May 18
When I read my mail for this week’s assignment, I was surprised about the topic because it is such a delicate situation. And so I immediately requested for clarification on the angle I am to focus regarding the topic. It is about the beheading of an Abu Sayyaf hostage in Basilan.
While searching in the net for latest news about the event, I caught myself reliving memories of my childhood that involved the Abu Sayyaf Group. These internationally known terrorists have been as violent and merciless as I have heard of them since then.
I could not help but get lost in the thoughts of having this Group getting national attention with the latest beheading of one of their hostages.
I learned that poverty can not just steal you from a better life, but it can also serve your head in a platter literally.
May 19
My focus on the topic would be on the reactions from both Christian and Muslim sectors. Today I searched for more information in the internet regarding the beheading of the Abu Sayyaf hostage and every single article brought out tears. Tears that symbolize empathy with the family members who had no choice but to accept their loved one’s fate.
I learned that life is so fragile. It can be taken in a snap. When I was younger, I never really accepted that kidnappings, murder or other criminal acts can happen in the community I live in. I only look at them as possibilities but I never really pictured them as a real case. But working on this story made a huge impact in my perspective about life, social norms and reality.
After research, I went to school to ask friends for possible people to contact for the story. I was then advised to interview a Muslim convener from Interreligious Solidarity Movement for Peace who was a professor in WMSU.
I came to WMSU not knowing where to look for the person and so I inquired a familiar person in the library and was forwarded to the College of Liberal Arts building and after two or three inquiries was forwarded to the Department of Student Affairs and was later informed that he was no longer affiliated with the school and has retired.
But I still got his contact number pasted outside the door of an office in the Executive building.
I realized yet again that information gathering is no easy task.
May 21
I went to the Cathedral to set an interview with the Archbishop but the information officer told me they don’t have a hold on him and directed me to the Sacred Heart Center at Cawa Cawa.
I went to the Center and was informed that the Archbishop is out of town and will be back on a Saturday.
Desperate to interview a representative for the Christian community, I went back to the Cathedral and inquired if a priest was available. The information officer made me wait for a while before relaying the unfortunate news that there is no one I can talk to.
I then asked a friend where else can I find people in authority in under this religion and was advised to go to the Pastoral Council. I inquired the information officer where it is located and immediately went to the office that apparently was closer to my home than where I inquired about it.
When I went in, there was a group of people who I assumed toured around the place with all their amazed faces and picture taking. That is why it took a while before I was entertained by the people in the front desk.
When I was finally paid attention to, the nun who graced an interview was actually more than uncooperative. She declined to answer any of my questions, even her name was kept hidden. She must have thought I would publish her and say that she did not want to say anything. She said she does not want to comment at this point in time. I wonder why.
I left the place with nothing but disappointment.
I then went to PAZ to confirm the number of the Muslim convener from Ate Weds. She then gave it to me informing that he was in Davao at that time. I texted him and made a phone interview appointment.
I am still confused why the nun does not want to say anything about the issue. And I am also surprised to know that priests are hard to find even in the house of God.
I learned that you can never be too sure about things, especially with the way people react to interviews on social matters.
May 22
I went to the City Police Office today to confirm facts I gathered online and interviewed the City Police Director. It was my first time to go to the Office and so I still had to look for the place. After waiting in line with a long list of people wanting to see the Director, I finally got my chance and interviewed him.
After the long stay at the police station, I went to school and called the Muslim convener and conducted an interview.
After lunch, I went to PAZ and looked for Sr. Emma to have my most awaited interview for the Christian sector. She was then out of the office and I was advised to come back after an hour or so.
When I went back, she was extremely busy and asked me to be back after five minutes so that she can settle. After two hours and three failed attempts, she finally gave me the opportunity.
The interview lasted not more than 10 minutes.
My trip to the police station was good for a first time. And my wait for Sr. Emma was paid off with information for representation to the Christian sector.
I learned through the interviews today that kidnapping in Zamboanga and Basilan should never be looked upon as a religiously biased matter. It is not an issue of conflict in faith, but a criminal act immoral to all religion.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Santiago: Week #3 at Fleishman-Hillard
A. List down all the tasks that you performed during this period. Describe each in detail.
My third week in Fleishman was quite busy. I was still tasked to do the daily newspaper monitoring/scanning and looking for any online news, article, or advertisement regarding their clients (Avaya, Etihad, Gardasil) and any article regarding the poll automation and Sen. Angara bill.
Just like last two weeks I was asked to do weekly and daily reports for Avaya. This includes researching, looking for links and documenting the things that we have monitored in the newspapers.
Last week I was asked to call bunch of people. I was asked to look for the contact person for T.V personalities like Kc Concepcion, Edu Manzano, Derek Ramsay, and etc. We were requested to find out who is available for hosting for an event this coming June for one of our clients. We were tasked to find out the talent fees of the above mentioned names.
I was absent last Wednesday because I was sick, I had flu and so I wasn’t able to go to work. When I came back on Thursday we were called for a meeting and were tasked again to call and confirm things with people. We were also asked to do advertorial layouts for selected magazines and newspapers. The clients want a tangible sample for the advertorials.
We were also asked to write an article about Avaya. A news article was given to us and we were asked to find an angle in the astory and localized it here in the Phulippines.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
At first I was scared and hesitant to talk to people, to talk to people with names in the Media profession, but now I can say that I have overcome that fear and I can confidently talk to people even just on the phone.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
The whole duration of my stay in Fleishman was worth my time; I really had fun and learned a lot. I will surely not forget this once in a lifetime experience. Aside from the facet that this is my first real job, I really have this passion for PR and so I’m considering a career in PR after graduation.
Today is my last day here in Fleishman, my Supervisor is out for an event but he left me things to do for the day. Hopefully I will come back here before leaving for Zamboanga.
My third week in Fleishman was quite busy. I was still tasked to do the daily newspaper monitoring/scanning and looking for any online news, article, or advertisement regarding their clients (Avaya, Etihad, Gardasil) and any article regarding the poll automation and Sen. Angara bill.
Just like last two weeks I was asked to do weekly and daily reports for Avaya. This includes researching, looking for links and documenting the things that we have monitored in the newspapers.
Last week I was asked to call bunch of people. I was asked to look for the contact person for T.V personalities like Kc Concepcion, Edu Manzano, Derek Ramsay, and etc. We were requested to find out who is available for hosting for an event this coming June for one of our clients. We were tasked to find out the talent fees of the above mentioned names.
I was absent last Wednesday because I was sick, I had flu and so I wasn’t able to go to work. When I came back on Thursday we were called for a meeting and were tasked again to call and confirm things with people. We were also asked to do advertorial layouts for selected magazines and newspapers. The clients want a tangible sample for the advertorials.
