My initial internship plan was to have a hundred working hours each for BULATLAT and Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR). It was on the second week of March when I applied in both media outfits; sent them CVs and letters via email.
CMFR was the first to reply; Sir Hector Bryant Macale emailed me and said he’s going to schedule the examination and interview. I kind of expecting a good response from them since I was already part of the election monitoring team which has started early February, and Sir Bryant also assured me of an internship slot and all I need to do was send them my CV and OJT letter.
If my memory serves me right, it was on the last week of March when I was asked to go to CMFR’s office in Makati for examination and interview. The exam and interview went okay; I was asked to write an article on journalists killings (which is my favorite topic, by the way) and edit a Senate PR. The interview part was more on orientation on what tasks I’ll be doing and who I’ll be doing it with.
Sir Bryant asked for my OJT schedule. I informed him that I am still waiting for my application in Bulatlat, but he told me that if I change my mind, I can always extend my internship in their office. I am scheduled to start my OJT stint on April 5.
A day after my CMFR interview, I received a confirmation letter from Bulatlat. They asked me to report to the office and have an OJT orientation on April 5.
Bulatlat or CMFR?
I really had a hard time deciding onto which media outfit I will go to on April 5.
CMFR is a great a media outfit; I have heard and read of them hundreds of times. I am a fan of PJR Reports and I have always wanted to write for it. I am also a fan of Dean Luis Teodoro, CMFR’s Director; I have always looked up to him as a great media icon; that every time I would see him in forums or seminars I attend outside the school, I still get starstrucked. Also, I must say, CMFR is one of the top media outfits that Journalism students applied to, and getting a slot is quite difficult.
Bulatlat, on the other hand, is my place to be. The kind of articles they write, and the events they cover are totally my kind of thing. They are into politics, activism, and pro-people journalism. I am also a fan of Carlos Conde, one of Bulatlat’s managing editors.
I am torn.
The Verdict
To help me come up with a rational decision, I checked my summer schedule (all the activities I have to attend to outside OJT). I figured out that I’ll need to take a 10-day leave for CEGP’s National Student Press Convention (NSPC) at Negros Occidental, and there’s no way I’ll miss that because I am the NCR Chair. With that, I’ll need an OJT site for the month of April that offers a more flexible work and working hours, and allows me to do out-of-town assignments.
So I decided to choose Bulatlat as my first OJT site. I am going to spend my whole April with them. I called up Sir Bryant and told him that I’ve decided to spend my first 100 hours with Bulatlat and explained to him why. He approved of my decision, and in return, I assured him that I am going to push through with my initial commitment (which is for the volunteer work for election monitoring). He said that I should call him once I am done with my stint and Bulatlat so he could free a slot in CMFR. But he also told me that he’s afraid that once I assume a post in May, there might not be enough tasks to work and spend my 100 hours on. (This sounded as though I am going to extend my OJT till June)
Change of Plan
But things have changed along the way. When I returned from NSPC, there’s still lot of things left to work on for Bulatlat, I have only accomplished four articles in my 10-day leave, and I only have barely two weeks to finish my 100 hours. There, I felt the need to extend. Another reason was I am starting to love the kind of articles I write, and the people I interview. The issues I write about are really close to my heart. I love my work, and it no longer feels work.
Instead of cutting my stint short, I decided to extend it and complete all my 200 hours of summer in Bulatlat.
I spent another month in Bulatlat and continued working and writing articles.
In the next 30 days of my stay, I was able cover, for the first time, the most looked forward protest rally every year, Mayo Uno Rally. I was also able to cover the elections in Lanao del Sur, and interview MILF Peace Panel Chairperson Mohammed Iqbal.
With my stay in Bulatlat, many doors of opportunities, great experiences and learning have opened for me. And there's no way I can thank them enough for all of these.
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