PHILIPPINES/Q&A: ‘The Poor Need the Media’

"Street papers provide a service to the people that governments have not been able to give," says 'The Jeepney' editor in chief William Shaw. The challenges, however, are many and for the Philippines' first ever street paper, Shaw and his staff need the help of all concerned groups and individuals to make the magazine a part of the reading habit of Filipinos. Shaw shares with the Asia Media Forum his views about 'The Jeepney' and its important role in Filipino society.

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'The Jeepney Magazine' is South-east Asia’s first street paper. Second only to Japan's ‘The Big Issue’, it was launched in March 2008 by William and Deborah Shaw, who set up the Establishing Urban Opportunities for Change Foundation. Apart from publishing the magazine, the foundation also sponsors Team Philippines for the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne in December.

A member of the International Network of Street Papers, ‘The Jeepney’ features the everyday stories of the poor and marginalised, gives them a venue to express themselves and share their lives with their readers. By giving them a chance to sell the magazine and keep half of the income, the magazine aims to give dignity and a livelihood to the vendors. AMF spoke with ‘The Jeepney’ editor-in-chief William Shaw.

AMF: Among your objectives are to empower the urban poor, help them move out of poverty and serve as their 'voice'. How powerful is this voice now and are people listening — or even responding?

Shaw: There is no doubt we have response, positive and not so positive. It is too early for us to claim a powerful, effective voice. I think everyone with money and power satisfy themselves with giving tokens to the poor, thinking tokens are the real thing. To really make a change, it will require companies, governments, and individuals to take risks for the poor. ‘The Jeepney’ is a risk for us. We do not yet have anyone responding in kind but we are expecting (it).

AMF: What kind of changes have you noticed among the beneficiaries of this project?

Shaw: Success to us is one person, one changed life. Emily is a grandmother selling ‘The Jeepney’ full-time and providing for her grandchildren. That is success, though we want one hundred Emily's.

AMF: How do you choose your vendors?

Shaw: When we first started, we recruited vendors who were homeless. Since then, we have encouraged anyone who is under the poverty level to sell (the magazine). If this moves them from poverty to something better, then it is good for us.

AMF: How do you keep costs down?

Shaw: Neither Deb, my wife, nor myself are paid by ‘The Jeepney’. In fact, we actually have donated the majority of the funds for the magazines as well. In addition, we have a staff that wears a lot of hats. Everyone does everything and anything. We have been given an office space by the Kids International Ministries and pay no utilities except an electricity donation. Our office is very simple.

We own a small contracting company in Michigan and it pays us a stipend. It's not a good long-term model but is working for now.

AMF: How do you intend to get potential readers' attention and commitment to help?

Shaw: We have had a lot of reader interest and offers to help. Honestly, our limited staff has not allowed us to dedicate a person or the time to train potential volunteers. This is a Catch-22 (situation). We need help, but we don't have the resources to organise or facilitate it. We are working on that.

AMF: Street papers have existed and thrived in other countries since the '90s. Why did it take so long to put up one in the Philippines?

Shaw: This is the first street paper in developing Asia. The '90s are not too far in the past, so this is new to the region. No one has heard of the concept. In addition, the West has a culture of work being better than a doleout. Rather than just give aid, they provided a job. In some ways, street papers are similar.

Also, papers have thrived because governments have recognised their value. Street papers provide a service to the people that governments have not been able to give. Communicating social issues is not as much a threat to businesses or governments in Europe. There is more access to funding for these projects in the west. This is a Filipino publication. We are here for the transition and the vision. At some point we will get out of the way.

AMF: The section about missing children is something that has been generally ignored by major newspapers. How serious is this problem?

Shaw: It is a big problem. Our featured vendor in our fourth issue has lost a child. We know two families associated with ‘The Jeepney’ in Cubao with lost children. The Department of Social Welfare and Development gave us a list of eight lost children, also featured in our fourth issue. The poor have no photos, no birth certificates, no way to give the police an idea of who they are looking for. It is hard to tell how many children are abducted and how many just get lost.

AMF: Have you had feedback from the mainstream media as a whole? Do you foresee future partnerships with these huge entities?

Shaw: We have met many journalists and editors, directly or indirectly. We are a member of the Circulation and Management Association of the Philippines. Those representing their publications at the monthly meetings have been very supportive. The poor need the media. We are here for the poor and we need the media too.

AMF: Your future plans for the foundation and the magazine?

Shaw: We are planning for sustainability through advertising and outside funding. We think it will take at least two more years to build the networks and relationships to place our ‘Jeepney’ vendors. We plan on being here until we are no longer needed, maybe in three to five years.

AMF: What's the most frustrating experience you've had so far in getting The Jeepney's message across?

Shaw: The 'big-landed' corporate disinterest. There's a definite tension between the needs of the poor and the goals of business. Only if the goals of the corporations are fulfilled will they support the needs of the poor.

AMF: And the most fulfilling?

Shaw: Emily, Teresa, Joseph, and each and every homeless person we get to work with.