Day 10

This is my most stressful day ever. And for the first time, I had to face news like an untamed lion that refuses to submit to its master. Forgive the comparison, but today I really had difficulty turning in a news story on an inauguration led by no other than the president of the Philippines herself.

The first hurdle is finding where the inauguration will happen. Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is supposed to lead the opening of the elevated U-turn in C-5 in Makati today, an innovation in traffic management according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

I don’t know how to get to the area because I really don’t pass through C-5 in my daily travels. In addition Sir Marlon Ramos failed to give me directions on how to get there. The only information I had was that the elevated U-turn is in C-5 is before a mall in the area. I even forgot the name of the mall. Rachel Miranda, my co-intern, gave me this information.

However, it’s always an adventure for me to try to find a place with almost no knowledge of how to get there. I rode a jeep to the mall from the Guadalupe station of the MRT. I asked the driver to drop me off the mall because I didn’t know where else to go.

Upon reaching the reference point, I went and asked the security guard how to get to the elevated U-turn in C-5. He, however, didn’t know where it was. He knew C-5 but had never heard of the elevated U-turn. Perhaps because it wasn’t opened yet to traffic, only a few people knew where it was. Taking my lead from the security guard, however, I went and asked more people. I next went to a police outpost for more information, but the guard inside was still asleep.

Luckily, two construction workers were able to give me directions. Like the guard, they also didn’t know what I was talking about, but when I clarified that I was looking for an inauguration of an elevated U-turn, they finally understood me. They said I needed to cross to the other lane in the highway and ride a jeep towards the inauguration. I did what they said and found where the ceremony would be, just on time.

The security personnel hastily checked me and instructed me to run to the top of the elevated U-turn because the president was about to reach the area. I sprinted to the top of the U-turn, reaching Sir Marlon and the other media people before the president arrived.

There were several television cameramen and reporters in the area. An MMDA brass band played music while everyone waited for the president. The press officers of MMDA also set up information regarding the elevated U-turn in addition to the press releases and media kits they were giving everyone.

After a few minutes, the president arrived with MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando. She rode a pick-up for the inaugural drive through, marking the opening of the elevated U-turn. Then, Fernando oriented her on the U-turn, its plans and the expected improvements brought by the project. She stayed for less than 20 minutes then drove off. The president just came from Egypt and Syria for business trips where she forged alliances with the two governments for the funding of different projects in the country.

After the entire ceremony, the press officers gave out refreshments for the journalists. Here, I saw how sometimes journalists can let go of their dignity because of the hardships of life. I do not condemn the receiving of food or drinks because even I took cola. What I didn’t like was the manner the journalists took the food. They looked so greedy, pushing and shoving one another just to have a sandwich and a soda. How’s that for a free press?

Probably, they were so hungry, but to act unruly just for refreshments lowers the industry and invites cynicism and criticism from the government. How can they respect these people if they do not act respectable?

These may be harsh words from an idealist, but even so, I know something’s wrong even without years of experience of journalism. The root of it? Poverty. I’ve learned early in journalism school that media people do not actually get enough for decent living. Take the photojournalists for example. They are among the least paid in the industry. And though these journalists endure the glaring sun and the dangers of the trade, they will be paid barely enough. Because of this condition, who can blame them if they resort to unethical practices to tie loose ends? They have families to support, mouths to feed, children to send to school. In such a scenario, journalism becomes merely a profession, no longer a passion. That’s a sad thing.

After witnessing all these, Sir Marlon asked me to write a story on the event. I had a hard time owing to the fact that I had never written an even story before. I knew the basics but I didn’t know how to structure the story. I spent the rest of the afternoon struggling to finish the story. I finished it but with a throbbing pain in my head. This is indeed a very tiring day.

Bahay Bulilit

Everything looked familiar inside the daycare center. There were students writing and playing. Colorful rubber mats covered the walls and floor like giant jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Infront, however, the teacher wore an unusual uniform.  Printed across her blue shirt were the letters P, U, L, I and S, identifying teacher Elma Labine with the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“Nasa letter ‘O’ kami. Nagstart kasi kami sa vowels (We started with vowels; now we’re with the letter ‘O’),” said PO1 Labine, one of the teachers in the "Bahay Bulilit" daycare center inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan.

In the daycare center, the teachers looked after 40 students, mostly children of police and residents of nearby barangays.

Labine was a graduate of Education, and she taught nursery and high school before entering the police force in 2006. She said it was a more stable job and there were more vacancies in the police.

However, she did not expect to practice her former profession in the police force when the “Pulis Ko, Titser Ko” program of PNP and the “Bahay Bulilit” project of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) were created.

“Naging dalawa nga ang profession ko. Teacher na ako at the same time pulis pa ako. Masaya ako dahil nakakapagturo ako kahit pulis na ako. (It’s like having two jobs at the same time. I’m a teacher and a police. I’m happy because I can still teach even if I’m a police),” Labine said. 

The “Bahay Bulilit” project in the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) was revived last year after it closed down in 2005 because of an explosion inside the camp. The 30-square meter nursery building donated by the RMHC in 2004 was heavily damaged by debris from the accident.

NCRPO community relations Chief Supt. Rodelio Jocson, however, pushed the rehabilitation saying that the project greatly benefited police officers and residents in nearby barangays who cannot afford to send their children to private schools.

The “Pulis Ko, Titser Ko” program, on the other hand, started in 2008 in Central Visayas, pursuant of RA 8980 or the “Early Childhood Care and Development Act.”

“It is also part of PNP’s advocacy to teach young children because of the shortage of teachers and the expensive schooling in private institutions,” he said, “…and this is our way of bridging the gap between police and citizens to show people that not all police officers are corrupt.”

In the NCRPO "Bahay Bulilit," the students are given free uniform, books and feeding program courtesy of RMHC and the PNP. Parents do not pay a single centavo and need only to send their children to school daily.

This summer the nursery school offered courses in basic reading and writing. Starting June, they will resume offering regular subjects for pre-school and nursery, including Physical Education, dance and song.

Parents started trooping outside the container-van-turned-to-classroom around noon, ready to fetch their children. Housewife Marilyn Obero, 34, a native of Negros Occidental, was among them. A cousin who works at the NCRPO told her about the program.

“’Yung dalawang anak ko po dito ko na rin pag-aaralin. Malaking tulong po sa’min kasi libre (I’ll also enroll my two other children here. It’s a big help to us because it’s free),” she said.

SPO3 Oscar Tolentino, 55, added that he enrolled his five-year-old daughter, Maricar, in the Bahay Bulilit because he doesn’t earn much.

“Kaysa sa private school na P3000 and tuition, dito na lang (I enrolled her here, instead of in a private school were tuition is P3000),” he said.

When the clocl struck 12, the children slowly emerged from the daycare center. Another day of learning was over.

Day 9

My traffic accident story got published today. It’s my second story and one which I can call truly my own. My first published story was edited by Sir Marlon Ramos so it’s a mixture of his and my style. This story, however, is 90 percent my style with minor revisions introduced by Ms. Allison Lopez. I’m so happy.

Today I stayed at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan with Sir Marlon and I wrote two stories—one was about a fire incident and the other was about another vehicle accident in the South Luzon Express Way. I picked up the fire story over the radio while the SLEX accident was experienced by Sir Marlon first hand. My mentor broke the SLEX accident online, but he asked me to write it for print.

By this time, I had gotten used to writing fire stories. In fact, I had grown fond of them. I have memorized the essentials which need to be included and the structure that best narrates the fire incident. For a fire story you must answer the following questions:

1.       When did the fire start? When was it put out? When was it reported to firemen? How long was the fire?

2.       Who were killed and/or injured? Who responded? How many responded? Who are the arson investigators?

3.       What caused the fire? What alarm did it reach? What are the angles being considered by investigators? What were destroyed? How much was destroyed? What type of building was destroyed? What kind of place was hit by the fire?

4.       Where did the fire happen? Where exactly did the fire start? Where were the injured rushed? Where were the occupants before the fire broke out?

5.       How did the fire start? How did the fire spread? How was it put out? How did the owners or occupants escape?

So far these are the things I have noted down. They are the essentials, the barest in a fire story. With these information included, the story can already stand. Of course you can add color by being more detailed and adding quotes. However, you can only achieve these if you are in the scene of the accident.

The next question is, how do you structure the fire story? In the university, we were taught to use the inverted pyramid in writing straight news stories. Since second year, I have found this structure too vague because it tells us that we must place at the very top the most important information and the least important go down.

For me, the problem begins with the fact that what’s important for me may not be important to another person, and vice-versa. Because of this, I always wrestle with the lead. What will I put up there? Two weeks of writing straight news have demystified the inverted pyramid for me, at least when it comes to fire story.

At the very top, we must place the casualties in human life and property. How many died? How many were injured? How much was damaged?