We were also asked to write an article about Avaya. A news article was given to us and we were asked to find an angle in the astory and localized it here in the Phulippines.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
At first I was scared and hesitant to talk to people, to talk to people with names in the Media profession, but now I can say that I have overcome that fear and I can confidently talk to people even just on the phone.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
The whole duration of my stay in Fleishman was worth my time; I really had fun and learned a lot. I will surely not forget this once in a lifetime experience. Aside from the facet that this is my first real job, I really have this passion for PR and so I’m considering a career in PR after graduation.
Today is my last day here in Fleishman, my Supervisor is out for an event but he left me things to do for the day. Hopefully I will come back here before leaving for Zamboanga.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Madrigalejo: Week #4 at Manila Times
A. List down all the tasks that you performed during this period. Describe each in detail.
1.) During the beginning of the week, the reporter who covered the Department of Tourism was sick so he could not monitor the latest updates on the said government agency. Since only Rianne and I were the trainees present during that time, and I think Rianne is also working on another story, so I was tasked to get the information for the mean time. Sir Klink tasked me to coordinate with Ms. Likha (she is one of the senior reporters in the business department) because he wants to know how the swine flu pandemic has affected the business scene, particularly the Philippine tourism.
Immediately after securing the complete instructions from Sir Klink and Ms. Likha, I grabbed the phone directory and called the Department of Tourism. I talked to an employee and she told me that the officer-in-charge is currently on a meeting and that I could just call her back at 4:00pm. I called again and I was able to talk to the OIC, and she said that they still do not have the specific figures regarding the number of arriving tourists since the breakout of the AH1N1 virus. According to her, their last records wee still of December 2008. I told this update to Ms. Likha and she said that I could just contact NAIA and inquire about their precautionary measures. She said that I am to write a paragraph or two about it. This would be used as a support for another story.
So I looked up the number of the NAIA in the internet, and eventually go to talk to the Chief of Airport Security, Capt. Tom Cruz. He discussed how they are working hand in hand with the Department of Health and what equipments (such as the thermal scanner and the foot bath) have been put up at the airport to ensure that the no arriving passengers infected with swine flu could get in the country and spread the virus. After getting all the information that I needed, I began writing the story and sent it to Ms. Likha’s email.
2.) About 2 days ago, I have already submitted my article about the flu protection gears—masks and gloves. Since it has not yet come out, I decided to approach Sir Klink (when he was not busy) and asked if he received the article. He told me that he did, then I asked if there was anything more lacking in the story that I wrote and if I could do something about it, that is, if it isn’t too late yet. He said he felt that the lead was not that catchy, and that I could work on it at the moment. Since he was not busy, he explained further how he wants the story to come out and how I can improve my writing. He told me to work on it immediately so I did. I typed the story again, adding few more details that Sir Klink wants to see. When I submitted it, Sir Klink told me that a story from the wires just came in and that he was thinking of using it instead. Personally, it was just ok with me because when I read the story from AFP, it was really more in depth and the supporting claims from the World Health Organization would provide all the information that the readers need to know.
3. Since Rianne is already done with her 150-hour internship, the proof reading section usually has no interns to help them up in case the other proof readers are on day off. It was only during this week that I was given a chance to try and proofread some stories. The lifestyle section and the sports section were the ones assigned to me. It was a good feeling, in a way, to get to read the stories written by others before they actually get published.
I have read the style book of the Manila Times during the course of our training so I was a bit familiar with how the writers must write, the grammar rules they follow, among others. I only had a little difficulty because I am not quite familiar with the signs used when correcting something in a story. I really have not memorized everything yet but I do remember asking Rianne about the basics when she was still around.
4. Most of the time during my last week, I just stayed in the office so I took the opportunity to follow up my story about the Dynamic Teen Company. I talked to Ma’am Chit and Sir Rome. I asked them if they have already received my story and if they have already read it. They both told me that due to the countless number of articles that they receive everyday, they do not have track of everything and they haven’t seem to see my story.
They asked me to send the story again, so I did, for the 5th time already. I asked them after I sent the copies of the story out, hoping that they would get to read it this time. Thankfully, Ma’am Chit was not busy so she spent time reading it. Next thing I know, it was lined up for the Filipino Champions’ page.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
*Be assertive, but don’t be irritating. You wouldn’t get what you want just by waiting. It is necessary that you do steps to achieve your goal. Just like what a famous writer once said, dreams not accompanied by action plans are mere ideas that would never com to life. If I just assumed that they have read my story and that they will soon publish it, I would probably just leave my story somewhere in the trash bins of their email accounts. But because I wanted it to come out, I asserted for it (nicely) thereby allowing my story to see the light of the day. Before asking for anything though, as a standard operating procedure, ask the person concerned first if he or she is not busy before stating your business. Insisting your concern to a very busy person who is cramming to meet the deadline is just, well, downright irritating.
*Mistakes are normal. Just like in writing a story, even the senior reporters sometimes commit grammatical errors but that does not make them any less of a good writer. It is but human to commit errors and what matters is how you respond to it by doing the necessary corrections and aiming not to commit the same mistake again.
*Patience is a skill. It does pay to wait, and learning it does not really take much but it pays much.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
On my last visit to the office, I sat down and waited for Miss Weng to arrive. While I was waiting, I grabbed a copy of the Manila Times for that day (May 10, 2009) and found out that my DTC story has already come out. It was such a happy moment. My last day couldn’t get any better. =)
1.) During the beginning of the week, the reporter who covered the Department of Tourism was sick so he could not monitor the latest updates on the said government agency. Since only Rianne and I were the trainees present during that time, and I think Rianne is also working on another story, so I was tasked to get the information for the mean time. Sir Klink tasked me to coordinate with Ms. Likha (she is one of the senior reporters in the business department) because he wants to know how the swine flu pandemic has affected the business scene, particularly the Philippine tourism.
Immediately after securing the complete instructions from Sir Klink and Ms. Likha, I grabbed the phone directory and called the Department of Tourism. I talked to an employee and she told me that the officer-in-charge is currently on a meeting and that I could just call her back at 4:00pm. I called again and I was able to talk to the OIC, and she said that they still do not have the specific figures regarding the number of arriving tourists since the breakout of the AH1N1 virus. According to her, their last records wee still of December 2008. I told this update to Ms. Likha and she said that I could just contact NAIA and inquire about their precautionary measures. She said that I am to write a paragraph or two about it. This would be used as a support for another story.
So I looked up the number of the NAIA in the internet, and eventually go to talk to the Chief of Airport Security, Capt. Tom Cruz. He discussed how they are working hand in hand with the Department of Health and what equipments (such as the thermal scanner and the foot bath) have been put up at the airport to ensure that the no arriving passengers infected with swine flu could get in the country and spread the virus. After getting all the information that I needed, I began writing the story and sent it to Ms. Likha’s email.
