“Restraint” and the average Pinoy schmoe

Written on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 1:40 pm | by benign0

The news about Ces Drilon’s abduction is sad indeed.

It must be a huge comfort to her family to know that there is an all-out effort (based on Ding G. Gagelonia’s frequent updates) to recover her and her crew safely; among others: a call for “media restraint”, a “directive” to the AFP to “share intelligence with the police”, and an assurance from Malacanang that it is believed that this incident “must not go unpunished”.

Let us now reflect on the other victims of war and crime. There are the innocent bystanders and people minding their own business — unaware that a trip to the market could turn so bad and unable to comprehend how the life of an eight-year-old son or daughter could so figure in the politics of religion and ideology. There are our professional warriors in uniform who just as they go into battle as statistics, quite often also come home in bodybags as statistics as well. Ces Drilon is in a class of victims filled almost exclusively by journalists. Unlike those Innocent Victims, she chose to face danger squarely in the eye. Unlike our warriors, she didn’t march into the jungles of Mindanao to destroy the enemies of our state. Ces Drilon went in with a “professional duty to vigilantly safeguard the public’s right to information”.

Ces Drilon’s abduction moved people to call for media restraint, share intelligence, and deliver punishment. As I ponder the horrific nature of an abduction by Islamic extremists, I try to regard this horror in the context of the broader base of victims — i.e., everyone who has fallen victim to or has had their lives impacted by violence and crime. It is from this context that I’d like to revisit those three calls I cited as the highlights of Ding’s latest update on the abduction.

Just a few days ago, I saw coverage of a hostage incident involving a bus load of people on ABS-CBN’s Bandila. Thankfully, the drama ended quite well. The thing about it that disturbed me was how reporters covering the incident behaved. As the hostages were being led out of the bus, you could see them pushing past the police while shoving their mikes and cameras into the faces of the clearly distraught victims. This is only the latest and least outrageous of behaviours exhibited by reporters. Dead bloodied bodies have always been a staple in Pinoy news programs. Doctors have even been hounded by the same mikes and cameras in their emergency rooms in the middle of a flood of casualties in the wake of a disaster.

Media restraint. Ces Drilon has been abducted. Of course “restraint” suddenly becomes relevant. But the more important question is: Is it generally relevant in our society? How is Juan de la Cruz’s corpse served up in (otherwise) living colour to the public exempt to this restraint we now call for?

I find it a bit interesting that an institution (or, more appropriately, an industry) that built much of its clout around the notion of its entitlement to information (glossing over the fact that it re-sells said information at a profit) is suddenly echoing a Government call in support of a Government operation. These are the same people who called out troop movements blow-by-blow over public airwaves as Government troops besieged rebel soldiers in Camp Aguinaldo in one of those post-Edsa1 “rebellions” back in the late 80’s (endangering the lives of the assaulting troops).

As is often said, the character of a person can be determined by how consistently he/she treats people of all walks of life.

Thus:

Is the need for “directives” to “share intelligence” and “punish crime” in “all out efforts” warranted everytime a high-profile person is the victim? Isn’t every endangered Filipino life entitled to an “all out effort”? Doesn’t every criminal deserve to be punished?

Ces Drilon is one of us — a producer of media content. Echoing cvj’s comment, I also say, I hope this ends well; as much as I hope that someday, all Filipinos can also expect similar expeditiousness, senses of urgency, and restraint from the Media when placed in a position of life-or-death dependence on Government services.

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About The Author: benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.COM and has once been described as "one of the most enthusiastic hecklers of the politically-passionate" by a respected journalist.

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Comments

11 Responses to ““Restraint” and the average Pinoy schmoe”

  1. J on June 10th, 2008 1:53 pm

    makes a lot of sense indeed.

  2. Ding G. Gagelonia on June 10th, 2008 2:08 pm

    I would have wanted to disagree but our colleague, if this writer may be allowed to use the term,is entire correct in observing how Philippine news media practitioners behave as if they “have an entitlement” to information, without heed to authorities and the right to privacy of both victims, and may I say suspects, particularly those promotion-conscious government functionaries who parade newly arrested ‘usual suspect’ in sensational police operations, the most recent being those against the demons responsible for the RCBC robbery-massacre.

    This writer was in the mainstream for some 30 years and witnessed all the excesses, which sadly continue till today.

    Philippine news media does need to clean up its act.

    But may I act the the readers and viewers, armed with their TV remote controls, mouses, and money for hard copy editions, do have the final say, and “should vote with their feet,” on a manner of speaking.

    Media can only abuse if the public allows those who “are full of themselves,” and think they are part of what is news, to get away with it.

  3. Pochero on June 10th, 2008 3:22 pm

    Do we get the government we deserve, and do we get the type of media we deserve? Media serves up some lamentable content because that is what sells.

  4. Blackout « smoke on June 11th, 2008 12:22 am

    […] guess benign0 beat me to it. Reacting to abs-cbn’s news blackout of the Ces Drilon abduction, I mean. […]

  5. Nick on June 11th, 2008 4:07 am

    Excellent commentary Benign0, one that needs to be addressed.. ABS-CBN has already explained the news blackout, and we’ll see if they heed the same for future, non-ABS-CBN workers..

    As for now, CES Drilon and the two other individuals should be our focus.. let’s hope for their safety.

  6. benign0 on June 11th, 2008 11:44 am

    Thanks Nick. No problem with the current “focus” here in FV. Though this is precisely the point I make and the question I just have to ask: Why the focus on Ces Drilon? Ordinary Pinoys get kidnapped everyday. Murder and kidnapping cases involving hundreds if not thousands of ordinary Pinoys get buried in paperwork for YEARS. Ordinary Pinoys disappear without a trace everyday.

    Their families grieve in relative silence and obscurity and wait patiently with hardly an option but to trust a system — and a society — that has a vast track record of failing its own people.

    I wonder though… When the police or army get around to rescuing her, will Ces be waving that same fist she waved at them at the Manila Pen? ;)

  7. J on June 11th, 2008 12:08 pm

    benign0: the news black-out of ABSCBN indeed sends a message that Drilon and company are different bethey are prominent and powerful personalities. I find this sad. And I do believe we shuld focus on this issue as well.

    But still, I pray for her and her crew’s safety.

  8. rovheel on June 11th, 2008 1:12 pm

    “No journalist will choose to die for any news maker” I pray for the safety arrival of the team.

  9. Ding G. Gagelonia on June 11th, 2008 3:28 pm

    Revisiting this post, benign0, yours is one insightful perspective that should be read and reread by Filipino media professionals who oftentimes get swept in the moment… in the heat of heart-pounding and even byline-making ‘breaking news’ that make, or break careers, where their stand-up piece-to-cameras (stand-uppers) as they are called in TV news can become Take 1 in the day’s prime time news, or simply be run with natural sound on the say so of the harassed but all-powerful news producer if the program line-up of stories is tight or if the evening’s ad load considerably limits the available air time.

    It also also is true that journalists can, and do, become full of themselves and need to be restrained and stay focused on the issue.

    Reality checks needed all around by everyone, every time.

  10. Back to what’s important | Filipino Voices on June 11th, 2008 5:53 pm

    […] thank Ding for his thoughtful note — a true call for restraint and perspective in these crazy times. On that matter, I would […]

  11. Call For Media Restraint Subjective and Unethical | Filipino Voices on June 13th, 2008 11:03 pm

    […] following is an email response from Gil H. A. Santos to benign0’s “Restraint” And The Average Pinoy Schmoe. Mr. Santos served as bureau chief for AP and Dow Jones, correspondent for Time and Life magazines […]

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