At the same time, we place the estimated time of the day, a general description of the place where the fire broke out and the city where it happened. We can also place in the lead the amount damaged if this is significant.

 In the second paragraph, we become less general and on to the specifics. We can name those who died, the exact location and the time when the fire was put out.

Then, we can detail how the firemen responded, who called, how many fire trucks were sent, what alarm did the fire reach and similar information.

From this paragraph down, we explain how the fire started, the possible angles being investigated and the remaining information that were not yet used.

Basically we play with the information depending on their news worthiness. If the person who died or the destroyed property is popular, we can mention them immediately in the lead. If not, we can delay them until the second or third paragraph.

The fire that broke out destroyed an estimated P1.2 million worth of property after gutting four homes in a residential compound in Paranaque City. As with the other fire, however, no deaths or injuries were reported.

The firefighters refused to give information on the cause of the fire because according to them, it was still under investigation. However, this alibi is sop for the arson investigators, thus, sir Marlon said I must be more firm in requesting even only the initial findings.

Unfortunately, I failed to get the info.

For my second story, Sir Marlon asked me to write another traffic accident story which again happened in SLEX, only this time, on the Northbound lane.

Sir Marlon was caught in the traffic caused by the accident so he had primary information on the accident. He broke the news in Inquirer’s online site, but asked me to write the story for print. 

The story involved two utility vans. The first one lost control after its driver miscalculated a move. This sent the van in a spin, hitting the L-300 behind it. The vehicles stalled traffic for almost an hour before they were towed away by the SLEX Skyway patrol. 

That’s it for today. I’ll add more tomorrow.

Day 8

Sir Marlon Ramos did not show up today, but he instructed me to stay in Makati with Ma’am Allison Lopez, the partner-reporter of my co-intern Rachel Miranda. Ms. Ali covers the local government of Makati and is sometimes sent by the Inquirer desk to events like inaugurations, court hearings and the like. Even if I’m under her tutelage, however, I was still assigned to cover the South Manila beat, sir Marlon’s original beat.

The day was relatively quiet, especially in my beat. Even if South Manila includes a number of cities—it is actually the largest beat in NCR—it is relatively peaceful with only minor incidents happening every now and then. It is so peaceful in fact, that for the whole day, I only wrote about an accident story which caused heavy traffic in the South Luzon Express Way.

I got a lead from the Press Information Office of Camp Bagong Diwa that a truck tipped on its side in SLEX, spilling paint and thinner and causing an eight-kilometer traffic build-up. For an inexperienced reporter like me, eight kilometers seemed a short distance, but the Philippine Star reporter who was with us said a traffic that long is already news. He brought out his NCR map and helped me trace the traffic.

The build-up was from Sucat in Paranaque City to Villamor Airbase in Pasay City—around eight kilometers, the SLEX traffic officer told me. In addition, the traffic lasted for about an hour, a truly frustrating experience for motorists who are stuck in the standstill. Luckily, no one was hurt or killed. Even the driver of the truck made it unscathed.

When I called the SLEX traffic patrol, they courteously helped me gather the information needed to make the story. There are marked differences in their interaction with media compared to the usually rough police officers in the different cities. The SLEX officer offered her help by connecting me to the right people who can give me my needed information on the traffic accident. She even patiently answered my calls even if I had to contact her several times to clarify things. How I wish other government employees were like her.

She said one of the rear tires of the truck blew up, causing it to lose control and eventually tip on its side along the express way. Its chemical cargo was spilled on the thoroughfare, snarling traffic for over an hour. With the help of the Skyway patrol, the truck was hauled and the expressway cleared of the chemicals.

While putting the story together, I am privileged to have Sir Mike of the Philippine Star to help me. He also had his own interns to train but he lent a few minutes to direct me in information gathering and in writing the news on the SLEX traffic and accident. After around an hour, I finished writing the story. I passed to Ms. Ali who edited it. She said the story’s alright. I got the essential information and she did just minor editing to make the copy more succinct and the news’ rhythm more natural.

I hope this one gets published. That’s all for today. I’ll add more tomorrow.

Day 7

After a week of working, I finally got an article published. Though it was just a news brief I am happy because the Inquirer editors deemed it worthy for publication. What have I learned from the experience? I must not underestimate the short police stories that land on print. Even if they look so easy to write, they are, in fact, very difficult to put together. Asking the police for information is the most troublesome part because they usually don’t have the needed data. For some reason, their blotters and spot reports disappear when media people ask for the names of victims or suspects, time of accident and the like.

My story was about a fire that broke out in a shopping center in Pasay City allegedly caused by electrical overloading. No one was hurt or killed but an estimated P500,000 worth of merchandise was reduced to ashes.

My main source in the incident was the security guard of the shopping center who witnessed the fire from start to finish. He said people panicked when they saw billowing smoke from one of the stalls in the Pasilyo A portion of the mall. When they responded, the fire was already raging, gutting three stalls in its wake. Firemen and volunteers put out the fire after more than an hour.

Several reporters in the Makati Press Office wrote the story which we first heard over the radio. Once more, the fast news bulletins of the medium proved useful to print. Using the cue from the radio report, we followed the story, calling the police for information and for verification.

Like what I said earlier, however, putting the fire story together was difficult because the police refused to disclose information in the early hours of the investigation. It took a lot of convincing and requesting for them to release the needed data. I realized that in practice, transparency is really vital in the exercise of press freedom. Even if we have a free press if the bearers of information refuse to disclose them, the right enshrined in the constitution is still violated.

In the end, I got lucky because of the security guard who gave me inside information on what happened in the shopping center. Though his statement was not official, it was still useful in piecing together the story, especially in answering the question, “What caused the fire?”

It turned out that electrical overloading caused a fluorescent lamp to explode, showering fire on bag items that quickly burst into flames. From a single stall, the fire spread, destroying two other stores and reducing to ashes hundreds of thousands in merchandise.

Earlier, I also wrote another fire story which destroyed a souvenir shop in Paranaque City near the private office of Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. Arson investigators suspect that faulty wiring caused the blaze which started in the carpentry shop of the store. Over P200,000 worth of souvenir items were destroyed. Luckily, like the other fire story, no deaths or injuries were recorded.

I felt more confident with this first story because it was more complete. I even had the opportunity to interview the arson investigator in charge of the case. Getting his personal number was fulfilling because I got to practice my resourcefulness. I called the investigator and had him explain to me first-hand how the fire started and what angles they were looking into. The fireman was very accommodating and was evidently used to journalists asking questions. He knew what information to give even before I asked for them.

I finished the fire story in less than an hour, submitted it and went to write the second story—the one which got published. Unfortunately for me, this first story was not used. I’m guessing the problem was the time aspect. It happened the night before. It’s less timely than the shopping mall fire which happened mid morning that same day. News as they say needs to be fresh. No matter how good your story is if it’s too late, chances are, the desk will discard it.

That’s it for now, I’ll add more tomorrow. 

Day 6

Dynamic day five was balanced by a boring and relatively peaceful day six. Sir Marlon texted me in the morning that he cannot make it today, but I pushed through because I’m eager to finish my 150 hours of internship.

For the day, I was under the tutelage of Ma’am Allison Lopez, the reporter-partner of Rachel, my fellow intern. She is a graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas and has been working with the Inquirer for around five years already. When I first saw her, I thought, “Wow, she’s so young.” I failed to discover her age, however. She even threatened me jokingly that she’ll fail me if I guess her age wrong. I did not dare.

For the day, she gave me the freedom to write stories for South Manila. But for some reason, nothing of significance happened within the day. The only police report I got was that of a housebreak where robbers tied the residents and ran off with jewelry, cash and a Toyota Avanza. I wrote the story but felt that it’s quite impossible for it to be used for its lack of news values.

Despite the absence of writing practice, however, I was still able to apply my note-taking skills as we interviewed the head Press Information Officer of Makati City still on the Meniggo case we picked up the other day. The PIO head helped us get in touch with the Ospital ng Makati head who was very difficult to contact. He called Dr. Perry and asked him the questions we were eager to ask regarding the case.

The OsMak head answered every query, giving us enough information to write a story. Unfortunately for me, Makati is not my beat, thus, I passed my gathered information to Rachel who was assigned by Ms. Allison to write the story if a death was confirmed. By this time, they were sent by the Inquirer desk to Manila to cover the arrest of NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower Jun Lozada. Apparently, even the reporter in-charge of the area was on leave.

While interviewing the PIO chief, Ms. Allison sent me a message regarding a scoop she received. The sister of Congressman Zuniga was allegedly being held by the Las Pinas police for failing to pay P500,000 worth of jewelry. She told me to check it out stealthily so as not to give the other reporters a cue on the scoop. I called the Las Pinas police to try to confirm the information. As expected, they refused to neither confirm nor deny that the sister of a congressman was locked up for estafa. The only information I got was that a woman with the middle name Zuniga was under police custody in Las Pinas. This information came from an operator in the city hall.

