TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines— Journalists here have temporarily lost their livelihood after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” destroyed their offices. Some have found ways to earn a living—by working as stringers.
One of them, Jazmine Bonifacio, was connected with radio station dyDW or Radio Diwa, which is managed by the Society of Divine Word (SVD) with dyRF in Cebu as its main station.
For the past six days now, Bonifacio has been working with Nathan Lane, an American journalist based in Japan who is working for Reuters.
Bonifacio works as a buddy/stringer for Reuters and earns P2,000 daily, which she receives at the end of the day’s work that starts at 7 a.m. and ends before 6 p.m.
“This is a good relief, a good opportunity for me. I have no job right now as our station remains inoperational due to Yolanda,” Bonifacio said.
The station was badly battered and its equipment was destroyed by the supertyphoon, she said.
Bonifacio said she has no idea when the station would resume operations.
“But one thing is sure, it would take some months before the station could start airing again,” Bonifacio said.
Lane said he was lucky to have Bonifacio as a buddy-stringer.
“She (Bonifacio) has helped me a lot. I’m an American and I don’t know anything about this place (Tacloban). She makes my job easier as she is familiar with the place and the people whom I should talk to,” Lane said.
He, however, could not say how long he would stay in Tacloban to cover events related to Yolanda that practically leveled Tacloban.
Bonifacio was contacted by a friend based in Manila who informed her that Reuters was in need of a stringer.
Five other journalists are also working as stringers for Reuters but they asked that they not be named, saying the pay as a stringer was higher and they could get their pay immediately.
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