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By Weng Bolinas, Haribon Foundation
There is no doubt on the media’s role as a
catalyst for truth, change and progress. Powerful images and voices
reveal the plights of the people. Time and again, the power of
spoken and written word has stirred the collective consciousness of
populations, across nations, race and gender.
Yet the media is also a market tool manipulated
by various interests. Without capital and without resources,
messages are shaped according to who sells them and who buys them.
Recently, there was a deliberation on House Bill
1556 “An Act Requiring All Mass Media Facilities to Allocate a
Certain Portion of Their Airtime or Space for Public Service and
Penalties for Violations Thereof” and, House Bill 2172 “An Act
Requiring Print and Broadcast Media to Provide Free Space and/or
Airtime on Environmental Issues or Concerns and for Other
Purposes.” Given how much profit the media from paid
advertisements earns, the passing of these bills could be alarming
to those concerened only with profit. While a few have started to
waive airtime fees to non-profit organizations in their stations,
most remain hesitant.
In the Philippines, environmental issues often
impact vulnerable sectors with no direct access to media. Often,
landscapes and affected communities are not news unless they are in
catastrophic degree. Even then, cover-ups by perpetrators get more
airtime than the victims themselves.
A developing nation’s capital base lies in its
people and its environment. The integrity and sustained ability of
the environment to provide the natural capital for economic growth
and services for its population is a prime concern that affects the
entire country. Without these, no amount of foreign investment, debt
and aid can propel a country to advancement.
Finally, it is the public’s right to be
apprised on the environmental impacts of current development
programs our government is undertaking in the pursuit of economic
development and upliftment of the general well being of its people
including its consequences to the generations of Filipinos to come.
In this regard, news organizations, media
outfits, press networks should be mandated to allocate free space
and/or airtime on environmental issues and concerns.
Kapisanan ng Mga Brooadcasters sa Pilipinas’ (KBP’s)
example is a clear manifestation of media organizations’ mandate
to provide for venue for information sharing and awareness-raising
among its public audiences. Thus, for non-profit sectors of the
society who cannot afford to pay for airtime nor print space, there
should be a legislated law that guarantees opportunities for print,
airing and publication of issues relevant to national interest and
public welfare.
Like other corporations, media networks should
consider free airtime and space for environmental issues and
concerns an integral part of their Corporate Social Responsibility
and Public Accountability. Adhering to several journalistic versions
of Code of Ethics does not exempt any entity from any accountability
demanded by the citizenry. It is the basic right of any individual,
as enshrined in our Constitution, under Article III, Section 7 in
the Bill of Rights, to recognize “the right of the people to
information on matters of public concern.”
The media machinery of industries that are
engaged in large-scale extractive operations such as mining,
logging, oil and gas cannot be matched by affected communities and
environmental advocates. With multimillion-public relations funded
programs, news that come out in the media are sometimes skewed in
favor of their profit-oriented activities.
We urge the esteemed Members of the House of
Congress to enact HB 1556 and HB 2172 immediately in the interest of
providing equitable access to media resources for the common good of
the public.
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