PHILIPPINES: Jobs Come Aboard ‘Jeepney’ Street Paper
| Posted: 2008-11-14 |
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By Lynette Lee Corporal The 28-year-old mother of three is one of the vendors of the newspaper named after one of this South-east Asian country’s most ubiquitous symbols, the jeepney -- that noisy, powerful and colourful monster of the roads. "Street papers are published to educate the curious, wake up the apathetic, generate emotion and promote compassion. . . .It is also like the other street papers in the world, trying to provide a job with dignity," William Shaw, editor-in-chief of ‘The Jeepney Magazine’, wrote in its second issue. Like other street papers, it has two main aims - to be an avenue for information by covering interesting local everyday stories, and equally important, to provide a dignified livelihood to those who sell it, which include some of the people it writes about, including street people, the homeless and other marginalised groups. Unlike the common perception by many, a street paper is different from free papers given out in many cities and their mass transportation systems. At the moment, ‘The Jeepney’ introduces readers to the lives of its vendors and the community they belong to. There is a section on missing children, a chilling reminder of a bigger and more serious issue of kidnapping, child labour and trafficking. Lighter but still somber is the poetry page. Without diverging from its original intent, the editorial staff clearly have to put on their creative caps. The magazine has an appealing layout and a reader-friendly style. "We are making some transitions, such as adding a food and fashion sections that (still) highlight the poor but also provide some variety. The bottom line is that we want to be an alternative media voice, but we want to employ impoverished people too," said Shaw. INTERNATIONAL LINKS ‘The Jeepney’, along with 87 other street papers from 37 countries in six continents, is a member of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP), a global independent media movement established in 1994 in Scotland. Some 32 million readers are reported to have access to street papers each year. About 250,000 severely disadvantaged people worldwide are said to have been given opportunities to help and express themselves. Like its counterparts around the world, ‘The Jeepney Magazine’ aims to give its vendors half of the original selling price of the magazine, making it a source of livelihood for them. In this case, a vendor takes home 50 pesos (a little over one U.S. dollar) for each magazine sold. The other half is divided equally to pay for printing and production costs, as well as vendor training and oversight. If a vendor sells a minimum of 10 copies per day, he or she earns 500 pesos (10.63 dollars), almost double the minimum daily wage in the country's capital city. Shaw and his photojournalist wife Deborah moved to the Philippines from Michigan, the United States, about three years ago and established the Urban Opportunities for Change Foundation, which publishes ‘The Jeepney Magazine’. The magazine, which does not have a regular publication frequency so far, has published three issues since its maiden issue in March 2008. The magazine is also being sold further up north in Baguio City, the country's summer capital. Shaw is also exploring the possibility of selling the magazine in southern Davao City, the central cities of Bacolod and Boracay. INFANCY Because the magazine is still in its infancy, it is quite vulnerable to economic trends. At present, the magazine prints out an average of 5,000 copies per issue. Its fourth issue will come out in December. Having a Tagalog-language translation of the magazine is also in the works. "We have considered doing a 30 to 40 peso (.60 to .80 cents) publication in Tagalog and increasing the places our vendors can sell. It makes sense but we do not have the staff or the funding for it yet," said Shaw. Visibility is certainly a problem for ‘The Jeepney’ staff. This is a problem that even INSP is trying to solve in European countries by stepping up its marketing and communication plans. In order to obtain wider reach, the network is also scheduled to launch a more interactive website in December that will have content in six languages — English, German, Spanish, Norwegian, French and Portuguese. Says Aldam: "People don't fully understand the concept and we still have to explain to them that this is about employment and offering a quality paper rather than a doleout. Filipino journalist Em P Guevara was quite impressed by ‘The Jeepney’, even though she only became aware of its existence quite recently. "A street paper as well-made as ‘The Jeepney’ certainly has a place in a Third World country such as ours. It should not be treated as just another publication — it is an advocacy. It should be promoted through mainstream media," she said. "I think it's fair to say that a lot of the more successful street papers are able to provide a balance in terms of content. Apart from development features from our news service and media partners, we also have pieces on celebrities," said Aldam. WHERE TO SELL But then again, it is all about location, location, location. For the magazine, this has become a main problem against the backdrop of a drive by the metropolitan authority to clear the Philippine capital of illegal street vendors. "The properties, in the Makati business district for example, are controlled and policed by security men, so that all vendors are being pushed to the fringes," he said. Shaw noted that the first thing vendors want to know is where they can sell. "Most of the poor have dealt with the aggressive stance taken by some in government and business that make being a street vendor a risky proposition. They want to sell the magazine; they want a place where they can be legal and safe," he explained. He added that the magazine might also be sold door-to-door in residential areas. ‘The Jeepney Magazine’ has about 30 vendors spread all over Metro Manila. According to Shaw, street papers in the west have thrived because "governments have recognised their value", which also opens up more access to funding. Content-wise, Guevara wondered whether the magazine will be able to attract readers. "It is hard enough to get people buy publications for their entertainment or information, what more something like this, which tends to be, in these parts anyway, given away for free," she asked. In fact, said Shaw, advertisers and companies are wont to support "positive, uplifting stories that speaks of success". An obvious selling point, Aldam added, is the use of a celebrity on the cover of a street paper. For Shaw, ‘The Jeepney’s’ target audience are readers that are socially conscious and care about key issues. They need to be able, he said, to "afford a cup of Starbucks and once a month to give it up, to give a job and buy the Jeepney". Interestingly enough, said Aldam, there are more women buyers of street papers than men, at least in Europe. Due to risks involved in working in the streets, however, there are not a lot of women vendors. Whether there would be a similar picture in the Philippines has yet to be seen. A publication that is both "dignifying and celebratory" is definitely a piece of good news for Banaria and her fellow vendors. But, as Shaw said, it is a question of trust. "It will take time for people to trust what we are doing. We need a track record and a history. I believe the care is there. In addition, we need to present the beauty of the country even in poverty,” Shaw pointed out. “No one really beautifies the poor. They are used, but not empowered. (END/IPSAP/LLC/131108) |