Sir Marlon sent a text message, commanding me to keep the information to myself. At the same time, he asked me to stop calling the police for confirmation so as not to alarm them. I complied and left the story to my reporter.

After all these, I really had nothing to do left. I spent the rest of the day reading newspapers and magazines and adding verbs and nouns in my list. I did not bother to send the story I wrote to Sir Marlon because there were more newsworthy stories that will easily outdo my story.

That’s it for today. I’ll add news tomorrow. 

Day 5

Day five is full of surprises. In the morning, I did my routine, calling the police stations in the Southern Police District to find out if any incident of news value can be used for a story. By this time, I’ve figured that police stations were reluctant to disclose information especially if you‘re not a known media personality. They’d claim that nothing had happened even if they’re contradicted by digests from the National Capital Region Police Office. I also learned that it’s better to call them asking for information on specific cases than to ask them for leads. The police officers are more open when you have ready questions and inquiries than when you ask them to give you information which you can develop.

In addition, I also found out that that asking for the Spot Report is a bit difficult because the police can easily claim that they don’t have it with them. Even the blotter containing the basic information miraculously disappears when I inquire about it. I often wonder why my reporter-partner refuses to personally go to the precincts to get the needed information.

For the day, we were scheduled to cover a meeting of the Makati officials tackling the city’s response to the “swine flu” epidemic. It was set in the 21st floor of the new Makati City Hall, a floor shy from Mayor Jejomar Binay’s office. Present in the meeting were city health officials, doctors from the Ospital ng Makati, scientists and epidemiologists all working to safeguard the city from the dreaded “swine flu” epidemic.

The health officials discussed the city’s response in case the virus spreads. They have reactivated their action plan long prepared during the SARS epidemic. The action plan was modified a bit to fit the current situation.  According to Osmak, Makati is prepared to face the virus and that the city has enough vaccines and medicine even for the worst scenario. It added that the Department of Health is still the foremost institution when it comes to curbing the dreaded disease. DOH instructed all health institutions to send all suspected cases to them, with the aim of centralizing the response to the disease.

Personally, I think the action has positive and negative sides. For one, centralizing the response can make monitoring more focused. It can give DOH more control over the infection and the victims. On the other hand, a centralized response can be slower in taking action especially in the far-flung areas in the country.

After the meeting, my reporter asked a number of questions regarding the specifics of the action plan. He inquired on the flow chart if a suspected case was uncovered—which institutions need to be alerted, which will handle the transport and the like.

We went back to the press room in the old Makati City Hall. The reporters discussed a number of points they jotted down during the meeting. They corroborated the spelling of names and medicines for accuracy. Sir Marlon wrote the story, and he asked me to rewrite Mayor Binay’s press release.

The press release was about the hidden agenda in the early retirement of AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Alexander Yano. According to Binay’s statement, the move will benefit the administration in that it will secure the appointment of a “pro-Arroyo” general during the May 2010 elections. Binay was referring to Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit who is now called “the president’s man Friday. I liked my output. It was one of the best news I have written so far.

After writing the story, I had nothing else to do—or so I thought. Around 5:30 p.m., a wing van caused multiple collisions in Pasay city, making breaking news that is high on the currency value, thus very news worthy. The reporters in the newsroom struggled to gather the limited information disclosed by the police on the accident. My fellow interns from the Philippine Star were sent by their reporter-partner to Osmak to get the names of those injured.

I, on the other hand, was instructed by my reporter to ask additional details on the road accident. The police were unable to supply me with fresh details, but I found a very important detail—the wing van was carrying gun powder. According to the police, it was the kind used in fireworks. The detail was added in the story.

After writing the story, everyone in the room was preparing to go home. Sir Marlon, however, said he received information about a “swine flu” victim who was admitted in Osmak. This was an exciting development late I the evening. The reporters frantically confirmed the information. Some called Osmak, the Star reporter asked his interns who were still in Osmak to confirm the report with doctors in their location. After a few minutes, however, they found out that the only person admitted was a woman with symptoms of “Meningo Coccimia,” not “Swine Flu.”

We breathed a sigh of relief because no one wanted to cover the hospital if ever the news was true. It was just too risky. After this last twist, the day finally came to an end. We went home around 6:30, an hour behind our usual dismissal time. 

Day 4

It’s Monday and my fourth day of internship. By now, I have gotten used to the rush-hour MRT rides I take daily. The cramped train is no longer an annoyance. In fact, I have truly mastered the art of squeezing myself in a very limited space. Sometimes I jokingly think about Laws of Physics and how they are being bent and disproved inside the MRT trains.

Today I’m supposed to meet Sir Marlon Ramos in Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan because the Makati beat we had been filling in for the past days finally got reunited with its original reporter, Ms. Allison Lopez. When I reached the camp, however, Sir Marlon sent me a text message saying he’d just see me in Makati.

I told him that I was already in Bicutan. So as not to waste time, he asked me to get stories from the daily journal of the Police Information Office inside the camp.

I found three interesting stories in the police journal. One was about a police officer who shot a man who ran amok with a knife. The second was about a break-in where an estimated P 55,000-worth of jewelry and computer equipment were stolen. The third story, the biggest, was about a fire that gutted the Fort Bonifacio Savings and Loan office in Taguig City. The fire reduced to ashes an estimated P 7 million-worth of office equipment in the one-story structure.

Sir Marlon asked me to write three stories for the day. I wrote about the two smaller stories I found in Bicutan and a last story about a man who was hit by concrete debris sprayed by a bullet from a shot gun. The firearm belonged to a security guard who accidentally set it off when he tried to stop brawling men from throwing stones at each other.

I wanted to write the fire story because it was no doubt the most newsworthy of the lot. In addition, I also broke the story in the newsroom so I felt that I could write the story well. Sir Marlon, however, chose to write the story. I felt bad at first but at the back of my mind I thought it’s alright especially because I was the one who initially reported the story to him. At least I know which stories were worthy for the paper. I’ll have my break, I thought.

Of the three stories I wrote, I felt good with the last one. The story was difficult to put into writing because of the complexity of the events. It  had several elements which were difficult to fit smoothly. The actions were too rugged that I had problems with transitions. Still I managed to write a decent story.

Throughout the day the different radio and television news stations busied themselves with news on the “Swine Flu” epidemic, spreading in Mexico, the United States and several other countries. For now, the epidemic has not yet entered the country and that’s something we must be thankful about. But the danger is not yet over.

In Makati, developments on the issue are not yet felt. Even the reporters are complacent about it, shrugging the wire stories about the flu’s spread to different parts of the world. Still, it dominated the front page of some of the major dailies, the Inquirer included. I kept myself updated by reading online stories written by the Associated Press and other wire agencies. Every now and then I checked Yahoo!  and Google news to get the latest updates in the “swine flu” issue.

For the rest of the afternoon, I spent my time listening to radio commentators arguing on the correctness of the term “swine flu” when the disease was not exclusively from pigs. According to studies, the flue contains strains from the avian, human and swine flu. It just so happened that the virus was first discovered in pigs, thus the name we now use.

That’s basically it for today. I’ll add some tomorrow.

Day 3

My third day of internship is marked by a quiet beat, not as explosive as the previous day’s events.

In the morning, I did my routine calls. I phoned the different police precincts covered by my Southern Police District beat. In every station I inquired about the latest crime and police reports that could be used for police stories in the Inquirer.

Most of the stations said nothing of significance happened in their area. Some sounded apprehensive while others utterly confused as an unknown intern from the Inquirer sought crime information from them.

I covered Pasay, Makati, Paranaque, Las Pinas, Muntinlupa, Taguig and Pateros. Of the seven police stations, only Las Pinas managed to give a report albeit a low-profile one. They faxed two reported incidents. The first one involved a man who allegedly died of cardiac arrest while walking towards his gym. This is not newsworthy, I thought.

The second incident, though still not of national significance is a lot more newsworthy than the cardiac arrest story. It was about a part-time driver who allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself inside his home. It was a tragic story. His neighbor and friend left the man still alive to buy food in a nearby stand. But when he returned, he found him already hanging by his neck from a black cable wire tied around a wooden beam.

I wrote the story and gave it to my reporter as usual. I waited for him to call me so that he can criticize my work, but it seems that he is not up to full-time mentoring. Oh well, I thought.

After writing the story, I had nothing else to do for the remainder of the day. I read the newspapers and compared the news in the major dailies. I also studied the writing style of the crime and police stories. I can say I’m learning a lot in news writing. I admit that I have not mastered the craft in my J 102 and it is only now that I’m learning how to write news.

If ever I’ll teach news writing, I recommend giving my students daily writing assignments to keep them sharp.

News has a certain language and melody which until now I can’t fully grasp. I think this is a result of not mastering the writing style early in my writing career. I have no trouble with long-form writing like feature, but when it comes to the succinct news, I get upset.

