That Well-Spent 200 Hours

“Good day! This is Marivic from Radyo ng Bayan. You may start your OJT here on Monday, June 24, 2013 at 8 a.m. Bring your endorsement letter. Thank you.”

That message completed my day.

My internship at Philippine Broadcasting Service/ Radyo Pilipinas from June to July was something I will never forget.

Getting there                

Prior to the internship, AM station was really on top of my list of radio stations I want to get into. Any station from the office of the PBS was really what I’m praying to get into.

It’s second week of June when my friends and I started “OJT Hunting”. Our first stop was, of course, the Philippine Information Agency building where the office of the PBS is located. When we arrived, the security guard asked us to leave our resume and said he will just give it to the HR. I felt disappointed because I thought the slots for interns were already full and HR might not entertain us anymore. So days passed, I applied to other stations hoping that I could finally start my internship.

After 4 days, I received a textmessage from the HR department of PBS that an intern exam will be conducted at their office. I was really surprised because I did not expect that they would still consider my application.

A few days later, I found myself seated at the conference room of PBS together with my fellow interns for the orientation.

Assigned Station: Radyo Pilipinas- Overseas

I chose to be in Radyo Pilipinas on a whim but I don’t regret it a bit. DZRP is the overseas broadcast of the PBS. I felt lucky to be part of the station and got to meet the people behind the DZRP- Mr. Rey Sampang, acting station manager, at the same time acts as our supervisor in the internship, Sir Edwin, Sir Ric, Ma’am Ven, Ma’am Tess, Sir Soc and Ma’am Myrna.  It was humbling to meet these people who lay out fresh perspectives for the benefit of everyone’s understanding.

Also, I really enjoyed the company of the staff because they treated us as if we’re also co- employees there and not just an ordinary intern. They really helped me to make the most out of my internship.

Every time I was at my internship, I never said that I’ve had a non- sense day. Each and every day, I got to learn something new, even it’s just a word that sounds new to me. I never had a day wherein I don’t have a story to share with my friends or family that was happened in my internship on that particular day. 

“Konektado Ka!”

This is the slogan of PBS AM stations. It is the phrase or expression that the anchors say as they introduce the Bayan Patrol reporters before delivering news. But, for me, it’s more than just the words I would hear every day or I would even say at the radio booth. These are the words I use to describe the feeling of being an intern in PBS.

I felt connected to the people I worked with. The relationship I had with the people in the station and with my fellow interns evolved into something that felt like family even in such a short time. I remembered my supervisor who’s always reminding me and my co-intern that he didn’t want us to be treated as “basta- bastang” trainees but rather he wanted us to be treated as normal employees. He’d rather call us “staff” and not “trainess” because for him, we were already part of the station even for a short period of time.

Given the nature of the industry, I always had to be in-the-know of the latest news. I felt connected with my environment. Through my internship, I got to see the bigger picture of things and helped me to view other angles of news stories. Just to cite an example, I still remembered when Sir Rey on his program, DZRM, was talking about the issues on Bangsamoro Agreement, and on the side, he actually made me familiarize with the first military leadership in ARMM until it’s now recognized as Bangsamoro. From that, I got to know more about the history of the ARMM government and further understand its current status.  Through my internship, I was given fresh lenses with which to view the world of broadcasting.

Paid with Experience

Being an intern, I was not given any salary unlike a regular employee. But after the internship, I would say that I’ve got something that is more valuable than the money. It’s the experience that I can take with me wherever I go, whatever I do, even share with whomever I meet.

During the course of a month, I answered phone calls and queries during radio programs, provided anchors or producers with materials or information needed for the program, called countless people and offices to schedule interviews, wrote news materials every day, recorded news articles, abused my browser by so many tabs that were opened all at the same time just to research on the latest news and happenings, I also met politicians and personalities during the course of my internship .

Aside from all of the duties mentioned, one of the things I loved doing the most during the internship was co- anchoring. It was the right decision for me to be assigned in Radyo Pilipinas because I also got the chance to be part of other stations like in Radyo Magasin and Radyo ng Bayan since my supervisor also handled programs there. I was lucky that I was given the opportunity to participate in discussions about issues being tackled on each of his radio programs.

My stay in PBS has been more exciting as they launched a program called “Youthalk”. Every day, I looked forward to that 4- 5pm program. I really enjoyed those times I co- anchored the program. I got the chance to bond with the other interns and got to know them more and of course, each of us has his own piece to share. And to double the fun, there’s Mama Renz who guided us while we’re doing the report.

Learnings…

It was a well- spent 200 hours with PBS. I’ve picked up a lot of life-long values and lessons along the way that I now carry with me.

I learned to be patient and resourceful. I learned the value of hard work and sacrifice, learned to get things done. I learned how it felt to want so much to exceed expectations.

I learned to absorb knowledge like a sponge and to accept criticisms. I managed to be flexible to meet deadlines.

The month I spent in PBS is beyond awesome. I will always be grateful for being part of the station in a short span of time. The experience is something that is irreplaceable.

I am Marjorie Olfindo from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines- a proud PBS – DZRP intern.