Playing with Fire
Hope in media reforms
By Gonzalo Duque
THE election of the new Pangasinan Press Club officers by this time would have been finished.
Your columnist, encouraged by not a few fellow columnists and newsmen, entered the presidential affair in hopes we could put in our modest share in upgrading not only the local media’s image, but also its outlook and character.
You see, brickbats and other forms of dirt have been thrown on the face of the local media due to the so-called “talibans.” But we view these things with candor and understanding, because we know that it is impossible for democracy to thrive without a press.
Our neighbor Jun V’s brother Dante Velasco, now a DOTC Usec for information, related in a local forum that the late Louie Beltran, a national icon of journalism, did not consider writing for a provincial paper as journalism.
When Beltran who was teaching journalism in UP Dilliman asked if there were active media practitioners in his class, Dante and a few others raised their hands; he was then managing editor of the Lingayen Reporter. When he said he was writing for the Lingayen paper, Beltran said, “sorry, that’s not journalism!”
That put down was probably meant to be a humorous crack, but it drove the Dagupeno writer to avenge his embarrassment by a fierce study of the subject. He became chairman-president of a prestigious communications corporation and became a book review columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Back to our PPC polls that was supposed to be held yesterday. Our advocacy which we articulated in our dialogues with local practitioners is to raise the level of media exercise in Pangasinan.
That won’t be difficult for this paper, Punch, as you well know, having been regularly receiving prestigious awards and citations nationally and worldwide, thanks to the high tenets laid down by its founder, the late journalist martyr Ermin Garcia Sr., which the junior is very ably carrying on.
We’ve received a lot of encouragement even from non-journalists including those we regularly write about in this page. Probably they know that we have no intention whatsoever in our writing than the public good. We offer our thanks to them, too.
And to Ermin Jr., of course, for giving us the vehicle to become an opinion maker. Actually, we started our column writing in the defunct Courier until its demise in the late 80’s.
Win or loss in the PPC presidency, our colleagues have our word: we shall unceasingly work for quality reporting and commentary, which means unbiased, always honest, truthful and passionate journalism for reforming the system and government.
* * *
Up to now, we continue to receive text messages and emails about what we honestly think of the nonstop rift between Mayor Benjie Lim and Vice Gov. Belen Fernandez.
We have consistently viewed the uneasy “Double B Affair” as a cat and mouse game. Parehong mall business leaders ata!
But seriously, Mayor Benjie should yield to the fact that his favorite vice is just doing her job and that is, to legislate. It’s her right to lead the bunch to scrutinize the city budget.
Now, it they — Belen and the councilors — have unearthed some irregularities, such as the alleged overpricing of calamity goods, as earlier exposed by our naughty cumpadre-councilor Chito Samson — they should go to court… not just whine and grumble in the media whose purpose is suspect (politicking).
On the other hand, Benjie’s defense that he merely based his prices of the goods purchased from the practice of his predecessor, is uncalled-for for that would be emulating a wrong practice. A wrong should not be emulated, Mr. Lim. Investigate it. Anac na lasi met!
On another front, we admire Benjie’s guts in castigating the local private schools on the issue of unabated business taxes. Not only the private schools, but other business enterprises, too.
Anyway, Univ. of Luzon president Macky Samson, the more sober Samson, has prepared a rejoinder by asking the SP to move against Mayor Benjie’s abusive tax collection plan. May we remind Benjie that governments fell and got knocked down due to high taxes.
Macky is asking, “may naitulong na ba si Benjie sa private education? I miss Al Fernandez.” Kitam Mayor Benjie. Walala ray ombabarong!
Better do a come from behind triple shot!
As we go to press, we stumbled on this great quote made by an Indian philosopher, Reynor Nesbur, “The capacity of man for justice makes democracy possible, but the capacity of man for injustice makes democracy necessary.”
In the context of certain Dagupan politicians’ penchant to interchange democracy with “demon cracy” and “democrazy,” we advise our erring debater pretenders to go back to basics to remember that democracy, as Abe Lincoln said, is “a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”
Need we say more?
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