MALLARI. I just want to ask first why you have decided to enter the field of mass communication and why print journalism in particular?
FERIA. Uhhm. . . I was a journalism student too. I began as a cub reporter, in the police beat. I was hooked on the profession. It seemed a very exciting profession. It demands commitment to your readers . . .

Q. So that's parang what interests you in the field, yung excitement and thrill?
A. No, the commitment to your readers and it gives you a feeling na you are a part of the news. You have a ringside view of what's going on and you learn so much.

Q. So basically, it's the commitment? . . .Saan po kayo kumuha ng communication course?
A. Sa U.P.

Q. Next question, how did you start with your job?
A. There's a subject at the end of the course called practicum. I took my practicum course where we are required to serve so many hours in a newspaper office. That was on 1974. At that time, I was assigned at the Times Journal. They assigned me to the police beat. I never went back after that, I got a job.

Q. Are there any difficulties encountered? May nakaharap ba kayo na mahirap na bagay?
A. The long hours, the low pay. . .

Q. So you started as a . . .
A. Cub reporter

Q. How did you end up working for the Daily Express?
A. After my practicum, I got a short job for an evening paper called the Evening Post. Then I worked as a reporter for the Daily Express for about 5 years then I joined a foreign news agency-Agence France Presse.

Q. Ba't po kayo palipat-lipat?
A. For better positions, better pay. In those days the foreign press provided opportunities for less censorship, more professional growth and better training, that was because of Martial Law.

Q. Can you give me some description about the former newspaper you worked in? (Daily Express) In terms of its location, people you've worked with, the place . . .
A. Maganda ang job na yon. The office of the Daily Express was along Bonifacio Drive, malapit sa Manila Hotel. It was a 3-story building. It included the editorial office, administrative staff and the press. Maganda yung kasama yung press para you can see the whole process.

Q. So how about the people you have worked with?
A. They were very professional. I've learned a lot.

Q. Gusto nyo po ba ang place? Yung parang if you would rather have stayed there?
A. Which one?

Q. Daily Express. Working there . . .
A. Well, I think you should ask me in terms of the profession not the particular job kasi syempre in you career you have to move on to a better position and better job.

Q. Ok. After po uli ng Daily Express?
A. Agence France Presse (AFP), a foreign wire agency.. It was more demanding. The wire agencies work in a minute to minute deadline not on a daily deadline. Because the agency provides the news paper stories around the world. From wire agencies you learn speed and they are very sticky sa facts and accuracy.

Q. Since now that you are working in Mirror Magazine. Would you stay here or you are still planning to . . .
A. After AFP, I worked with Asia magazine for a while. Then I was the Manila Bureau Chief of a London based publication called South. It was a Third World development magazine. Now I am back in local journalism that's why I'm here. Here I am learning editorial management.

Q. So here editor po kayo? How about the working condition here in Mirror Magazine?
A. Lahat naman ng trabaho walang set na working hours.

Q. Gano po kayo katagal na nag-iistay dito?
A. Depends on anong nangyayari. . .Like kung may malaking event. You have to stay late. You have to forgo holidays and weekends.

Q. 24 hours po ba open to?
A. Yes, if necessary.

Q. How about the pay?
A. Our salaries here are competitive compared to others in the industry. Depende sa positon mo sa company. Syempre editors earn more. Pero ano din yan eh different work, different challenge.

Q. Were you a cub reporter before? What was it like being one?
A. It was very difficult. I was assigned to the night shift. I was the assistant of a senior reporter who . . .a cub reporter you are an assistant of a senior reporter. You rarely get your stories published, mostly you are doing research and leg work. It's your introduction to reporting. A reporter's work is physically demanding.

Q. Can I ask about the first week? How was it and what was it?
A. My first beat was the police beat.

Q. Di po ba kayo natakot?
A. Ba't ka matatakot eh nasa loob ka ng presinto?

Q. I mean di po ba kayo lumalabas?
A. Oo sasama ako kapag may raids, sa raiding team, special operations team. If you're allowed, you can tag along with special operations team. You sit around there waiting for complainants to come to the desk or if a fire breaks out.

Q. Yon na po yon?
A. Sometimes the complaints itself are worth the stories. If you follow it up, you get a deeper picture.

Q. Any important lessons you've learned from it?
A. Perseverance. Minsan parang walang storya. . .but if you dig deeper. . .

Q. Ano po yon puyatan kayo? Like dapat nandon ka all the time?
A. Hinde, shifting naman yon eh. May reporters sa umaga, sa gabi.

Q. So sino po yung mga people na kasama nyo?
A. My senior reporter was Mr. Max Buan. He taught me to persevere, always be alert to what's going on. He taught me to work alone, not go with the herd, with the other reporters. That's how you get the scoops.

