By MARIA ELENA CATAJAN
www.nordis.net

The Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club Incorporated (BCBC) been at the forefront in helping media members badly hit by the worldwide pandemic.

Donations in cash and in kind from donors and supporters of the free media enabled to the media club to aid the men and women in the frontlines delivering the news in the time when the truth has to be told.

BCBC partner newspapers, television stations, cable companies as well as radio stations have been working to bring the city the latest news, all day, every day, when the need for information is at its greatest.

Frank Cimatu, Chair of the National Union of Journalists Baguio – Benguet Chapter said “We all lost physically, economically, spiritually, we are still being persecuted with some of us facing court cases and to top that we are also red tagged, there are lots of challenges right now, mahirap ang buhay namin ngayon, we are being maligned, mahirap, we still have to uphold our standard kahit pinapahirapan na.”

The BCBC is the longest running media organization in Baguio City and the Cordillera region, bringing together members of the tri media both to improve the profession and help in nation building through responsible journalism. Since its inception over 60 years ago, the BCBC has been a partner of the city and the region in delivering the news and information.

The BCBC membership stands close to 300 represented by its active members in television, radio and print media, who have not wavered to the call to serve the public despite the threat of infection.

The BCBC established an emergency fund on standby for members to access in case COVID 19 befalls any of the members with two oxygen tanks and an oxygen concentrator on standby for any member who may need it.

Over two dozen BCBC members were infected with COVID since 2020, battling the virus as they battle the daily task of surviving amid a recession, which has hit the industry hardest.

During the early months of 2020, each week, the BCBC distributed food packs to members comprised to rice and vegetables dividing whatever contributions to the general membership in a bid to augment personal needs of each member in the wake of the pandemic.

On November 2, 2021 the BCBC gathered at an area at Burnham Park, dubbed as “Camp Peppot,” silently in prayer.

The otherwise boisterous group, stood in silence with a priest who recited prayers.  All sober, as they formed a circle and fervently prayed for those who battled but lost the fight.

The BCBC remembered members, Cesar Reyes and Jerry Mayona, whom COVID claimed with Benny Carantes and Ernie Olson who died of lingering illnesses.

That night of remembrance, members came in trickles, unsure and afraid of the angels and demons of the pandemic, what is left of the BCBC converged to pray for those who continue to fight.

The BCBC prayed for the colleagues who lost their jobs, for those who are being persecuted, for the sick, for those who could not join but is battling their own demons.

The media club prayed for everyone and everything that was lost in the pandemic.

What the media lost in COVID

For thirty journalists and media workers in Sun*Star Baguio, prospects for the future dimmed when the company announced closure on World Press Freedom Day, in May 2021.

The public announcement of the closure which shocked the community as operations continued smoothly since the pandemic, save for the halt in printed copies due to movement control restrictions, the paper continued to broadcast its online newscast and content.

Cimatu of the NUJP Baguio – Benguet Chapter said “Malaking bagay ang pagakawala ng SunStar at ABS CBN, kasi sila ang pinaka-active sa atin na gumagawlaw, yung iba newspapers nag base sa kanila, actually, dito nag base ang lahat, di natin pwede sabihin na wala effect kasi sila ang influencer, pwede natin sabihin na nahati na ang quality ng coverage.”

Media Industry Hit Hard

The Digital News Report 2021 by the Reuters Institute notes major revenue drops because of the pandemic.

ABS-CBN suffered the biggest job losses after a House committee denied its bid for franchise renewal. The network laid off about 4,500 workers, including 2,674 regular employees.

The number does not include media workers in 53 regional stations which were also shut down.

The Digital News Report also revealed that the newspaper industry suffered due to distribution problems.

Two newspapers – SunStar Cagayan de Oro and SunStar Baguio – stopped printing, and ceased operations last year and since February this year, respectively. Others transitioned to online platforms just to survive.

Those in local TV and radio stations, including correspondents for national media outlets, had to endure pay cuts resulting from reduced work hours.

The pandemic has exacerbated the miserable economic conditions of journalists and media workers especially in the provinces. It must be noted that even before COVID-19, journalists and media workers outside Metro Manila have been suffering from low pay and lack of benefits.

According to an NUJP survey of more than 200 respondents in March 2021, 44% of journalists and media workers receive a monthly salary of P15,000 and below.

Fifteen percent get P5,000 and below, and most of them are in the provinces.

The Baguio Media Response to the Pandemic

As a response to the call to fortify the media club, members of the BCBC strived to set up a cooperative, thus, the Cordillera Media Credit Cooperative was born in 2020.

The credit cooperative now provides savings and lending services to members.

BCBC president, Aldwin Quitasol led in organizing the media cooperative after the pandemic forced BCBC to cancel its Lucky Summer Visitor and Media Camp, a major project that it usually holds at Burnham Park on Holy Week.

Quitasol said “Many of the city’s media workers have suffered financially. Many publications had to stop printing when printing presses were shut down during ECQ and most print journalists are paid per article published.”

In the city, of the 14 weekly and the single daily publishing before the pandemic, only six remain.

Some of the newspapers have also imposed a pay cut on their staff. Advertising has seen a low with most establishments opting to save on expenses, cutting losses during the months of uncertain lockdowns.

Quitasol rallied members of the BCBC to a training series with government and non-government partners who have given the media scholarships and training for skill set upgrades.

The BCBC is leading bounce back plans of the club members which include skills training aside from coordination with the newly formed media cooperative.

Community journalism in the city has been endangered by the pandemic but not the spirit of the men and women behind the news who continue the battle to remain true to the call of truthful reporting. # nordis.net