What is media supposed to serve?

By Gonzalo Duque

 

THIS should be our last column article before the elections… unless some untoward extraterrestrial power would occur to block the elections scheduled tomorrow, May 9, 2016.

God forbid!

Ok, we won’t drumbeat anymore for you-know-who! The nation is already shouting his name D-U-T-E-R-T-E!

While composing our thoughts for this column piece, we were recalling bits and pieces of soul-searching discussions with media leaders the likes of Ermin Garcia, Jr., National Press Club former president Benny Antiporda, Jun Velasco, Jerry Esplanada, Virgie Pasalo, Mita Duque, Orly Navarro, Peter Lavina (Rody Duterte’s spokesman), and Ging Cardinoza.

Diverse views were expressed, some bordering on Philippine media’s over-liberal attitude to its practice or mal-practice.

Know what? Our columns in this paper where Jun V confesses was his entry to community journalism were labeled by certain quarters as very partisan for Rody Duterte. But this we’d like to say.

All over the world, there’s no such journalism as a fence-sitter. The Punch, if you read it with a magnifying glass, is unswervingly for good governance, public service of the highest kind, morality in public service, and, of course, the truth.

Do not forget the paper’s slogan, “No man is to be reverenced more than the truth.” That motto was our first attraction to join this paper founded by Ermin Garcia Sr., erpat of our publisher-editor who, we believe, set the tone for his paper’s fighting spirit.

We are re-stating this policy because throughout the election campaign period, we were dismayed by some newspapers like the PDI for its over hospitality to news (including unverified ones, conjectures, rumors) that maligns people such as our front-running candidate for president, Mayor Digong Duterte.

Not only the Inquirer, the Star too, and others. It seems the framework of mind of most media outlets in the country was meant to demonize Duterte.

A 1989 rape case that dragged his name based solely on a humorous remark, the mayor’s exasperation with a traffic jam during the visit of the Pope, devilish character on our man of which he is not and perhaps never would be.

But the character of media is one of a slave’s eye, serving two masters – 1) the oligarchy that dictates on the working people, and 2) a monopolistic church that behaves like it could dictate the moral norm of the nation. These two institutions, if you look closely, have ruled our beleaguered land and got away with it.

Was it good? Naah!!!

Sorry for sounding like the activist that we used to be, always questioning the culture of education our people have been shaped and brought up with.

Here’s our very simple – almost simplistic – question: Why is Digong Duterte loved by most people?

Because most Filipinos could not swallow anymore the so-called reality that we have been swallowing over long decades!

Sirang sira na tayo, ang nasyon natin, if you can pardon the phrase. All our truth-serving leaders (hindi iyong dinidiktahan ha?) and the idealistic young have been hurting because of the “impositions” on our society by the self-serving capitalists and oligarchs.

Do you know who is their Number One promoter?

You guess, the church!

Followed by the oligarchs, the capitalists, the feudal lords, the imp… yes, all that, wala pang nabago a, sa totoo lang.

What dismays us is the ease with which they associate Digong with demonic causes.

And so, what happened? Nag-boomerang! We met Mr. Ben Diamsay, president of the Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan (MINSUPALA) Integrated Journalists Association, a couple of months back. When Ben learned that we were supporting Duterte, he slapped our knee and said, “with an intellectual like you in the north supporting my kabayan without any strings attached, he will have a chance to run for president.”

It’s tough work, in the same norm as we’ve embarked on this column-writing job (or jab) to make people look at things the way we do if only to upgrade our lives and slam the door on hypocrisy, arrogance of ill-gotten money, and give lavish accolade to an honest, self-effacing, sacrificing care and affection for the poor and the victims of justice!!

We believe that under a Duterte presidency, this hypocrisy – just like the bruising reign of drugs and criminality – will soon be gone.

God bless us!

*          *          *          *

NOTES: Now it can be told. Dismayed by the difficulty of the administration to score a home-run in the presidential surveys, a respected family member confessed that the man to blame is no one but President P-noy for fielding two candidates instead of just one. This must be due to his fear that his first candidate, Mar Roxas, may not be able to make it, and so shopped around for a supposedly more winning candidate in Grace Poe, who owes her popularity to her adoptive father, the late king of action movies, Fernando Poe, Jr. It’s a lesson in leadership that winning has to have a moral basis, not opportunism. 

(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments