By Cheryl M. Luis
Working in the media industry is quite a challenge, more so if you are a woman. Getting up every morning and starting a day as early as possible for the editorial team to pick up fresh and reliable stories.
Reporters are always on the go to deliver accurate and relevant news, while the editorial team is always up to edit and filter banner stories for the day.
As we celebrate International Women’s Month, let’s meet the women behind in every Panay News (PN) story.
Darlene Delgado is the Watchmen Editor. Watchmen Daily Journal (WDJ) is a daily community newspaper based in Bacolod City which is under Panay News Inc. Company. The paper is written in English, Tagalog, and Visayan dialects.
She is the desk editor, in charge of editing/handling all the sections of the Watchmen daily journal. She said that being in a one-man army as an editor makes her strong.
“Dira pa lang strong woman na gid ako ya. Ako lang isa da mo, aside bi sa reporter,” she answered laughing when I asked her why she is considered as a strong woman of PN.
Delgado also explained that her biggest challenge being an editor is to fill up the pages of newspaper sections, especially on those days national, regional news, and ads are scarce.
“Challenges man lang da is kon paano mo mapuno all sections especially during days nga maiwat balita and gamay ang ads,” Delgado added.
Another challenging part of being an editor according to Delgado is when the reporter has already submitted all their stories for the day but no front page worth or banner story. This is the time she need to step up and write that story.
For her, every day is a challenge and she should always be prepared for anything that might happen.
For PN, Cheryl Luis is the Business Editor (that’s me). I’m handling the business section, entertainment, leisure, regional news, national news, and special pages like corporate, motoring, health and wellness, and life and style.
Just like Darlene, being an editor is not an easy job. You need to fill up every assigned page and sometimes there are late approved PRs that need to be included, so I must be alert and ready.
Some of my friends will tell me that my job is stressful because in the morning I’m also a radio anchor, but for me working in Panay News is my happy pill. I love my job and enjoy writing stories, that’s why I was able to manage everything smoothly.
For PN women writers, let’s meet Glenda Tayona, the senior reporter.
Glenda is a working mom. According to her being a mom and a career woman takes her a lot of strength.
“I am a working mom. Being a career woman and a mother at the same time takes a lot of strength. Surpassing each day being both is an achievement and for me, that makes me a strong woman,” she said.
Tayona is an all-around field reporter. She is assigned to Iloilo City Hall but she also writes stories involving national government agencies.
“I considered myself as an all-around field reporter. On top of my city hall beat, I also write stories involving national government agencies,” she added.
“For me every day is a challenge, running after one story after another. Being a reporter/writer is not just a job, for me, it is also a public service. We are in this industry to inform the public on what is happening around us and be a vanguard of the truth,” Tayona explained.
Another senior women reporter that PN should be proud of is Ime Sornito.
Ime is easy to be with, dedicated to her job, and always up for a challenge.
“I consider myself a strong woman behind Panay News because despite the challenges that I encounter personally, especially during the pandemic I still fulfill my job as a reporter,” Sornito explained.
“Being a reporter is not an easy job, especially with the travel restrictions brought about by pandemic, you go out every day to gather news and make interviews around the street which is also giving you fear of your safety against COVID. But despite sang kahadlok ko for my safety against COVID-19 even I have a co-morbidity pero sa gihapon aga pa ako gabangon kada adlaw kag mag-field para makapangita sang news,” she said.
For these challenges Sornito faces, she is up to deliver and fulfill whatever tasks assigned to her.
“For more than 13 years nga employee sang Panay News, isa sa madamo ko nga natun-an or nakuha ko sa Panay News amo nga every day is a new day, new challenge, new hope. Open to all suggestion to the people around you kay surely it can help to improve your craft,” Sornito added.
Last but not the least reporter of PN is Ruby Silubrico, small but fearless woman that embodies the truth and factual reporting.
Silubrico is a reporter assigned in a Pulis beat. She is the ‘small but fearless’ reporter of PN.
“Gamay man ko pero ang akon balita nga ginakober dalagko man kag dalagko man nga tawo ang akon ginabunggo as long as sala ila ginahimo, because we as ‘reporters’ are the watchdog of the society,” Silubrico said.
Pulis beat is quite a challenging assignment but Silubrico was able to deliver exclusive scoops and truthful stories.
“As a reporter, most of my time is in the field dealing and interviewing different people and sometimes I experienced harassment from my interviewees, but that’s part of my work,” Silubrico said.
“It makes me stronger when I received death threats, but instead of backing and stopping, I am even more aggressive doing what I believe is true. I considered these death threats as an encouragement to do better to step forward and fight what is right,” she added.
For her, working in PN opens new opportunities and helps improved her more.
“The company always told us to work harder to bring truth to our readers as the No. 1 Regional Newspaper. In terms of ethics and policies, PN is always ready to help or will back me up as long as tama ang gina pakiglaban ko,” Silubrico further explained./PN
