“I feel proud. Not just of myself but
of the chance to provide important information to whoever reads a story with my
name on it,” says Santino Bunachita, University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu
Mass Communication alumnus and now a Cebu Daily News (CDN) correspondent.
Santino has been a voracious reader ever
since he was still a kid. He developed his liking in writing when he was in
high school. His passion for his craft continued until he reached college. He
left his province, Bohol to enter Cebu,
where he pursued Mass Communication, a course he describes as closest to his
heart.
Though being an “Iskolar ng Bayan”
has already been an achievement for him, Santino admits that studying in UP
Cebu made him encounter a lot of challenges. Through his college years, he
spent sleepless nights studying for an exam and finishing his projects. But
despite juggling his roles as a student, he was also able to devote his time in
writing. Santino became a feature editor of Lanog, the official publication of
the mass communication program when he was in hid third and fourth year.
“My stay in UP Cebu has been a turning point
in my life. The school was able to let me do things I never would have had the
chance to do had I been in another school. It was a tough four years, (although
tough is still an understatement) but the experience was made much better with
the company of my classmates and friends,” says Santino.
His passion in writing brought him
many opportunities like joining international writing contests like Goi Peace
Foundation the 16th Graciano Lopez Jaena community journalism workshop. Santino also represented the school
in Filipino Student Goodwill
Ambassador to Japan under the Japan East Asia Network of Exchange for Students
and Youths.
Looking back, Santino feels proud
about all his achievements, saying that the four years were worth it.
His parents, Erma Bunachita and Jose
Bunachita were pleased of their son because of his achievements. Santino graduated
in UP Cebu last April 2013 as cum laude.
“I’m very proud. Not just my family
but the entire clan even. Being admitted in UP was already a feat but
graduating with latin honors was the cherry on top of the cake.”
Immediately after graduating, he entered
Cebu Daily News as a correspodent. This also came to him as a surprise, since
this was not a part of his original plan.
Prof. Mayette Tabada has always been
an inspiration to him in pursuing journalism. “She was even the reason why I
ended up with CDN,” he said.
CDN opened a lot of new doors to him.
He recently completed a training with the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network
and the International Justice Mission on reporting Human Trafficking as a
practicing journalist this time.
“I'm loving how I get to experience
different things and meet different people every day.”
As new in the industry, he always makes
sure to distant himself from an issue. “Sometimes, I just can't be completely
impartial on an issue, but I have to be,” says Santino.
There were also times when working as
a journalist challenged him, like the urge to find credible sources and right
information. Sometimes, he feels disappointed whenever his story doesn’t get
published or even when it's shortened too much.
However, he has published a lot of news
stories, some of them ended up as the banner story of CDN.
Santino is just one of the many
journalists who are new, yet are slowly making a mark in the industry. When
asked for his message to aspiring journalists, he said, “Read and write and
read and write again. Grab any and every chance to write a thought that pops in
your mind, whether it is on a piece of tissue or at the back of your hand.”
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