Aside from writing, I also set out to update my news verbs and nouns list. I have long planned to make a list of the action verbs and concrete nouns often used in certain stories to help me write faster. I am able to add several verbs and nouns during my free time.

Day 2

Action-packed. I’ll describe day two as such. Instead of going to Camp Bagong Diwa, my reporter and I proceeded immediately to the Old Makati City Hall to take over the Makati beat from another Inquirer reporter.

Makati City Hall’s press room is as wide as the Press Information Office in Camp Bagong Diwa. It was a lot messier, however. Piles of papers and magazines jutted here and there. Old press releases covered desk tops and tables. Metal cabinets belonging to old and present reporters accumulated dust and earth under the office desks attached to the grayish wall of the office. Evidences of press work are everywhere.

Two old desktops were used by the reporters to bash their stories and beat deadlines. Most of them, however, including our fellow interns from the University of Sto. Tomas, brought their own laptops at work. I can’t bring mine because I don’t want to risk it in the packed MRT rides I endure going to and from Makati.

Sir Marlon Ramos arrived early in the office to take over the coverage of the pre-trial of a case filed by the brother of running priest Fr. Robert Reyes. The deceased Reyes files a 500,000 peso case against Philip Morris for allegedly luring him to smoke their tobacco products at an early age through their advertisements.

We went to the Makati Regional Trial Court to cover the hearing, but upon arriving, found that it was already finished. The other reporters were already interviewing Fr. Reyes outside the court room, asking him opinions on the motion filed by Philipp Morris’ lawyers further delaying the hearing.

It was my first time to see Fr. Reyes up-close and personal. He looked much like the images broadcasted on television. I was also privileged to meet his parents and get to ask them a question or two. Fr. Reyes’ mother was a very nice lady. She’s soft-spoken and inquisitive and asked me and Rachel Miranda, my co-intern, about our studies and our future plans. She also commented on the defense’s lawyers attempts to stall the proceedings.

Early on we got good leads and writing the story’s all that’s left for us to do. Sir Marlon assigned Rachel to write her version of the tobacco case story. I on the other hand was assigned to write about a tanker which spilled its cargo in Pasay city, tangling traffic in the morning rush hour.

The biggest police news in South Manila that day involved a 10-wheeler truck spilling 19 tons of molasses after it tipped over on its side along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City. Sir Marlon got the lead from the local radio stations which reported on the accident in one of their news bulletins. Sir Marlon followed up the story and wrote a quick news for Inquirer.net. After a while, he asked me to write my version of the story and to add quotes to liven my story.

Unfortunately, as I tried to call the traffic management arm of the police, they denied me the information, saying an Inquirer reporter—Sir Marlon—already called earlier. They told me to just get the information from him.

I told this to my reporter partner and he just laughed, commenting under his breath about the lazy police force we have in the country. Left with nothing to do, he asked me to write the same story using his notes. I finished my story in a couple of minutes and tried to compare my work with what he had written. There’s not much difference, I noted.

After writing the story, we were back to reading newspapers and comparing news and headlines. We laughed at some sensationalized tabloid reports, particularly about a young man attacked by a shark in Batangas. The different tabloid-sized newspapers ran the story, each using the most absurd verb to catch readers’ attention. One newspaper used “sinagpang,” another “nilapa,” and yet another “niratrat.” This is sensationalism in action, I thought.

At around five in the afternoon, I though the day would soon be over. Sir Marlon, however, announced to our group in the office that a news is about to break. It involved the Subic Rape case where the complainant, “Nicole” recently recanted. Sir Marlon said the Court of Appeals was about to overturn the decision of the Makati RTC, clearing Lance Corporal Daniel Smith of the guilty verdict.

Sir Marlon and the other reporters, us included, raided the Makati RTC to get the opinion of Judge I-don’t-remember-the-name, who gave Smith the guilty verdict. The judeg, however refused to comment, saying he still didn’t know that Smith was cleared. The reporters argued a bit with the judge’s secretary, pleading her to tell Judge that they’re just asking for three minutes of interview.

When judge finally went out from his room, the only information the reporters were able to extract from him was that he had never been overturned before. The reporters tried to push the limit by asking him to comment on the case, but he judge was firm. He didn’t want to say anything about the decision.
This was the last-minute action in my day. I’ll add more tomorrow. :)

Day 2: My output :p

Makati mayor and United Opposition president Jejomar Binay called Speaker Prospero Nograles’ “fourth mode” of constitutional amendment the administration’s “game plan” in bringing the issue of Charter Change (Cha cha) to the Supreme Court (SC).

Binay said members of the pro-Arroyo party Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi), pushing for a Constituent Assembly, are expected to question Nograles’ formula most likely by bringing it, together with the Cha cha issue, to SC.

“Bringing the issue of Charter Change to the Supreme Court was the game plan all along. What we are witnessing is a script being played out by Lakas and Kampi,” Binay said.

He added that pro-administration congressmen in the House are “united” in bringing Cha cha to SC “where they hope to get a sympathetic ruling.”

Binay also called Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration the “real distabilizer” after her silence on the Cha cha railroading created “disunity at a time of economic crisis.”

“The Cha cha plan and Mrs. Arroyo’s silence…bolster suspicions that there is a separate, more sinister plan to trigger political unrest to justify emergency rule and the cancellation of elections,” Binay said.

Binay’s reaction came after Nograles pushed on Monday a new constitutional amendment formula which will treat House Resolution 737 as an ordinary bill to be voted on separately by the House and the Senate.

Internship Day 1: Postponed

20th of April, 2009

AT 6:20 in the morning, I'm still lying on my bed, waiting for my phone to wake me up. I decided to rise around 7 a.m. to be on time for my internship at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan.

It will take me about two hours to reach my destination. I will battle the noise, traffic, pollution and rush hour of the metropolis to survive just the first part of my training-- commuting.

I have never gone far south in NCR before. I frequent Makati because of my scholarship at the Inquirer, but other than that, South Manila is unknown to me.

Just to make sure I reach the right police camp, I have even practiced going there via bus. It's a good thing I did because I found out that MRT's still a lot faster, though less comfortable.

My phone beeped at 6:30. Still too early, I thought. I pressed the snooze feature which delayed the alarm for another 10 minutes. At 6:40, my phone alarmed. I delayed it again. Finally at 6:57, I received a message from my partner reporter.

"Gud am. tol bukas n lng tyo mgkita arnd 10 am s camp bagong diwa sa taguig. tnx."

Whoa!? His message jolted me to my senses. I'm already a week delayed from my OJT and he's postponing it for one more day.

I sat on my bed trying to process the new scenario. I am so prepared and excited for my first day so this turn of event disappointed me gravely. Will I be able to finish my 150-hour requirement? I recalculated the days and hours. If my goal is to finish my OJT on the 20th of May, a day before my deadline, I'll have to work at least 7 hours a day. If I work at least 9 hours a day, I'll finish it in 17 days on the 13th of May.

I don't object to working 9 hours a day, but I have to consider the travel time. I live in UP Diliman in Quezon City so if I work 9 hours a day plus 4 hours of travel that's 13 hours. Whoa!? That's a lot of working-time. I don't want to consume my entire summer doing just my internship. I want to do a lot more.

So after processing all these in less than 10 minutes, I decided to take a bath and to go to the Inquirer office in Makati. If I can't go to my internship today, I'll just pass my remaining requirements for my internship. I also want to practice commuting again so that my body will get the hang of it.

I rode the MRT at Quezon Avenue station and I managed to survive the multitude squeezed inside the cramped train. I figured out the trick long before. Just position yourself in the current of people entering the train and they'll force you inside, no sweat. Once inside, I had to be very alert for pickpockets. I also shed off my personal space; nothing's left of it anyway.

The train loosened up after three stations. Many people left the metal snake at Ortigas station, giving room for us left to breathe and to move. I left the train at Magallanes, that's the second to the last station. If my internship had pushed through today, I would have ridden a bus bound for Sucat, Bicutan or Alabang. There are numerous along Magallanes. But I had to postpone this until tomorrow. Instead, I rode a PRC jeep to Inquirer.

I passed my Inquirer requirements and headed north again through the same route. I'm anxious about the number of hours I need to finish. This will surely be a tiring summer, but I know I'll learn a lot from it.

In the words of Star Wars, I'm officially a padawan (trainee) and Marlon Ramos, my Inquirer reporter-partner, is the Jedi Master. Internship here I come [again]. :)

100 and Internship

I just found out that this is my 100th post on my blog. I don't know if that's news. :)

I'm starting my OJT on the 20th, with my reporter-partner's confirmation. If that's the case, I'll be spending much of my summer in South Manila somewhere in Bicutan. I tried commuting there yesterday with my father and it's really far. Just for the record:

1. From UP, ride a jeep going to MRT. (Pantranco Jeep)
2. Ride the MRT to Magallanes.
3. From Magallanes, ride a bus going to Bicutan. Stop at SM Bicutan.
4. Walk on Bayani's pink footbridge.
5. Ride a tricycle going to Camp Bagong Diwa.

This takes about two hours. If MRT's full, you can take an Ayala Ibabaw bus instead in Philcoa. But this will make the journey longer.

There. I forgot the fare. All I know is, it costs a fortune. This will be a very long summer. God bless to me.

Wigand's Case

More than a decade ago, Americans believed that cigarettes were safe because tobacco companies concealed researches on dangerous cigarette compounds and smoking-related illnesses. However, seven American states doubted this and filed a massive lawsuit, seeking reimbursement from smoking-related illnesses. Even the United States congress sought tobacco regulation for possible nicotine addiction.

Whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, former research and development head of Brown &Williamson (B&W), America’s third biggest tobacco company, was star witness against the cigarette industry. He, however, endured a media which was used by B&W in a smear campaign against him, and which was controlled by businessmen not newsmen. He faced an industry which lost journalistic instincts because of conflict-of-interest, and newsmen who treaded boundaries of professional and personal source-reporter relationship.

B&W tried to discredit Wigand by exaggerating his previous offenses. Sadly, a number of media institutions sensationalized these, reporting them without verification. This ran against truth-telling which demanded factual and contextual accuracy; justice, demanding that every side in an issue be presented with equal space and time; and humaneness or journalists’ duty to respect sources as equals.

Noteworthy in this issue was the decision of CBS, an American television station, to censor the report of its investigative program 60 Minutes containing an interview with Wigand on false health safety of cigarettes. Corporate officers of CBS argued that Wigand’s confidentiality agreement with B&W meant a multibillion-dollar lawsuit for the station for inducing him to break the agreement.

A deeper analysis, however, revealed conflict-of-interest because CBS Chairman Laurence Tisch’s son was the chairman of Lorillard, another tobacco company. Furthermore, a lawsuit caused by the report might endanger the approval of a $5.4 billion CBS-Westinghouse merger deal. Clearly, money was a deciding factor.

These go against independence which demanded journalists to place the public’s right to know first, divesting themselves from associations that compromise integrity; autonomy or the absence of control and conflict-of-interest; and stewardship or journalism’s duty to keep the public forum “free from contamination” to help citizens make intelligent decisions.

The relationship between Lowell Bergman, 60 Minutes’ news producer, and Wigand as reporter and source was dangerous because it blurred the line between journalistic and personal accountability. In a way, Bergman romanticized the idea of being a whistleblower, in an attempt to convince Wigand to be on the record. When CBS initially refused to air the 60 Minutes report, however, Wigand felt betrayed, blaming Bergman for his fate and questioning his failure to fulfill his promises.

Clearly, Wigand is the first affected because of becoming a national figure, endangering his life, family and career. The public is at stake because it is a health issue, and they need to know the dangers of smoking. Media is also at stake because of ethical dilemmas on independence, truth-telling, humaneness and stewardship. Lastly, even tobacco companies are affected because the issue spells regulation and sales decline for the industry.

This web of issues can be solved using the rights and fairness and justice approaches which demand respect for others as equals and fair treatment of news figures respectively. Add to this the utilitarian and virtue approaches—the former, dealing with the most good and least harm; the latter, with ideal human values.
The perfect example in addressing sensationalism and smear campaign in media is Wall Street Journal’s verification of the information in the W&B’s dossier against Wigand. Instead of ascribing to McCarthyism, the media must go the extra mile to check the veracity, balance and fairness of its reports. It must enjoin citizens and non-government institutions to be its watchdogs.

When it comes to issues of independence and conflict of interest, media organizations must remind everyone in their ranks that journalism is public service first before business. Further, CBS, to prevent lawsuit but still remain loyal to its duty of informing citizens, should have verified Wigand’s claims on cigarette hazards through other scientists who can interpret the Philip Morris tobacco documents. This move should have strengthened their case against cigarettes and minimized harm on Wigand’s character and family.

Lastly, Bergman should have been more careful in dealing with his source, remembering the harm he can inflict as journalist on Wigand. He should have drawn the journalistic line, clarifying the dangers of becoming a whistleblower and the spins media can do to bury the truth. At the same time, Bergman should have worked with authorities early on instead of owning the responsibility of protecting Wigand and his family. One positive note, however, was his decision to work closely with other media organizations when CBS refused to back him up, shunning competition in favor of public interest.

Blotter Banned

Police beat and the blotter

He stood behind the counter, a plump man with the air of arrogance on his face. He was talking to an elderly woman wearing a duster, somewhat explaining the nature of man. He said they were violent and dangerous, greedy and selfish.
His voice echoed in the room, and it sounded sarcastic. There were hints of pride every time he mentions his profession, bringing the elderly woman’s attention to the shiny badge pinned on his chest.

He flipped through the pages of their station’s blotter—a dirty notebook resting on a stand, where supposedly, a Bible was. He was looking for a blank page where he could record the woman’s name, address, age, contact number and complaint.

That was how things were at Kamuning Police Precinct. People went to file complaints ranging from the ubiquitous cell phone snatching to the more serious stabbing and shooting incidents. And behind the front desk, the plump policeman faithfully recorded the victims’ grievances, mustering as much English as he could to make his report grammatical.

Unlike other police stations however, Kamuning not only gets a daily dose of victims barking for justice for the simplest of crimes. It also receives a steady flow of police beat reporters from the nearby GMA 7 television station and several other radio stations in the vicinity. The visits are so regular that outside the precinct, a media room is constructed to house newspaper, radio and television crime and police reporters.

These journalists churned out the crime reports that dominated tabloid front-pages and primetime newscasts in the Philippines. All these reports, as complete and polished as they could be when aired and ran, all had a humble beginning. They started with the police blotter.

The blotter ban

On Oct. 20, 2008, a memorandum was circulated by the Philippine National Police, signed by, then, new Police Director General Chief Jesus Versoza. Entitled, “Decentralization of the Functions of the Public Information Office,” the memo was meant to outline a guideline that will “mandate and enable the police to provide information to the public and the media.”

Curiously, however, the memo, instead of making information access easier and more organized, set barriers to the free access of the blotter—a supposedly public document, open to all.

Paragraph 7e of the memo states, “The information contained in the Police Blotter, in order to protect the integrity of the document and the identity of any victim and the suspects, shall not be made accessible to the public or media, without the proper authorization from the Head of Office or unless the disclosure is in compliance with a lawful order of the court or any pertinent authority.”

“Public document ‘yan e. Hindi ‘yan itinatago. Ang nakakainis dito, bigla kang pipigilan,” Danilo “Kaka” Santos of Sunshine Radio said, abhorring the PNP’s move to cut access to the blotter.

Kaka, a veteran radio police reporter since the pre-martial law era found the memo alarming. He said such control and interference from those in power existed only during the Martial Law period.

“Noong panahon ni Marcos, talagang pigil na pigil ang press freedom. Pinahinto nga ang mga commentaries, mga public affairs program…Sinakal ang ating kalayaan sa pamamahayag,” he said.

The restoration of democracy in 1986 should have put an end to such control or any move that abridges freedom of expression he added.

The police’s side

After the imposition of the blotter ban, mediamen were quick to defend their profession, attacking the memo as a violation of the constitution, particularly of Article 2 Section 28 stating that “the State adopts and implements a policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest.”

Versoza, however, was firm in his decision to impose the memo. In addition he said, “We do not want to curtail access to the blotter. But we want some control pertaining to the access by unauthorized persons.”
PNP added that the move to impose restrictions on the blotter was aligned with RA 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2004 and RA 8505 or the Rape Victim Assistance and Protection Act of 1998. Both laws were geared to protect the welfare of women and juveniles who are involved in crimes. This defense is contained in the PNP’s clarification memo, dated Nov. 11.

Police Chief Inspector Earl Castillo of the Marikina City Police elaborated on this defense saying, “Kung binigyan natin agad (ang mga taong sangkot sa krimen) ng conviction kasi i-pinublish natin (ang kaso nila), unfair ‘yun, kasi sinira natin ‘yung credibility nila.”

He added that the Oct. 20 memo is effective in preventing such occurrences especially in the case of minors whose identity the police must protect. He said the memo is meant for them and not for the “hardcore criminals.”

“Yung minor kahit na napatunayan na nagkasala siguro, kasi minor at hindi pa nila masyadong alam ang ginagawa nila, ito ay itinatago natin sa publiko para hindi masira ang moral at credibility ng bata,” Castillo added.

Analyzing paragraph 7e of the Oct. 20 memo, however, makes clear and obvious that the police intended to cover all suspects not only women and minors. This is read clearly when the memo stated that it is meant “to protect the…identity of any victim and the suspects.”

From here alone, the inconsistencies of PNP are apparent, magnified by the fact that it needed to release a second memo just to clarify what it meant in the original directive of Oct. 20.