2.) About 2 days ago, I have already submitted my article about the flu protection gears—masks and gloves. Since it has not yet come out, I decided to approach Sir Klink (when he was not busy) and asked if he received the article. He told me that he did, then I asked if there was anything more lacking in the story that I wrote and if I could do something about it, that is, if it isn’t too late yet. He said he felt that the lead was not that catchy, and that I could work on it at the moment. Since he was not busy, he explained further how he wants the story to come out and how I can improve my writing. He told me to work on it immediately so I did. I typed the story again, adding few more details that Sir Klink wants to see. When I submitted it, Sir Klink told me that a story from the wires just came in and that he was thinking of using it instead. Personally, it was just ok with me because when I read the story from AFP, it was really more in depth and the supporting claims from the World Health Organization would provide all the information that the readers need to know.
3. Since Rianne is already done with her 150-hour internship, the proof reading section usually has no interns to help them up in case the other proof readers are on day off. It was only during this week that I was given a chance to try and proofread some stories. The lifestyle section and the sports section were the ones assigned to me. It was a good feeling, in a way, to get to read the stories written by others before they actually get published.
I have read the style book of the Manila Times during the course of our training so I was a bit familiar with how the writers must write, the grammar rules they follow, among others. I only had a little difficulty because I am not quite familiar with the signs used when correcting something in a story. I really have not memorized everything yet but I do remember asking Rianne about the basics when she was still around.
4. Most of the time during my last week, I just stayed in the office so I took the opportunity to follow up my story about the Dynamic Teen Company. I talked to Ma’am Chit and Sir Rome. I asked them if they have already received my story and if they have already read it. They both told me that due to the countless number of articles that they receive everyday, they do not have track of everything and they haven’t seem to see my story.
They asked me to send the story again, so I did, for the 5th time already. I asked them after I sent the copies of the story out, hoping that they would get to read it this time. Thankfully, Ma’am Chit was not busy so she spent time reading it. Next thing I know, it was lined up for the Filipino Champions’ page.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
*Be assertive, but don’t be irritating. You wouldn’t get what you want just by waiting. It is necessary that you do steps to achieve your goal. Just like what a famous writer once said, dreams not accompanied by action plans are mere ideas that would never com to life. If I just assumed that they have read my story and that they will soon publish it, I would probably just leave my story somewhere in the trash bins of their email accounts. But because I wanted it to come out, I asserted for it (nicely) thereby allowing my story to see the light of the day. Before asking for anything though, as a standard operating procedure, ask the person concerned first if he or she is not busy before stating your business. Insisting your concern to a very busy person who is cramming to meet the deadline is just, well, downright irritating.
*Mistakes are normal. Just like in writing a story, even the senior reporters sometimes commit grammatical errors but that does not make them any less of a good writer. It is but human to commit errors and what matters is how you respond to it by doing the necessary corrections and aiming not to commit the same mistake again.
*Patience is a skill. It does pay to wait, and learning it does not really take much but it pays much.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
On my last visit to the office, I sat down and waited for Miss Weng to arrive. While I was waiting, I grabbed a copy of the Manila Times for that day (May 10, 2009) and found out that my DTC story has already come out. It was such a happy moment. My last day couldn’t get any better. =)
Ampong: Week #4 at Manila Times
A. List down all the tasks that you performed during this period. Describe each in detail.
During the last week of my internship, the only issue that was compelling that time was the arrest of Mr. Jun Lozada in the case perjury filed by Mr. Mike Defensor. He was jailed at the Manila Police District West, where my boss’ headquarters is located. So for most of the week, we stayed there waiting for any development in Mr. Lozada’s Case. I took photos of militants outside MPD rallying to free Mr. Lozada.
I also had the chance to cover the rallies in Ayala Avenue Makati City, in the militant’s cause to raise their minimum wages. There were quite a number of rallies during the week approaching Labor Day. I learned to sneak my way into hordes of huge cameras with all its lenses that could size as half of my head. And I must say that I also got or received a number scary looks of photographer’s from other publications and for most of the time I get away with by “sorry po” and a nervous smile all at the same time.
When I completed my number of hours required, I felt that I still have so many things to learn from the field and from the people that I am with. Albeit the fact that Mr. Rene H. Dilan ( Manila Times’ chief photographer), Mr. Greg San Agustin ( the driver), Mr. Bobby Ranoco (from the Reuters) are in different generation or age group, we get along really well. And it seems that everyday is a whole new day of great experiences and lessons learnt.
I also had the chance to cover the drill of Manila Police for the Labor Day at Luneta. I wasn’t as enthusiastic that day though because I had allergic attack and a spitting dysmenorrheal.
The day after Pacquiao and Hatton’s fight, we went to Divisoria to cover a raid by the police on copies of the recently concluded Battle of the East and West fight.
Days after the Pacquiao Hatton fight, Sir KJ, one of Manial Times’ photographer let me go with him in covering Mr. Pacquiao’s arrival in the country. That was the first dawn shoot I had, it was kind of difficult for me because I had to wake up 2 in the morning to get ready by 3. we arrive in NAIA 2 by 5 o’clock. There were members of the Media both from local and international press. While we were waiting, in front of me was an English correspondent, there photographers form Xinghua a wires service based in China, Reuters (Sir Bobby), AP and EPA were some of the international press to cover the said event.
My last weeks were mostly composed of a two consecutive days of coverage at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and a coverage on DOH’s Updates on the Influenza A (A1H1) virus. Unlike Senate, I did not find it boring. I even think that there’s more action there. That both agencies are doing their job and at the same time I get to educate myself on what is the real score of the world’s currently dealt with pandemic. Secretary Duque III, is I think ob=ne of the most functional secretaries in PGMA’s Cabinet.
My last day in the field was the coverage of the Pahiyas Festival. That was again another day that started very early. We left Manila at around 3:30 in the morning, we reached Lucban, Quezon Province around 7:30 in the morning. That was a good 3 hour car ride, we had breakfast and then went to the town proper to take pictures of the many different and very beautifully made decorations inspired by good harvest. Near the town’s church was a antique shop and the design was so beautiful that Sir Rene and I stayed there for more than an hour because he can not seem to take the perfect shot due to the growing number of people who flocked and stayed there each minute. There were really amazing designs made of palay and vegetables to encourage good harvest. I also had the chance to taste the very popular Lucban longganisa which was very different from our longganize here. we had lunch and then had a couple of stop-overs because Rouelle Umali from the Manila Bulletin (the only guy there in his 20s) had to email the photos to his office. We left at around 1 in the afternoon and arrived in Manila by 4:30. It was a very eventful day to leave my internship and go back to continue my journey as a student trying to find her niche in a world of endless possibilities and very tight chances.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
The skills I’ve learnt were the same as the ones that I’ve learnt for the past weeks, only this time waking up really early was among them and trying to stay awake at 4 in the morning while standing and not of cup of coffee to support me and waiting for the people’s champ tops it all.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
Honestly, I find the rallies boring sometimes and even to the point that I think it is pointless albeit that I still get to learn something from them, form what they do. Like, in one of the rallies that I covered I caught myself thinking, “This is what they’re fighting for, this is what they stand for, what am I doing here? What exactly am I here for?” Those were the instances that I felt inadequate in terms of compelling social issues and understanding on how different Filipinos are especially from that part of the country and from my part of the country.