Q. As far as you remember, how did you deal with your editors and the deadlines?
A. Mga editors ko syempre strict sila.

Q. Mahirap po sila pakisamahan?
A. Madaling lang pakisamahan. Pero palamura because of the deadline pressure.

Q. Pano nyo po winowork-out yon para di kayo abutan ng deadline?
A. Eventually you would get the hang of it. You have to meet their deadline?

Q. Ilang weeks or days ang binibigay sa inyo?
A. Ah sandali lang. For a daily paper, you work on a daily deadline. Kunwari everyday alas kuatro and deadline mo or kung importanteng story sasabihin sayo kung hanggang kailan ka mahihintay. The paper has to come out on a certain hour everyday. Ang takbo non parang finished or unfinished pass your papers. Dapat tapos yon, kung hindi mabubulyawan ka non.

Q. Yon po bang mga publications open like 5 days a week?
A. Newspaper offices are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Holidays, Christmas and New Year. Ang mahirap dyan yung Christmas shift. Eh di ba araw-araw may dyaryo ka, so somebody has to do the work.

Q. Kasi po may nakapagsabi sa akin na prine-prepare na po ang stories beforehand for Saturdays and Sundays.
A. Ay hindi! Only some sections. . .

Q. Yung pong mga features?
A. Yes, yung mga features pwedeng gawin in advance but the front page, hindi pwede.

Q. So talagang may pumapasok pa?
A. Meron.

Q. Kayo rin po ganon? A Dati nagawa ko rin yung shift na yan noong bata pa ako.

Q. Were there any memorable editors and on what way were they memorable?
A. My first Senior Reporter Max Buan.

Q. Ano pong publication yon?
A. Times Journal. Then at the Daily Express, si Pochollo Romualdez and Neal Cruz then at the AFP, Mr. Teddy Benigno.

Q. Anything significant? Wala pong pagkakaiba ang bawat isa?
A. Like I've explained to you earlier, Si Mr Buan taught me to be persevering. Si Mr. Romualdez gave me encouragement. He is a good editor in the sense that he knows how to balance discipline and encouragement. Si Mr. Benigno naman taught me to raise my standards. He showed me the roads in international reporting.

Q. What about your colleagues? Parang, anything memorable about the people you've worked with?
A. Ay marami. Ang camaraderie sa media is very close.

Q. Bestfriends?
A. Marami din. Siguro ang hinahanap mo yung memorable coverages?

Q. Anything na naaalala nyo po. Mga pinagsamahan. . .
A. Ano ba tinatanong mo personal experience or sa trabaho?

Q. Both po. Dito po sa Mirror Magazine?
A. Iba't-ibang experiences yan eh. Do you want to know my most memorable coverage? Sige ituloy mo na ang next question mo.

Q. Ok. Nong pong dati ano po ang lagi niyong naaalala being a young reporter then? Puro ba difficulties? The changes you went thru or nagawa?
A. . . . . . . . . . .Later. Skip muna.

Q. Important events covered?
A. 1986 Ninoy Assasination, NPA Revolt, Nuclear Power Plant in Bataan-the reportage that led to stopping of the plant. The crisis in Mindanao. Marami pa.

Q. Meron po kaming reading entitled "The Press under Martial Law." Your name was mentioned there sabi don you were detained. Bakit po, for what reason? Were you working in Daily Express then?
A. Oo.

Q. What happened? Were there any warnings before you were arrested?
A. 1979. There was a general crack down noon. They have a general crack down and I was a former activist noong nasa school pa ako. I suppose they suspected na baka ako ang contact ng left sa press, something like that. I was detained for a month.

Q. 1 month saan po?
A. Sa Crame at sa Bicutan.

Q. What did you feel then?
A. Asar!

Q. Asar? Di po kayo natakot?
A. Natakot.

Q. Sino po mga kasama nyo don?
A. Hmm. . . Some students, some combo players. Sa press yata ako lang yata sa batch na yon.

Q. Student pa po kayo non?
A. I was a student working.

Q. What was the change?
A. I am not sure what they had against me, basta subversion lang ang general charge.

Q. Basta na lang ganon?
A. Well totoo naman na aktibista ako but I was never given a chance to ask your charges anyway. Atsaka, hindi ko naman talaga alam ang particular charge sa akin.

Q. Ano po ang nangyari sa inyo while you were there?
A. Wala. Naghihintay. Nagluluto, nag-eexercise, naglilinis ng banyo at tsismis.

Q. Wala naman pong anything bad na nangyari sa inyo?
A. The whole thing was bad. Mahirap ipaliwanag pero siguro kung di ka makalabas ng bahay isang araw, kahit gaano kakompotable sa loob, di ka ba maaasar, hindi na nila maibabalik yung mga araw na yon. . . Wag mong sasabihin na walang masamang nangyari, the mere fact na kinulong ka is the worst.