Defense of the media

The media banded together in the face of PNP’s attempt to cut free access to the blotter. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) said the move was “patently illegal as it is a clear violation of the constitutional right to access to information.” NUJP was pertaining to Article 2 Section 28 quoted earlier in this report.

National Press Club President Benny Antiporda in the same article branded the memo a form of “media repression…never been done not even during the repressive martial law years.

“Preventing reporters from looking at the blotter does not only prevent reporters from getting access to information but also prevents the public from having access to information. For how will the public know what’s going on as far as crime rate (and) criminal activities are concerned? They know these only through the media,” said Luis Teodoro of the media- monitoring Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR).
Teodoro added that government employees and officials are bound by a code of conduct mandating them to reply to requests for documents of public nature within 15 days. The memo, then, violates even the government’s own rules on supposed transaction transparency.

In fact, the constitutional guarantee on access to information was propelled by “the corrupt Marcos regime where lack of access left people ignorant of the serious state of the economy, economic statistics were fabricated and peddled to international agencies, the media were muzzled… and information considered as sensitive was withheld,” said Wilfrido Villacorta of the 1987 Constitutional Commission in the book, The Right to Know.

“Kung ang blotter ay hindi ipinapakita sa mga mamamahayag at mga publiko ay itinatago ang impormasyon…Kailangang ito’y lumabas at huwag pigilan dahil parang walang saysay ang aming pinagsusulat at sinasabi kung walang basehang dokumento,” Kaka said.
Adjunct to the issue of free access to information is the right to free expression also enshrined in the 1987 constitution.

Article 3 Section 4 states, “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”

Teodoro said that the blotter ban abridges the freedom of speech because it prevents journalists from accessing sources that are the bases of their reports. They cannot air or print police stories because the stories are withheld from them.

Ethics of journalism

PNP raised a serious issue when it invoked RA 9344 and RA 8505 to defend the imposition of the blotter ban. By doing so, it dragged into the debate the issue of unethical practices among the media in covering minors and women.

Teodoro admitted that there are indeed ethical lapses and offenses in the coverage of media like the naming of minors, the absence of qualifiers like “alleged,” quick conclusions, showing of the faces and full disclosure of the identity of minors and rape victims.

“Like any freedom, it can be abused,” John Oliver Manalstas of GMA 7 said, acknowledging the failures of media in upholding their responsibility for the freedom they are given.

“The media are not perfect institutions. They make mistakes. They have severe lapses. They’re not just lapses, they are severe lapses,” Teodoro stressed.
However, he pointed out that these lapses in no way justify the suppression of press freedom.

Kaka added that the ethics of journalism still acts as a standard that minimizes the lapses done by media in their coverage of minors and women. He said journalism ethics is enough to protect the subjects of news. He noted that the solution is internal and not external like what PNP is proposing with the imposition of the blotter ban.
The eight entry in the Journalists’ Code of Ethics states, “I shall presume persons accused of crime of being innocent until proven otherwise. I shall exercise caution in publishing names of minors, and women involved in criminal cases so that they may not unjustly lose their standing in society.”

In addition to this, the principle of “Minimizing Harm” in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics mandates journalists to “show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.

“Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.

“Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.

“Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes.”

These principles cover adequately the concerns of PNP on the welfare of minors involved in crimes and women who are victims of rape. Though there are cases of ethical violations, Teodoro pointed out that it is not the police’s duty to impose journalism ethics on journalists.

Internal Solution: Self-regulation

“There is improvement in the coverage in media because since 1986 there’s been
greater awareness of ethical requirements…There are organizations, there are institutions within the media that are trying to improve coverage,” Teodoro said laying the grounds for media’s ability to censor and censure itself.

He noted PDI’s bluebook, ABS-CBN’s black book and other internal codes of ethics on top of universal journalism ethics codes that guide media conduct in the country. Add to these, Teodoro recognized the role played by media-monitoring bodies like the CMFR, NUJP, Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster sa Pilipinas, PPI and NPC in the education of journalists on ethics, and in greater awareness of the standards of journalism practice.

“Who are the most strict critics of media? Media practitioners themselves,” Teodoro said, noting the seriousness of the industry to curb ethical violations within its ranks.

He abhorred the idea of giving the government powers of regulation over the media because the government cannot be trusted to do that.”

“You cannot expect any government to stop at a certain point. If they’re given the chance to regulate the media, they will go on; they will push it as far as they can…This government is particularly against the media. It’s opposed to press freedom. If you give it that kind of power, it will not stop,” Teodoro said.

The media are one in opposing any form of regulation from the government. This is rooted on historical experiences with the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos who muzzled media with intimidation and legal restrictions.

Internal regulations, and media checks and balances are preferred over government restrictions and controls on media practice.

“We like to regulate ourselves. Kasi ‘yung Fourth Estate nga. Kung ikaw ang watchdog
ng government, hindi mo magagampanan ‘yun kung you’re under them,” Manalastas said.

Gate-keeping: A conclusion

A free press is the cornerstone of democracy. A free press translates to media with protected rights to act as watchdogs of government. A free press is the gate-keeper of information, deciding according to the merit of issues and the values of journalism what ought to be printed and aired for the people’s education.
When the blotter ban was imposed, the gate-keeping role was temporarily transferred from the media to the police, effectively robbing the press of its capacity to assess stories on the values of journalism. This duty suddenly fell on the shoulders of the police who were not trained gate-keepers.

At the same time, the move reflected government control and intervention on the workings of the press. By holding on to information, those in power are able to control opinions. They use the information to control the people. Information, as we know it, is power and when such falls on the hand of those who already wield power, abuse becomes an understatement.

The gate-keeping role needs to remain wholly in the hands of the press to ensure that the public forum is truly divested from personal interests and focused solely on public service.

The issue at hand also teaches the Fourth Estate lessons on responsibility. PNP has raised serious challenges on the ability of the press to rein itself. Indeed, how can an irresponsible press be trusted with the critical role of monitoring and disseminating information of public concern? Can an irresponsible press pinpoint the importance of information in the first place?

This is a continuing debate, but PNP’s chosen solution—the blotter ban—is not even a solution but an added problem. The media proposes self-censorship in order to retain its gate-keeping role. There are moves to clean the ranks but the challenges are overwhelming.

In the end, the solution cannot be haphazardly drawn and imposed. History teaches people to learn from their mistakes and to live out what they have learned. In this case, Philippine press has a full history behind it—Spanish colonization, American rule, Japanese occupation and Martial Law. It does not lack the materials. Perhaps, it boils down to the question of commitment to free speech on the part of media and the government.

News: No longer for sale

Institutionalized. Chay Florentino-Hofilena used this word to describe corruption in the Philippine media. She exposed in “News for sale: the corruption and commercialization of the Philippine Media” the bad and the ugly, the muck and shame in the institution—reflections of the media’s grave ethical lapses in the 2004 elections.

Spanning television, radio and print, the study revealed how politicians and media men alike used and abused the institution through corruption and commercialization to wield its power to shape opinion and deliver votes.
Despite the grim picture, the industry presses on to find solutions—a vital decision especially with the next election year fast-approaching.

In the 2004 elections, corruption, commercialization and conflict of interest hounded newspapers, television and radio stations. Old and new forms of corruption coexisted as politicians included reporters in the payroll through retainers, monthly fees, “ATM and envelopmental journalism”, and even through cellphone loads. Others bribed journalists with perks, women, tickets, VIP treatment, coverage subsidies, positions, houses, luxury, and cars.

To what end? Politicians wanted to influence the coverage, angling, editing and airing of stories to their advantage or their competitors’ disadvantage, to muzzle damaging news, to advance their interest, and, ultimately, to win the elections.

With the lifting of political advertising ban in 2004, media commercialization became more blatant. The once under-the-table contracts now had legitimate fronts, making media bolder in selling airtime and space to candidates. The problem worsened when media combined legitimate advertising with packages selling news and coverage that ought to be independent and without price tags.

Rate cards varied among radio stations, but the offers remained the same—embedded journalists, positive news, constant exposure, and live interviews. Editors and reporters of some tabloids even banded together to sell their service, running stories with similar angle and treatment to boost or destroy candidates. Despite the lifting of the ad ban, politicians still resorted to under-the-table packages to circumvent election rules on maximum airtime exposure.

The entry of entertainment press also posed problems in the last election. The coverage they provided lacked the political press’ standards in ethics and journalism, thus, blurring the lines between news and press release, advertising and showbiz. One example was the open “envelopmental journalism” during entertainment press conferences which, according to Florentino-Hofilena, seemed to be their norm.

Biases of media company owners, ratings and journalists seeking public position are also issues in 2004. Editors were in constant dilemma because their bosses disregarded journalism standards for income and friendship. TV stations needed to keep ratings high so they used showbiz intrigues instead of economic platforms in the news. Lastly, coverage became difficult because journalists running for position still wielded influence in the newsroom.