I feel that I surpassed my goals.
During the last week of my internship, the only issue that was compelling that time was the arrest of Mr. Jun Lozada in the case perjury filed by Mr. Mike Defensor. He was jailed at the Manila Police District West, where my boss’ headquarters is located. So for most of the week, we stayed there waiting for any development in Mr. Lozada’s Case. I took photos of militants outside MPD rallying to free Mr. Lozada.
I also had the chance to cover the rallies in Ayala Avenue Makati City, in the militant’s cause to raise their minimum wages. There were quite a number of rallies during the week approaching Labor Day. I learned to sneak my way into hordes of huge cameras with all its lenses that could size as half of my head. And I must say that I also got or received a number scary looks of photographer’s from other publications and for most of the time I get away with by “sorry po” and a nervous smile all at the same time.
When I completed my number of hours required, I felt that I still have so many things to learn from the field and from the people that I am with. Albeit the fact that Mr. Rene H. Dilan ( Manila Times’ chief photographer), Mr. Greg San Agustin ( the driver), Mr. Bobby Ranoco (from the Reuters) are in different generation or age group, we get along really well. And it seems that everyday is a whole new day of great experiences and lessons learnt.
I also had the chance to cover the drill of Manila Police for the Labor Day at Luneta. I wasn’t as enthusiastic that day though because I had allergic attack and a spitting dysmenorrheal.
The day after Pacquiao and Hatton’s fight, we went to Divisoria to cover a raid by the police on copies of the recently concluded Battle of the East and West fight.
Days after the Pacquiao Hatton fight, Sir KJ, one of Manial Times’ photographer let me go with him in covering Mr. Pacquiao’s arrival in the country. That was the first dawn shoot I had, it was kind of difficult for me because I had to wake up 2 in the morning to get ready by 3. we arrive in NAIA 2 by 5 o’clock. There were members of the Media both from local and international press. While we were waiting, in front of me was an English correspondent, there photographers form Xinghua a wires service based in China, Reuters (Sir Bobby), AP and EPA were some of the international press to cover the said event.
My last weeks were mostly composed of a two consecutive days of coverage at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and a coverage on DOH’s Updates on the Influenza A (A1H1) virus. Unlike Senate, I did not find it boring. I even think that there’s more action there. That both agencies are doing their job and at the same time I get to educate myself on what is the real score of the world’s currently dealt with pandemic. Secretary Duque III, is I think ob=ne of the most functional secretaries in PGMA’s Cabinet.
My last day in the field was the coverage of the Pahiyas Festival. That was again another day that started very early. We left Manila at around 3:30 in the morning, we reached Lucban, Quezon Province around 7:30 in the morning. That was a good 3 hour car ride, we had breakfast and then went to the town proper to take pictures of the many different and very beautifully made decorations inspired by good harvest. Near the town’s church was a antique shop and the design was so beautiful that Sir Rene and I stayed there for more than an hour because he can not seem to take the perfect shot due to the growing number of people who flocked and stayed there each minute. There were really amazing designs made of palay and vegetables to encourage good harvest. I also had the chance to taste the very popular Lucban longganisa which was very different from our longganize here. we had lunch and then had a couple of stop-overs because Rouelle Umali from the Manila Bulletin (the only guy there in his 20s) had to email the photos to his office. We left at around 1 in the afternoon and arrived in Manila by 4:30. It was a very eventful day to leave my internship and go back to continue my journey as a student trying to find her niche in a world of endless possibilities and very tight chances.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
The skills I’ve learnt were the same as the ones that I’ve learnt for the past weeks, only this time waking up really early was among them and trying to stay awake at 4 in the morning while standing and not of cup of coffee to support me and waiting for the people’s champ tops it all.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
Honestly, I find the rallies boring sometimes and even to the point that I think it is pointless albeit that I still get to learn something from them, form what they do. Like, in one of the rallies that I covered I caught myself thinking, “This is what they’re fighting for, this is what they stand for, what am I doing here? What exactly am I here for?” Those were the instances that I felt inadequate in terms of compelling social issues and understanding on how different Filipinos are especially from that part of the country and from my part of the country.
I feel that I surpassed my goals.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Reyes: Week 3 at Fame, Inc.
A. List down all the tasks that you performed during this period. Describe each in detail.
DAY 13 – I did transcribing the whole day. It was a bit boring and a bit fun. It was frustrating sometimes, not understanding some words and phrases.
DAY 14 – Ezetimibe, simvastatin, hypercholesterolemia. These are just some of the many words that I do not understand and were able to thanks to the internet. Yes, it takes research to know some of these words. Luckily, I have a bunch of fun co-workers who can’t stand the deafening noise of silence. With the team I am with, transcribing is never that boring. It’s just not much of a fun also, especially with all those medical terms in every sentence. I did transcribing for the whole day.
DAY 15 – Today is sadly the last day of my fellow intern, Edrick. He started two weeks earlier than I did. As usual, we were transcribing what I feel are alienated messages. Every twenty minutes or so, we would stop, talk and have a few laughs to keep our sanity. And then, we’re back to transcribing again. I’m guessing there are about a hundred or more words I labeled as BLAH. I try so hard to understand them, repeated them until I’m tired of not understanding them at all. I didn’t want to guess the words or phrases so I temporarily labeled them as BLAH. I’d get back to them later when I’m finally done with it all. We are to transcribe four tapes! We were transcribing for almost the whole day. I only stopped when one of my co-workers asked me for help on filing. Happily, I helped on filing. But, I still ended my day transcribing.
DAY 16 – I came early as always. I’m guessing you know what I did. I did transcribing. Ms. Lucci isn’t around because she was on the on set of our upcoming magazine, Hannah Montana. This was the magazine I modeled at. I saw the mock up and it was awesome. Anyway, I was transcribing, transcribing and transcribing. It feels different not having Edrick around, my fellow transcriber. This is, by the way, the last day of our managing editor. She’s getting married. She would be resigning and Ms. Lucci would replace her. On our lunch out, the owner of our company told us that we would be having a lunch meeting. Lunch came and we were surprised to find out that it was a treat for our managing editor since she refused to have a despedida party. It was not a meeting at all, it was plain eating out filled with laughter. I actually brought a pen and paper just in case I had to jot down notes. Anyway, I ended my day transcribing.