Q. What do you personally like writing about?
A. People.

Q. What about people?
A. People how they cope. How they find meaning sa buhay nila. Their response sa mga problem nila.

Q. Diba as an editor, you don't write na diba?
A. Once in a while I do.

Q. Ahh, kasi one time, I got this copy of Mirror Magazine. Yun nga, you wrote about the covergirl. Yon po ba ang sinusulat?
A. I write a short editor's note.

Q. As an editor can you say that you're different from the other editors you've worked with? How were you different?
A. How am I different?

Q. Hinde, parang approachable po ba kayo?
A. Oo, siguro mas mabait ako.

Q. So ganon parin yung strictness?
A. Yeah sa deadline. Kasi it really has to come out eh.

Q. Late na po ba talaga kayong pumasok?
A. Kaninang umaga pa ako dito.

Q. Anong oras po kayong umuuwi?
A. Iba-iba.

Q. Wala pong set na time? Depende rin po?
A. Mga eight. Sometimes umaga na.

Q. Ano po usually ang ginagawa nyo dito?
A. Editing, revising of paper, reading, staff consultation. . .

Q. Kapag po ba reporter does it mean na ikaw lang nag-cocover ng news pero iba ang nagsusulat?
A. Hinde. Sila rin.

Q. Wala po bang naka-assign na reporter sa isang particular na news? Or kahit ano na lang?
A. Usually sa dyaryo, you are assigned to a topic. Parang yon na ang pinaka beats mo. let's say, either police beat, justice meaning you cover the courts, education, labor, Malacanang, judiciary, congress, legislature, foreign affairs. Yon ang example ng mga beats….Nererelyebo kami, so after a while we will try another beat naman para maging all around kami. Sa magazine, mas general ang assignments.

Q. Editor po kayo diba? Wala na po kayong balak mag-iba?
A. Marami ka namang mapupuntahan sa journalism eh. You can become either an editor, columnist. You can go in to publishing. Marami….depends kung ano ang target mo.

Q. Madali po bang maging editor?
A. Mahirap.

Q. Ano po ang mahirap sa trabaho nyo?
A. Hinde…. Not really, not really. It depends on your staff, kung very resourceful. Team work ito!

Q. Sino yung may pinakamalaking ginagawa at yung pinakamahirap?
A. Mahirap sabihin kung ano ang pinakamahirap. The reporters sila ang naggagather ng news. Yung editor siya naman yung nagpapackage. Mga artists for the illustrations and layout. Dito sa trabahong ito kailangang dedicated ka. Dapat gusto mo ang ginagawa mo.

Q. About po sa salary nyo dati as a reporter?
A. Dati P800 yata eh. Siguro ngayon kapag entry level or bagong graduate 8 or 11 thousand.

Q. Pag-regular na?
A. Iba-iba depende sa company. You have to work your way up to the organization.

Q. Pano po yon? If you start as reporter then gusto maging editor, ano pong dapat gawin?
A. Well, its good to start as a reporter so kabisado mo ang sources of news. You know where to get the news, atsaka para ma-supervise mo ang mga reporters mo. Also, one must read a lot. Good academics also helps. Syempre there's a difference between a reporter na assigned para mahintay lang ng sunog at saka the one assigned to cover the president or the economy, business. Iba-ibang level of expertise. Today mas strict na sila sa requirements. Preferred ngayon yung may expertise ka sa isang field. For example, if you're covering health and science, maiintindihan mo yung mga technical field. Today mas may specialization kaysa noong araw.

Q. Di nyo po naisip mag-try sa tv?
A. Di ko pa na-try sa tv. Talagang sa print ako nag-umpisa at yun na nakahiligan ko. Mahilig ako sumulat noong araw. Pero magsalita, baka napansin mo na hindi ako masyadong magaling magsalita. Siguro ibang expertise yung sa tv, yung magaling kang magsalita….Hirap na hirap ka ngang mag-ask ng questions sa akin pero baka kapag pinasulat mo ako. . .

Q. Kabado po kasi ako eh.
A. Ewan ko kung mapapansin mo sa ibang journalist yon. Yung mga nag-iinterview mahirap ma-interview.

Q. Syempre po first time namin. Siguro masasanay din po kami.
A. Atsaka mas sanay ako na ako ang nagtatanong.

Q. So basically kung hindi mo hilig ang magsulat wag na dapat dito?
A. Hindi lang yung pagsulat, dapat mahilig ka rin sa current events, sa tao. Atsaka public service work ito eh. Kung ang inclination mo is for public service, magugustushan mo itong trabahong ito. Kasi the press does its job well,

Q. Marami na po kayong recognitions na nakuha?
A. Meron din.

Q. Anu-ano po yon?
A. Yung sa EDSA. Yung coverage ng revolution.

Q. So yun na po yung naibabalik sa inyo?
A. Yun na siguro ang pinaka-memorable event sa time sa nag-cocover ako.

Q. Eh masaya po kayo?
A. Masaya. Oo.