lives of people.”