The three media ethical dilemmas in the 2004 elections— conflict of interest, corruption and commercialization—go against four journalism values identified by Edmund Lambeth in “Committed Journalism.”

Truth-telling topped the list because of inaccuracies, sensationalism and biased reporting influenced by money. Add to this the absence of corroboration in the use of press releases and single sources who could pay to have their sides aired. Distortion of information was prevalent in the last election.

Journalism freedom and independence were at stake because of bribery, partisan owners and corruption. Ratings and income not journalism values controlled the news. Journalists and entire media organizations were bought, turning them into propaganda automatons, no longer watchdogs and gatekeepers.

Justice and fairness in news tilted in favor of the moneyed and influential. Instead of being forums for voters’ education, media turned into auction houses where only the rich and powerful got coverage. Balance in news presentation fell prey to candidates’ ability to pay.

Lastly, by being slaves to corruption and commercialization, media institutions failed in their responsibility to bring relevant information to people, to help shape opinion and help voters make more responsible decisions. Media stewardship was compromised by irresponsible and unethical journalism.

Everyone is affected by this issue because the country decides on its future during elections. Citizens rely on the media to decide on whom to vote for. When stations and newspapers give biased reports, voters are cheated of their rights and made to believe lies. The media, too, including editors, reporters, writers, anchors and researchers are at stake because their credibility hangs on responsible and honest journalism. Candidates and owners have their own interests to think about—the former, the election outcome; the latter, ratings, profit and image.

The problems of media corruption and commercialization are not without solution however. A triumvirate of the fairness and justice, universal good and virtue approaches can stand a chance in the search for answers. The first approach demands balanced and humane treatment of all candidates—covering each by the merit of issues, not by popularity or financial capability. The second, demands advancing the common good, in this case, giving up unethical practices that may compromise reporting and exploit voters. Lastly, the virtue approach encourages solutions that are consistent with ideal values prized by humanity—honesty, courage, integrity, and self-control.

Due to the intricacy of the issue, a good solution is a process that starts with recognition of the problem and ends with prevention of recurrence. First, media institutions need to heed studies on their performance on past elections to see patterns and know where to begin. Second, after identifying the problems and clarifying the standards, definitions and issues, it is a must to reeducate everyone—owners, advertisers, politicians, reporters, editors, voters—on the basics of journalism ethics, news values, the omnibus election code, and media policies. Media must also review existing ethics codes to know what needs to be improved and which provisions need to be stressed during election coverage. Third, journalists must have the temerity to implement existing codes like the Philippine Press Institute-National Press Club and the Society of Profession Journalists Codes of Ethics. They can partner with media monitoring bodies like the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, non-government organizations like the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections, or create in-house monitoring arms that will help censor and censure erring members. Lastly, media institutions have to enjoin people by encouraging them to volunteer as watchdogs of the watchdogs, to critically evaluate news, and even to do the extremes like boycotting newspapers, radio and TV stations that keep on doing unethical practices.

In the 2010 elections, the country can learn from the campaign of President Barack Obama. For now, television is king, but the internet is slowly gaining influence. In fact, the latest ranking of internetworldstats.com, a credible source of internet usage statistics, names the Philippines 10th top internet country in Asia. This reveals the power of online news sites, blogging and Social Networking Sites as emerging platforms. It is, thus, imperative for media institutions to set standards on online reporting, to be wary of the difference between journalist and non-journalist bloggers, and to push for laws that will make the internet a more credible and responsible source of information.

Before the year ends

He ran towards his cheering group mates, shaking dust and rubble off his pants. He lost his balance and got thrown on the ground so he was left behind. An older girl struggled to break through the crowd towards him, tapping his shoulder to get his attention.

“Paolo! Paolo! Did you win…” she asked the boy in Ilocano, cutting her question short and acting out the rest of it--wrapping her fingers around an imaginary rope and tugging hard towards her thin frame.

Paolo understood what she meant and nodded in affirmation. Their group won the Tug-of-war in the young boys’ division.

“We also did!” The girl exclaimed, and then she turned around and pranced towards another child, dodging several mothers and grandmothers along the way.

All around the young boy she called Paolo, several children of his age group jumped and cheered, laughed and shouted while watching the standoff in the adolescent boys’ division in the Tug-of-war.

It was a match. Both groups would not budge. There was an occasional advantage for one group, making the cheers and howls louder. Eventually, however, one wrong move gave the team at the left end of the rope the win.

The crowd broke into applause as the five-member team lined to have their names recorded under “winners.” For the past 17 years, the residents of Almeida and P. Burgos St. in San Fernando City, La Union in Northern Luzon enjoyed this end-of-the-year treat with parlor games and gift-giving from the city treasurer and his family.

Wilfredo Ordoño, whom the residents fondly called Tres—short for treasurer—had been in charge of San Fernando City’s purse since 1987. He slowly got promoted from being simply a government employee who sidelined as a tricycle driver to meet his family’s daily needs. Tres who is a graduate of commerce became the officer-in-charge treasurer in the town of Burgos before being assigned his position in San Fernando, then still a town.

“When I became treasurer, I thought of giving parlor games to the children of Almeida and P. Burgos,” Tres said in an interview. After five years, his plan became a reality. Since then, the family had been organizing the program, his son and two daughters contributing to buy prizes and gifts for the event.

“We give back a part of the blessings we receive. We know how difficult life is. We’ve been through that, and we want to help with this event,” said Lily, Tres’s spouse of 40 years.

Manang Lily, together with her grandchildren and daughters, began the preparations for the games and gifts on the 29th of Dec., a day before the year-end treat. Like before, she ordered canned goods, instant noodles and pancit canton, powdered juice drinks and candies to be given away to winners and the residents of Almeida and P. Burgos.

She also bought three cavans of rice from her brother’s stand in the market. They divided the rice to be given out to over 150 individuals during the event.

Back home, Manang Lily’s grandchildren, youngest daughter and a number of volunteers pasted holiday greeting cards on cellophanes and filled them with grocery items. They lined several boxes containing the groceries, and worked like a factory assembly line to speed up the job.

They placed four packs of instant noodles, two canned goods, a pack of powdered juice and one kilo of rice in every bag, before placing them in five rows with 20 bags each.

“This had been a family tradition. My nephew and niece were still little children when we started it. Now, they’re big enough to help,” Lily Ann, Tres’s youngest child, said.

Just beside the rows of giveaways, a number of men prepared materials for the Breaking the pot, pabitin, relay races and eating contests. Most of them are fathers whose children also join and enjoy the parlor games prepared every year.

“We will have the mothers and grandmothers next for Breaking the pot,” Tres’s voice blared, encouraging the women in the audience to join. Every year, since 1992, the parking lot for mini busses and jeepneys—once a grassland—transformed into a playground just for the occasion.

Colorful banderitas made from recycled straws, plastic cups and bottles hung around the street. The design is changed yearly, and for 2008, the plastic bottles were fashioned to look like lamps with shades of green, red, yellow and blue for Christmas and New Year.

“Don’t be shy. Will you let your children have all the fun?” Tres told the mothers, wrinkles lining his forehead and cheeks as he smiled.

At first, only three elderly women lined up for the game after much encouragement from their grandchildren and younger companions. One by one, the grandmothers were blindfolded, given a baseball bat and asked to break a palayok hanging from a rope. The crowd gave instructions to the blindfolded lolas. Some, however, confused the contestants as they tried to cover around 10 feet to reach the palayok.

“Left! Left! A little more!”
“No! Go to your right!”

The crowd shouted as the contestants struggled to reach their goal. Some of them were too far from the palayok when they swung the bat. Others missed it by a few inches.

A loud, “Awwwww!” echoed the audience’s disappointment, especially the children’s who eagerly awaited the cracking of the pot to collect the sweets and candies that would fall from it.

After a few minutes, Tres jokingly announced the arrival of a doctor who flew home from London just to join the game—his way of encouraging the mothers to give the game a try. Tres broadcasted her name over the mic—Dr. Gloria.

The crowd cheered Dr. Gloria who gave in to the pressure. She asked her companion to look after the child she was with. The doctor was blindfolded and given the bat like the rest of the contestants. She walked towards the pot but was too far right when she tried hitting it.

The game was far from over.

While the games continued, Tres listed the names of the winners in every category and sent the list home where Manang Lily tabulated them. The winners each received an envelope with 50 pesos as their prize.

“It’s not really about the prize. It’s about the fun of the season,” Manang Lily said while writing the winners’ names on the envelopes.

Boxes containing the Christmas and New Year giveaways were carried by volunteer men from their house as the event neared its end. All in all, 163 bags of grocery items were prepared.

The boxes arrived just as the young girls were playing pabitin, the last of the parlor games. The bamboo frame went up and down as the girls jumped to reach the different items hanging from it. There were biscuits and crackers, shampoos and soaps, and special gifts in wrappers printed with Christmas decorations.