DAY 17 – Transcribing once again. I must admit, there are times when all I want to do is throw the tape. I’ve been listening to the speakers for how many days now, trying to understand his words. I’m starting to think he’s been speaking a different language at times. But obviously, I’m just being lazy. Suddenly, my co-workers were taking out stuff toys from their bags. Bright colored, cutie stuff toys are placed on the table and so I stopped transcribing. I asked them what the stuff toys are for, and they said it’s for the cover shoot of H&L today. Ms. Lucci came and later talked us on the concept of the said cover shoot. It was way cool. Our photoshoot would start this afternoon, 1PM. Afternoon came and we’ve began preparing for the shoot. I have helped into transforming our conference room into a studio. Photoshoots really keep us alive. Not only are we having big smiley faces as the camera spots us, it’s a time to be our goofy selves minus the feeling of working. One of my co-workers is doing the makeup for our model, who is also our co-worker. We were placing all the stuff toys in the box and placed a kite made by my two co-workers as said in the plan. I wish I could help in making the kite but since kite-making wasn’t included in my childhood, all I did was watch and hand them the scissors. There were lots of jokes while working, or should I say, while having fun. And then, when we were done preparing and when the model was ready, we have started our photoshoot. It was all right. The model’s register on the camera is okay, cute actually. And then, in the middle of the shoot, Ms. Lucci suggested that we have our staff shoot after. Of course, being the camera lovers that we are, we agreed. Good thing Edrick, my fellow intern, is on his way to visit us. He would be joining us then. The cover shoot was done in no time. We’e decided to fix the mess after the staff shoot. We’ve decided to go back to our department because the owner of FAME, Inc. is still on a meeting and he would be joining us in the staff shoot. So we went back to our own desks. Ms. Lucci asked me to research health facts, about 20 interesting ones to be included in one of our magazines. And so I did. It was cool. By the way, I keep saying cool because one of my co-workers say this word for countless times everyday and it’s actually contagious. It was really nice to stop transcribing for a while. I find researching health tips really educating. I chose about 30 tips that I find attention-grabbing so that Ms. Lucci could delete the ones she dislikes. I saved it on the desktop. Finally, Doc (how we always call the owner of FAME), was done with his meeting. Staff shoot time was finally coming up. With our love for the camera and being smiling goofs, we undeniably had fun. Doc was actually having fun, too. We were switching places, smiling, smiling and more smiling was done. And then it was over. But there were solo shots done just for the fun of placing it on each other’s facebook. And then, we ended our day with a meeting headed by Ms. Lucci. Our meeting wasn’t the kind of meeting I used to see in the movies – boring. Our meeting was participative, very noisy actually; yet, it was productive. They were discussing the things to o because deadline is very fast approaching and they cannot afford to be late.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
Patience, more patience, and determination. These are the skills I had at hand to survive transcribing. I am proud to say I am a constant early bird. Sometimes I arrive way too early; I end up waiting for someone to open the office. Experience is indeed the best teacher. I learn a lot as I have fun. I have not been writing for the past few days but I’m proud to say that two of my articles will be published. (Yipee!) I’m working hard on my undesirable number one habit: procrastination. I’ve been self-motivated, really. I see to it that I work well in a team or independently. I am determined in whatever I do. Not only that, I’m having a superb experience with the people I am working with. I feel I am a great company of everyone. My people skills are up. I think, and really hope, that I’ve made a good impression that would last even as I leave.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
It feels sad knowing I only have two more days left. I want to stay longer! Anyway, I’ve given more than the required hours and I’m still planning to visit them while I’m here. Did I mention that we have an allowance? A hundred fifty a day! I feel so blessed. I guess it would be okay to join them in their gimmicks after not being an intern anymore, soon. Tomorrow would be my last day. My last report would be on today and tomorrow. They are planning to do a general cleaning this Saturday and I’m thinking on joining them. All in all, I think I have the coolest on-the-job training, ever!
DAY 13 – I did transcribing the whole day. It was a bit boring and a bit fun. It was frustrating sometimes, not understanding some words and phrases.
DAY 14 – Ezetimibe, simvastatin, hypercholesterolemia. These are just some of the many words that I do not understand and were able to thanks to the internet. Yes, it takes research to know some of these words. Luckily, I have a bunch of fun co-workers who can’t stand the deafening noise of silence. With the team I am with, transcribing is never that boring. It’s just not much of a fun also, especially with all those medical terms in every sentence. I did transcribing for the whole day.
DAY 15 – Today is sadly the last day of my fellow intern, Edrick. He started two weeks earlier than I did. As usual, we were transcribing what I feel are alienated messages. Every twenty minutes or so, we would stop, talk and have a few laughs to keep our sanity. And then, we’re back to transcribing again. I’m guessing there are about a hundred or more words I labeled as BLAH. I try so hard to understand them, repeated them until I’m tired of not understanding them at all. I didn’t want to guess the words or phrases so I temporarily labeled them as BLAH. I’d get back to them later when I’m finally done with it all. We are to transcribe four tapes! We were transcribing for almost the whole day. I only stopped when one of my co-workers asked me for help on filing. Happily, I helped on filing. But, I still ended my day transcribing.
DAY 16 – I came early as always. I’m guessing you know what I did. I did transcribing. Ms. Lucci isn’t around because she was on the on set of our upcoming magazine, Hannah Montana. This was the magazine I modeled at. I saw the mock up and it was awesome. Anyway, I was transcribing, transcribing and transcribing. It feels different not having Edrick around, my fellow transcriber. This is, by the way, the last day of our managing editor. She’s getting married. She would be resigning and Ms. Lucci would replace her. On our lunch out, the owner of our company told us that we would be having a lunch meeting. Lunch came and we were surprised to find out that it was a treat for our managing editor since she refused to have a despedida party. It was not a meeting at all, it was plain eating out filled with laughter. I actually brought a pen and paper just in case I had to jot down notes. Anyway, I ended my day transcribing.
