|
We welcome Ms. Ces Drilon back to freedom. As we write this, she and
her cameraman Jimmy Encarnacio are on their way to Manila to rejoin
their families and network. Also released was Mr. Octavio Dinampo, a
professor in Mindanao whose reading of the Abu Sayyaf seemed
inaccurate.
Let us learn from this episode. Don’t trust
the Abu Sayyaf, even if you are a newsman. That lesson should have
been learned from the cases of many, including that of Arlene de la
Cruz, the broadcaster who was also abducted by the same group.
Arlene’s press credentials did not matter to the group at all.
What is important to the Abu Sayyaf are the
needed resources for continued warfare in pursuit of its cause. That
means money for guns, food and other guerilla expenses. If abducting
a journalist could bring about funds and publicity for the group,
then they will do it.
Ces should be able to tell us soon what is so
important about the story she was pursuing at the time of her
abduction. Was it a story that could propel the peace process in
Mindanao? Was she about to interview somebody who could reveal a new
movement to replace the MNLF and the MILF? Was she about to discover
an undisputed connection between the Abu Sayyaf and and Jemiah
Islamiah? Was she on the verge of finding out the secret operations
of the US forces in that part of the Philippines? Was she following
up a story on Malaysia’s real attitude towards the GRP-MILF talks?
Did the ABS-CBN brass interview her about the
real value of the story to be worth all the risk to her life and the
disturbance she created for the nation? I wonder what that story is
all about. But as a journalist, I am giving her the benefit of the
doubt. But she should eventually tell her story.
The interest of the nation is definitely larger
than any person’s. But in the case of Ces, an award-winning
journalist, we will never allow her to be abducted indefinitely.
Everybody was on alert during the whole hostage situation, including
the armed forces, the police and the local governments. But it is
also our duty as journalists to be careful, especially if we are
dealing with groups like the Abu Sayyaf.
The right of reply
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. has filed a bill
requiring media institutions to grant the right of reply to those
attacked in newspapers, radio and television. The bill is on third
reading in the Senate.
Unfortunately, media practitioners have not
participated in the debate and in the consultations in the Senate.
The publishers have not given their opinions, so has the NPC and the
MOPC. The Samahang Plaridel is planning to have a meeting with
Senator Pimentel to discuss the bill.
Senator Pimentel believes that granting a right
of reply to those criticized in media would prevent killings of
journalists. In his study, most of the killings that happened since
EDSA One were caused by the failure of provincial publishers to
publish the “other side of the story.”
On the other hand, some journalists believe that
the matter of reply goes with the profession. According to these
journalists, there need not be a law to grant that right of reply
because that right is already imbedded in their profession.
One editor told me that freedom of the press
implies that it should not be tinkered with by an enabling law. Once
a law is passed defining freedom of the press, that is tantamount to
curtailment.
Perhaps, the media community should unite to
come up with a common view on the Pimentel proposal. The bill is
indeed too important for the profession.
Taguig and Lapu-Lapu
The leaders and residents of Lapu-Lapu City and
Taguig City should be happy these days. These two cities have just
been awarded as the most friendly in the field of investments.
The judgment did not come from some fly-by-night
organizations. It comes from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM)
which has conducted a study on the investment climate among the
local governments.
Lapu-Lapu City, under Mayor Arturo Radaza, was
chosen from the south because of its friendly attitude towards
investors and tourists. Radaza has a regular meeting with potential
investors (some come from Korea), telling them about incentives if
they place their money in this part of Cebu. On June 27, the mayor
will meet again with investors, including the Filipino taipans.
As for Taguig, Mayor Freddie Tinga has gained
the nod of the AIM survey group because of the efficiency with which
the city processes papers.
jules42na@yahoo.com
|