“We thank you for another successful New Year program,” Tres said in deep Ilocano. “As we come to an end, we give you a simple gift and hope that the unity in Almeida and P. Burgos will continue. Let us see one another next year!”

Tres announced the residents’ names one by one and gave them a bag of groceries prepared by the family. Most of those present had been joining ever since the year-end treat began. A few first-timers, however, cannot help but smile as they receive their gifts and remember the games they have joined.

Her Christmas Wish List

Edita Burgos is a grieving mother in search for her missing son, Jonas, who was allegedly abducted by elements of the Armed Forces.

Just a week ago, I was watching her in a free online documentary, "Lost in the Shadow of War", answering a foreign journalist's question.

"As a mother, what are you going through?" the foreign journalist asked.

Mrs. Burgos responded, "I just wish no mother will go through what I am going through. And I wish the president of the Philippines will not go through this too, because if she does, she will know how a mother grieves everyday."

There is something in Mrs. Burgos' words that challenges my sensibilities, stirring me to asses my opinion and stand on the issue of extrajudicial killings and disappearances. I don't know if it is on the way she says things or the very things she says that move me to reconcile my journalistic instincts and the complexities of the real-life truths I witness and experience.

On the one hand, a part of me wants to help, to purse a cause similar to what she is fighting for. On the other, I am struggling to locate myself in the intricate web of power relations, to determine how far I can be involved without compromising journalism.

The documentary was less than 30 minutes, and I thought I could find an excuse to procrastinate on the issue, to just cross the bridge when I finally got there.

Lo and behold, however, I found myself face to face with the same Mrs. Burgos whose words still rang in my ears in a forum in the College of Mass Communication.

Perhaps I underestimated my time of arrival. It is now clear that the bridge I have to cross is just a few steps away.

There were a number of speakers in the forum and among them was Mrs. Burgos who recounted, among others, the media's role in the alleviation of extrajudicial killings in the country.

Interestingly, however, her Christmas Wish List-- containing powerful words and striking propositions-- is what caught my attention.

Here is Mrs. Burgos' wish list:

1. That the media would go beyond reporting the facts even the truths about the facts, and actually help the families of victims of extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

2. That the media would pass vital information-- even off-the-record information-- to organizations fighting against extrajudicial killings if it meant the preservation of life.

3. That the media would uphold the truth being the very foundation of the profession, and report it with vision.

I agree with her third wish. The truth is indeed the foundation of journalism. Bill Kovach and Tim Rosenstiel in "The Elements of Journalism" put it this way, "Journalism's first obligation is to the truth."

The other two wishes, however, contain within them clashing debates ranging from practicality to journalism ethics.

When can a journalist cross the boundary and actually help the people he or she is covering? Will this not lead to conflict of interest? Will this not mar journalistic independence?

Mrs. Burgos capped her first wish with an example from her late husband, Joe Burgos, a journalist himself. Mr. Burgos helped the subjects of one of his stories-- victims of drug addiction-- by recommending them to rehabilitation centers.

Mrs. Burgos said the media should become a "good Samaritan," not only reporting on events but acting on them, helping those affected by the events.

I don't fully agree with the idea of journalists meddling with the events they are covering. However, there are instances when journalists can help without compromising independence. Perhaps, Mrs. Burgos is referring to such events.

If she is, however, the next question will be, "Can journalists cover the issue of extrajudicial killings and disappearances independently when they are personally involved?"

I don't know the answer, honestly. But I think journalists can do much even without personally involving themselves with the issue they are covering.

When a journalist practices the craft correctly, adhering to the highest journalistic and ethical standards, the stories he or she churns out can be as powerful or can even surpass personal involvement in the resolution of issues.

This is not to say that journalists can never help those they are covering. I think as long as independence is not compromised, they can.

Mrs. Burgos' second wish is more controversial than the first one for me-- the passing of critical but off-the-record information to organizations to help find or even save the victims of disappearances.

She pushes forward the proposition that life is more important than the commitment binding journalists and sources regarding off-the-record information.

I agree that life is important and it is for this very reason that journalists must honor the promises embedded on off-the-record information. Most of the time, sources are careful with the information they want journalists to use because their lives can also be endangered.

Carelessly passing information to organizations to help victims of disappearances is a serious disregard not only of the trust of sources but of their very lives. We cannot risk these people in order to save others. It is unfair to turn them into sacrifices.

As journalists, we must always ask for our sources' permission whenever we're planning to use off-the-record information. They must know so they can prepare for backlashes of the action. We can explain to them the context and the reasons and hope that they will agree to pass the information to help find and save the victims of disappearances.

If they refuse, however, we need to respect their decision. But we can use their lead to find other sources who are willing to face the risks by corroborating and owning the information.

I understand Mrs. Burgos' longing to find her son. I do not disregard the possibility (which is growing stronger and stronger) that the military is behind his abduction.

As journalists we can help by writing stories that can spur people to move, especially those who are in the position and are responsible to act. We can do this by applying the basics of journalism-- our obligation to the truth, loyalty to citizens, the discipline of verification, independence from those we cover, our watchdog role, providing a forum for public criticism and compromise, making the significant interesting and relevant, keeping the news comprehensive and proportional, and exercising our personal conscience.

We are not merely recorders of history; we are shapers of society.

McCarthyism: What is it?

After World War II and in the early years of the Cold War, fear of communism swept the world. In the United States, politicians, the US Chamber of Commerce, Roman Catholic Church, and a number of newspaper chains and editors campaigned against communist influences in the government and the society. Security programs, loyalty checks, hearings and investigations were conducted to extract communists, sympathizers and anyone associated with communism from America.

Such fear placed Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the limelight with his accusations of Soviet spy infiltration in the government. McCarthy proved himself a genius in media manipulation, exploiting the ills of the institution—extreme objectivity, competition, deadline, circulation wars and revenues—to fuel his career.

In part, the American press is responsible in creating a journalism nightmare in McCarthy. By allowing competition and commercialization to takeover, and by misunderstanding objectivity, it has disregarded truth-telling, including accuracy and verification; justice together with fairness and balance; freedom from influences of advertisers and politicians; independence in information gathering; humaneness and respect.

The McCarthy episode in American press moves one to ask, first, whether the media should have run McCarthy’s accusations without verification, and the side of those impugned. Second, whether “objectivity” demanded journalists to report events only at face value, or did it license them to seek and report even the “truth about the facts.” Third, whether competition in media encroached on journalism’s loyalty to the people. Fourth, whether the television networks abandoned their independent watchdog roles by bowing to advertisers and federal regulation and toning down criticisms on McCarthy.

In the struggle that ensued during the McCarthy Era, several stakeholders advanced their interests. Senator McCarthy topped the list with his political career, ambition and popularity. The Republicans backed him up, focused on stripping power from the Democrats through McCarthy’s issues. The owners of media organizations and their advertisers were revenue-driven stakeholders. The accused wanted to clear their names, and the American people sought safety and peace of mind. Lastly, media practitioners defended their profession against McCarthy’s exploitative methods and manipulation.

In defense of journalism, media practitioners proposed courses of action to address ethical dilemmas and improve coverage and reportage of events.

To stop the flow of unverified and one-sided reports, journalists adopted a rule never to use McCarthy’s claims until those accused were contacted and the story contextualized. Such move, though tolling on the stories’ currency, respected people’s rights and reputations, screening out lies in the reports.

Though risking the ire of their time’s news writing style, journalists overcame extreme objectivity by reporting “what goes beyond the scenes” for truthfulness. In addition, they used backgrounds both on McCarthy and the events side by side with running stories to place readers in focus and context.

The television stations, however, should have sought independence from advertisers and the government using accurate, contextual, comprehensive, balanced and truthful reporting as their defense, though this could result to lose of income and withdrawal of franchise.

Lastly, my favored course of action which could gel all the other, could have been a move in the media industry to commit to the ideals of reporting and journalism, to censure and censor the excesses of one another, not letting competition compromise their main responsibility to the people, to focus primarily on their watchdog and gatekeeper roles in the face of crisis. This move nips the ethical dilemmas in the bud, cutting their fuel supply—competition and profit leading to irresponsible journalism.

By attacking the root of the problem, the symptoms are indirectly addressed. It is a single stone hitting all targets. Furthermore by reminding journalists of the ideals of their profession, it brings them back to the basics, including, but not limited to, the values of truth-telling, justice, freedom, humaneness and respect.

Such solution is aligned with the utilitarian, virtue, fairness and rights approaches.

In the Philippines, McCarthyism is still in action. This is exemplified by the media recklessly printing or airing comments from “newsmakers” without verification, fueled by circulation and ratings war. Two examples are Justice Sec. Raul Gonzalez and Sen. Miriam Santiago—the former, with his malicious and controversial comments on almost any issue dominating front pages and broadcast headlines, and the latter with her infamous assertion about China being the inventor of corruption.