DAY 17 – Transcribing once again. I must admit, there are times when all I want to do is throw the tape. I’ve been listening to the speakers for how many days now, trying to understand his words. I’m starting to think he’s been speaking a different language at times. But obviously, I’m just being lazy. Suddenly, my co-workers were taking out stuff toys from their bags. Bright colored, cutie stuff toys are placed on the table and so I stopped transcribing. I asked them what the stuff toys are for, and they said it’s for the cover shoot of H&L today. Ms. Lucci came and later talked us on the concept of the said cover shoot. It was way cool. Our photoshoot would start this afternoon, 1PM. Afternoon came and we’ve began preparing for the shoot. I have helped into transforming our conference room into a studio. Photoshoots really keep us alive. Not only are we having big smiley faces as the camera spots us, it’s a time to be our goofy selves minus the feeling of working. One of my co-workers is doing the makeup for our model, who is also our co-worker. We were placing all the stuff toys in the box and placed a kite made by my two co-workers as said in the plan. I wish I could help in making the kite but since kite-making wasn’t included in my childhood, all I did was watch and hand them the scissors. There were lots of jokes while working, or should I say, while having fun. And then, when we were done preparing and when the model was ready, we have started our photoshoot. It was all right. The model’s register on the camera is okay, cute actually. And then, in the middle of the shoot, Ms. Lucci suggested that we have our staff shoot after. Of course, being the camera lovers that we are, we agreed. Good thing Edrick, my fellow intern, is on his way to visit us. He would be joining us then. The cover shoot was done in no time. We’e decided to fix the mess after the staff shoot. We’ve decided to go back to our department because the owner of FAME, Inc. is still on a meeting and he would be joining us in the staff shoot. So we went back to our own desks. Ms. Lucci asked me to research health facts, about 20 interesting ones to be included in one of our magazines. And so I did. It was cool. By the way, I keep saying cool because one of my co-workers say this word for countless times everyday and it’s actually contagious. It was really nice to stop transcribing for a while. I find researching health tips really educating. I chose about 30 tips that I find attention-grabbing so that Ms. Lucci could delete the ones she dislikes. I saved it on the desktop. Finally, Doc (how we always call the owner of FAME), was done with his meeting. Staff shoot time was finally coming up. With our love for the camera and being smiling goofs, we undeniably had fun. Doc was actually having fun, too. We were switching places, smiling, smiling and more smiling was done. And then it was over. But there were solo shots done just for the fun of placing it on each other’s facebook. And then, we ended our day with a meeting headed by Ms. Lucci. Our meeting wasn’t the kind of meeting I used to see in the movies – boring. Our meeting was participative, very noisy actually; yet, it was productive. They were discussing the things to o because deadline is very fast approaching and they cannot afford to be late.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
Patience, more patience, and determination. These are the skills I had at hand to survive transcribing. I am proud to say I am a constant early bird. Sometimes I arrive way too early; I end up waiting for someone to open the office. Experience is indeed the best teacher. I learn a lot as I have fun. I have not been writing for the past few days but I’m proud to say that two of my articles will be published. (Yipee!) I’m working hard on my undesirable number one habit: procrastination. I’ve been self-motivated, really. I see to it that I work well in a team or independently. I am determined in whatever I do. Not only that, I’m having a superb experience with the people I am working with. I feel I am a great company of everyone. My people skills are up. I think, and really hope, that I’ve made a good impression that would last even as I leave.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
It feels sad knowing I only have two more days left. I want to stay longer! Anyway, I’ve given more than the required hours and I’m still planning to visit them while I’m here. Did I mention that we have an allowance? A hundred fifty a day! I feel so blessed. I guess it would be okay to join them in their gimmicks after not being an intern anymore, soon. Tomorrow would be my last day. My last report would be on today and tomorrow. They are planning to do a general cleaning this Saturday and I’m thinking on joining them. All in all, I think I have the coolest on-the-job training, ever!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
De Leon: Week 5 at Peace Works
A. List down all the tasks that you performed during this period. Describe each in detail.
May 11, 2009
Since I failed to submit two articles last week, I have to write two articles this week. Four options were given to me. First is the Buddha Day celebration of Tzu Chi Zamboanga. The other is the opening ceremony of the Youth Peace Camp in San Ramon. Third is a feature about the veiling (turong, hijab) practices of young Muslims in Zamboanga if the story on women crisis is not possible.
What I did first is to contact DSWD once again to follow up if I can cover the story on domestic violence against mothers. However, there were no positive responses so I decided to take the other options. Luckily, when I opened my e-mail, Dr. Lim, the local coordinator of Tzu Chi Zamboanga, sent me a full archive of the Buddha Day Celebration photos. When I asked him if we could meet for some background information about the event, he willingly granted the interview on Thursday afternoon.
At around four in the afternoon, I dropped by the office of PAZ to talk Ma’am Arweda. When I arrived their, the YSP who are part of the facilitating team were having their meeting with Aldrin and so I had the chance to get an overview on how the camp will proceed. Then, I asked several questions to ma’am Arweda and Aldrin as well. That day, I already had sufficient information as background for the event. I was very glad because Ma’am Arweda offered me to go with the transportation of the participants on the way to San Ramon.
May 13, 2009
As scheduled, I went to the solidarity center before twelve noon. I met some participants and talked with some facilitators and mediators. We went at around 1:30 PM. I was very excited because it was my first time to go to San Ramon. I was brining with me a copy of the matrix of activities that Aldrin sent through my e-mail. Then, when I arrived there, he promised that he’d give me a copy of the opening program. So, I got my copy, took some photos, talked with some participants and I was jut observing. The guests arrived at past three, so the program started late.
I witnessed the entire opening ceremony and recorded Mr. Kenoh’s speech while I was also taking some pictures. Then, we went back to PAZ office down five PM, I was together with some PAZ staff members.
That evening, I organized my information and wrote the story. Afterwards, I took a look at all the pictures during the Buddha Day and thought of the questions that I’ll be asking the following day.
May 14, 2009
Dr. Lim and I agreed to have the interview at two in the afternoon at the Eye Center. So, I went there and it al ran smoothly. It was just like a casual conversation, he gave me some papers that would further explain the ceremony. Then, we watched the video of master Cheng Yen from Taiwan, which was also shown in all Buddha Bathing ceremonies held around the globe. Then, I went out and have some casual talks with other nurses and volunteers who were there and I already met in the earlier interview that I had. That night, I started to write the story.
May 15, 2009
I read the two stories that I wrote and had some revisions. Then, I sent the file to my editor. There were so many photos for both stories and I was so confused on which ones to use. So, I viewed all the photos and picked five photos for each story.
May 16, 2009
I realized that I didn’t write captions for my photos and we were supposed to send the photos with captions to our editor. So, I wrote the captions for the three final photos for each story and then sent them to my editor. Then, at three in the afternoon, we had our weekly consultation yet we had nothing much to talk about. So, we started uploading the stories and the photos and went home early.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
* The previous weeks, I noticed that whenever I conduct interviews, I do not immediately write the story. What I usually do is to write the information, arrange them, conceptualize the flow of the story then do the writing the following days. But this week, I was able to write the story at the same that I gathered the information that I needed. Maybe, it helped me a lot to understand the story and know immediately which information to use while doing the information selection because I felt at ease with the environment. It was my second time to talk to Dr. Lim and I was already comfortable asking him questions and talking with the people in the center as well as in the youth peace camp because I already know the people working in PAZ. Well, maybe this is one benefit of having a network of connections. You work easier when you are comfortable with what you are doing. And that is one thing that I experienced this week.
* In terms of writing, I learn a lot from how Sir Rey does the editing of our stories. The choice of words, arrangement of words and how to put emphasis on some points. Although, this cannot be learned easily because this is only learned through practice. Yet, I learn many things especially on the writing style from Sir Rey.
* Headline writing. We never learned this inside the class. Also, our editor did not teach us how to do headline writing. However, after completing seven stories and seeing thhe headlines and how our editor writes it on front of us, I somehow got an idea on how this is done. We ask him how he was able to come up with the right words and all and gave us some tips. Although, I cannot say that I am already capable of writing good headlines.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
I personally feel happy and contented this week for completing two stories assignments. Last week was really a bad week. And so I felt that at least I made up for my shortcomings this week.
It was actually my first time to go to San Ramon. And so the feeling of excitement was really present while the bus was heading to the campsite. There were no serious problems encountered this week. And I think that it was easier for me because the topics assigned were ones, which I am already acquainted with. Like in the Tzu Chi foundation, I have already established a good connection with people inside as well as in the PAZ office.
Basically, everything ran smoothly and right now I don’t think that doing this job is some kind of a burden, which was what I was sometimes feeling the previous weeks. Maybe, I have already adjusted little and I’m already starting to enjoy what I am doing. J
May 11, 2009
Since I failed to submit two articles last week, I have to write two articles this week. Four options were given to me. First is the Buddha Day celebration of Tzu Chi Zamboanga. The other is the opening ceremony of the Youth Peace Camp in San Ramon. Third is a feature about the veiling (turong, hijab) practices of young Muslims in Zamboanga if the story on women crisis is not possible.
What I did first is to contact DSWD once again to follow up if I can cover the story on domestic violence against mothers. However, there were no positive responses so I decided to take the other options. Luckily, when I opened my e-mail, Dr. Lim, the local coordinator of Tzu Chi Zamboanga, sent me a full archive of the Buddha Day Celebration photos. When I asked him if we could meet for some background information about the event, he willingly granted the interview on Thursday afternoon.
At around four in the afternoon, I dropped by the office of PAZ to talk Ma’am Arweda. When I arrived their, the YSP who are part of the facilitating team were having their meeting with Aldrin and so I had the chance to get an overview on how the camp will proceed. Then, I asked several questions to ma’am Arweda and Aldrin as well. That day, I already had sufficient information as background for the event. I was very glad because Ma’am Arweda offered me to go with the transportation of the participants on the way to San Ramon.
May 13, 2009
As scheduled, I went to the solidarity center before twelve noon. I met some participants and talked with some facilitators and mediators. We went at around 1:30 PM. I was very excited because it was my first time to go to San Ramon. I was brining with me a copy of the matrix of activities that Aldrin sent through my e-mail. Then, when I arrived there, he promised that he’d give me a copy of the opening program. So, I got my copy, took some photos, talked with some participants and I was jut observing. The guests arrived at past three, so the program started late.
I witnessed the entire opening ceremony and recorded Mr. Kenoh’s speech while I was also taking some pictures. Then, we went back to PAZ office down five PM, I was together with some PAZ staff members.
That evening, I organized my information and wrote the story. Afterwards, I took a look at all the pictures during the Buddha Day and thought of the questions that I’ll be asking the following day.
May 14, 2009
Dr. Lim and I agreed to have the interview at two in the afternoon at the Eye Center. So, I went there and it al ran smoothly. It was just like a casual conversation, he gave me some papers that would further explain the ceremony. Then, we watched the video of master Cheng Yen from Taiwan, which was also shown in all Buddha Bathing ceremonies held around the globe. Then, I went out and have some casual talks with other nurses and volunteers who were there and I already met in the earlier interview that I had. That night, I started to write the story.
May 15, 2009
I read the two stories that I wrote and had some revisions. Then, I sent the file to my editor. There were so many photos for both stories and I was so confused on which ones to use. So, I viewed all the photos and picked five photos for each story.
May 16, 2009
I realized that I didn’t write captions for my photos and we were supposed to send the photos with captions to our editor. So, I wrote the captions for the three final photos for each story and then sent them to my editor. Then, at three in the afternoon, we had our weekly consultation yet we had nothing much to talk about. So, we started uploading the stories and the photos and went home early.
B. Describe new skills you learned, or skills you improved upon as a result of these tasks. Be specific.
* The previous weeks, I noticed that whenever I conduct interviews, I do not immediately write the story. What I usually do is to write the information, arrange them, conceptualize the flow of the story then do the writing the following days. But this week, I was able to write the story at the same that I gathered the information that I needed. Maybe, it helped me a lot to understand the story and know immediately which information to use while doing the information selection because I felt at ease with the environment. It was my second time to talk to Dr. Lim and I was already comfortable asking him questions and talking with the people in the center as well as in the youth peace camp because I already know the people working in PAZ. Well, maybe this is one benefit of having a network of connections. You work easier when you are comfortable with what you are doing. And that is one thing that I experienced this week.
* In terms of writing, I learn a lot from how Sir Rey does the editing of our stories. The choice of words, arrangement of words and how to put emphasis on some points. Although, this cannot be learned easily because this is only learned through practice. Yet, I learn many things especially on the writing style from Sir Rey.
* Headline writing. We never learned this inside the class. Also, our editor did not teach us how to do headline writing. However, after completing seven stories and seeing thhe headlines and how our editor writes it on front of us, I somehow got an idea on how this is done. We ask him how he was able to come up with the right words and all and gave us some tips. Although, I cannot say that I am already capable of writing good headlines.
C. Other thoughts regarding the OJT experience.
I personally feel happy and contented this week for completing two stories assignments. Last week was really a bad week. And so I felt that at least I made up for my shortcomings this week.
It was actually my first time to go to San Ramon. And so the feeling of excitement was really present while the bus was heading to the campsite. There were no serious problems encountered this week. And I think that it was easier for me because the topics assigned were ones, which I am already acquainted with. Like in the Tzu Chi foundation, I have already established a good connection with people inside as well as in the PAZ office.
Basically, everything ran smoothly and right now I don’t think that doing this job is some kind of a burden, which was what I was sometimes feeling the previous weeks. Maybe, I have already adjusted little and I’m already starting to enjoy what I am doing. J
Querubin: Week 5 at PeaceWorks
May 11
Today I went to the Department of Science and Technology Office to interview Mr. Martin Wee regarding the mitigating measures implemented by the Office about Climate Change. I was also able to collect information regarding the plans on centralizing the measures conducted by various agencies under the Agri-Industrial Development Committee (AID Com). He also advised me to contact Ms Susan Valerio from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Region IX, AID COM secretary regarding the AID Com meeting of centralizing the mitigating measures.
I also went to the NEDA Office to interview Miss Grace Carreon regarding the monitoring of the office on the Millennium Development Goals. Unfortunately Miss Carreon told me that she did not bring the copy of the Report, she also implied a tone that entails she could not supply the information I need. Nonetheless, I thanked her and went on my way to school and asked for contact numbers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
I realized that you can never be picky when it comes to information sources. You must take all the chances you can get even when they seem difficult to you. I am saying this because after the confusing role of NEDA about two of my assigned stories, the office still ends up as the very source of information for my article.
Somehow I feel more productive than last week but I have a long way to go with the assigned articles for this week.
May 12
I spent the day researching about the USAID installation of computers at the Western Mindanao State University.
I made a number of calls to DENR Pagadian Office however all I get are either error or busy tones. I resorted to acquiring the number of the City Environment Office. When I called, the person on the other line said that the people in charge are out of town and she could not cater to my needs. I also called Miss Valerio from NEDA Pagadian and requested a copy of the meeting’s minutes. However she told me that the copy is in the Zamboanga Office and forwarded me to a certain Elvie. However, when I called to NEDA Zamboanga, Elvie is on her way to Pagadian.
I also went to WMSU to interview acting President Miss Ho for the USAID story, however she was out of the office and I was asked to return the next day.
I learned yet again that is very difficult to interview people from government offices.
May 13
Today I went back to WMSU to conduct the interview but then again, Miss Ho was in a meeting with the Deans of the Colleges. I was advised by the people in the front desk to interview Mr. Potenciano for the matter and when I went to his office, the secretary informed that he was in a meeting apparently with Miss Ho. I was able to find the Language Resource Center but sadly the office was closed.
I went back to the Executive Building hoping that the meeting was over but it seemed to be a very long meeting. I decided to wait but after some time, the people in the waiting room told me to just come back because the meeting won’t end anytime soon.
Disappointed and gravely feeling unproductive, I conducted another phone brigade. I tried to contact DENR Pagadian and City Environment but there is no response to my call. I also called Miss Carreon trying to change my luck regarding the MDG story. I had a phone interview with her but was cut short because she was leaving the office.
I still feel that my two earlier assigned articles are short in information and are not sure on how to pursue in writing them.
Today I learned the essence of time for the nth time in my life.
May 14
I went back to WMSU for the interview with Miss Ho but her secretary told me she was out and asked me to come back. I then went to the Language Resource Center and asked regarding the article. The director’s husband forwarded me to the Research building where I was able to interview the technical coordinator and take pictures of the lab where the computers were installed. The program coordinator was also there and an interview was done.
After the interview I went back to Miss Ho’s office and her secretary asked me to go back in the afternoon because the President had a visitor. Feeling discouraged, I went home and was back in the afternoon. Not taken by surprise, the President was then again out and I was asked to go back at 3pm.
Going back to the Language Resource Center came to my mind in case I can get additional information from the director this time around. When I entered the room she was hurriedly going out informing me that the Advisor for the Project from USAID is there outside waiting for her. I then took the opportunity and went with her. The Advisor told me that he will first attend to the meeting with the director and will come back to meet me afterwards. I was then asked to wait at the Language Resource Center. I did as I was told and have been waiting for a whole one and a half hour. It was three o’clock and so I decided to go back to the President’s office and alas she was in a meeting, again.
I went back to the Center only to see the director already tutoring the foreign student I was waiting with earlier. She told me that the Advisor was very busy and could not give the interview anymore. I thanked her and went home.
I feel disappointed not being able to interview the President. The interview could have been helpful because she was the one with the information regarding the opening ceremony to be held in Marawi.
I also felt twice as disappointed with the could-have-been interview with the foreign Advisor from USAID.
I realized yet again that gathering information is not an easy task and should be taken seriously.
Today I went to the Department of Science and Technology Office to interview Mr. Martin Wee regarding the mitigating measures implemented by the Office about Climate Change. I was also able to collect information regarding the plans on centralizing the measures conducted by various agencies under the Agri-Industrial Development Committee (AID Com). He also advised me to contact Ms Susan Valerio from the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Region IX, AID COM secretary regarding the AID Com meeting of centralizing the mitigating measures.
I also went to the NEDA Office to interview Miss Grace Carreon regarding the monitoring of the office on the Millennium Development Goals. Unfortunately Miss Carreon told me that she did not bring the copy of the Report, she also implied a tone that entails she could not supply the information I need. Nonetheless, I thanked her and went on my way to school and asked for contact numbers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
I realized that you can never be picky when it comes to information sources. You must take all the chances you can get even when they seem difficult to you. I am saying this because after the confusing role of NEDA about two of my assigned stories, the office still ends up as the very source of information for my article.
Somehow I feel more productive than last week but I have a long way to go with the assigned articles for this week.
May 12
I spent the day researching about the USAID installation of computers at the Western Mindanao State University.
I made a number of calls to DENR Pagadian Office however all I get are either error or busy tones. I resorted to acquiring the number of the City Environment Office. When I called, the person on the other line said that the people in charge are out of town and she could not cater to my needs. I also called Miss Valerio from NEDA Pagadian and requested a copy of the meeting’s minutes. However she told me that the copy is in the Zamboanga Office and forwarded me to a certain Elvie. However, when I called to NEDA Zamboanga, Elvie is on her way to Pagadian.
I also went to WMSU to interview acting President Miss Ho for the USAID story, however she was out of the office and I was asked to return the next day.
I learned yet again that is very difficult to interview people from government offices.
May 13
Today I went back to WMSU to conduct the interview but then again, Miss Ho was in a meeting with the Deans of the Colleges. I was advised by the people in the front desk to interview Mr. Potenciano for the matter and when I went to his office, the secretary informed that he was in a meeting apparently with Miss Ho. I was able to find the Language Resource Center but sadly the office was closed.
I went back to the Executive Building hoping that the meeting was over but it seemed to be a very long meeting. I decided to wait but after some time, the people in the waiting room told me to just come back because the meeting won’t end anytime soon.
Disappointed and gravely feeling unproductive, I conducted another phone brigade. I tried to contact DENR Pagadian and City Environment but there is no response to my call. I also called Miss Carreon trying to change my luck regarding the MDG story. I had a phone interview with her but was cut short because she was leaving the office.
I still feel that my two earlier assigned articles are short in information and are not sure on how to pursue in writing them.
Today I learned the essence of time for the nth time in my life.
May 14
I went back to WMSU for the interview with Miss Ho but her secretary told me she was out and asked me to come back. I then went to the Language Resource Center and asked regarding the article. The director’s husband forwarded me to the Research building where I was able to interview the technical coordinator and take pictures of the lab where the computers were installed. The program coordinator was also there and an interview was done.
After the interview I went back to Miss Ho’s office and her secretary asked me to go back in the afternoon because the President had a visitor. Feeling discouraged, I went home and was back in the afternoon. Not taken by surprise, the President was then again out and I was asked to go back at 3pm.
Going back to the Language Resource Center came to my mind in case I can get additional information from the director this time around. When I entered the room she was hurriedly going out informing me that the Advisor for the Project from USAID is there outside waiting for her. I then took the opportunity and went with her. The Advisor told me that he will first attend to the meeting with the director and will come back to meet me afterwards. I was then asked to wait at the Language Resource Center. I did as I was told and have been waiting for a whole one and a half hour. It was three o’clock and so I decided to go back to the President’s office and alas she was in a meeting, again.
I went back to the Center only to see the director already tutoring the foreign student I was waiting with earlier. She told me that the Advisor was very busy and could not give the interview anymore. I thanked her and went home.
I feel disappointed not being able to interview the President. The interview could have been helpful because she was the one with the information regarding the opening ceremony to be held in Marawi.
I also felt twice as disappointed with the could-have-been interview with the foreign Advisor from USAID.
I realized yet again that gathering information is not an easy task and should be taken seriously.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)