Patricia Nocete May 8, 2010 M.A.P



Introduction

The Philippines, an archipelago of 7,107 islands known for dazzling white beaches, and being one of the first devoutly Catholic countries in Asia. With such a friendly image, it is shocking to discover that the Philippines has now acquired the status of “second most dangerous country for journalists”.1 This puts the country in the company of North Korea and Iraq. What was the cause of this? On the southern most island of Mindanao, there lies the province of Maguindanao. On the morning of November 23, 2009 at least 18 journalists and 60 others were killed in what the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls the deadliest event in journalists history. The victims of the Maguindanao massacre were on their way to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu who was the vice mayor of Buluan. This would pit him against the Ampatuan family who have been the ruling dynasty of the area for some time. The political, economic and cultural implications involved in events such as this give us a glimpse of the treatment of journalists in the Philippines. First we have the political motivation for these killings which seek to deter a change in power. Then there is the issue of the economy, if other nations see the Philippines as dangerous then there may be troubles with investment. This is due to the fact that prosperous economies don't want to trade with unstable ones. Lastly, there is the cultural aspect which needs to change, the Spaniards rule of the Philippines gave it a society heavily based on power and hierarchy. Those with the power strive to keep it, those without want it, and those who can never attain it relinquish their potential to those already in power. The result is a democracy with emphasis on political family dynasties not unlike Sicily's Mafia.

Background

It is common knowledge that the Philippine press is without a doubt one of the most liberal in the region.2 News is reported around the clock, politicians are attacked for their corrupt ways, and the celebrities are hard pressed to find any lingering privacy. That being said it is also no surprise that they are proud of their role in Philippine history. Yet there is irony in all of this. The Philippines may not be as censored as its neighbors but it can't escape the hypocrisy of its government. “This is one of the few places in Asia where you have actual legal protection for press freedom. But it is also one of the few places in Asia, or this is the only place in Asia where you have that many journalists being killed.”(Luis Teodoro, Head of Philippines Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility)

Going back to Jose Rizal's independence movement at the end of the 19th century and the years of U.S occupation (1935-1946) gives us valuable insight. Although he was not the initiator of the movement; that honour goes to Andres Bonifacio3, Rizal's martyred death was the catalyst that precipitated the Philippine Revolution. A war that would last from 1896-1898 resulting in the secession of the

Philippine Islands from the Spanish Empire . He is important in the history of Philippine journalism because his works were a prime example of the power of words. Starting with “Noli Me Tangere” (Touch Me Not) which exposed the abuse from the Spaniards and the disadvantages of the Catholic Church having absolute power. However, to merely call it an attack on the Spanish regime is narrow-minded. It also extols the virtues of Filipinos as a people such as hospitality, devotion to family, and the common sense of peasants. Rizal speaks of the importance of education, and absorbing aspects of foreign cultures to better the country, but most of all he encourages Filipinos to stand firm in their identity. After four years it was followed by “El Filibusterismo” (The Filibustering) which was a more serious work, and as a sequel to “Noli Me Tangere” incorporated the seeds of revolution against oppressors. Once Spanish rule officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1898 the Philippines was ceded to the United States and the introduction of the English language led to to the establishment of many American owned newspapers.

“American-style journalism flourished; its florid language, tradition of standing apart from government, and use of outspoken columnists became the norm. The first private radio stations in Asia were established during the period, and because of American influence, the Philippines was the only country in the region where the government did not own or tightly control the broadcast media.” (A. Lin Neumann, CPJ) This journalistic golden age is a stark contrast to the events of today. Though it reminds the Filipino journalists of today that their job wasn't something to be ashamed of. That reporting the truth wouldn't get you killed.

In response to the Maguindanao Massacre it was reported by the Straits Times (May 7, 2005 ) that Philippine journalists are now allowed to carry guns. However these actions still have critics, Ms. Inday Espina Varona, chairman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said the police are "barking up the wrong tree" with the move."Guns are really not the answer," she said. "There is no short cut here except to keep arresting and prosecuting and convicting the murderers." Similarly journalists face the temptations presented by the practice of “envelope bribery” which is especially prevalent during elections. This practice is exactly what its name implies. Basically, a high ranking official particularly a congressman will decide that it's best certain journalists “keep quiet” and so send them presents or money as incentive to stop a story that may be disastrous for their careers.

Treatment of Journalists: Three Sides of the Story

In relation to these issues I will be focusing on the experiences of three individuals: Marlene Garcia Esperat, Korina Sanchez, and Chris Rogers. The first two are Filipino, and the last a foreigner who has worked to expose one of the country's grave human rights violations. Their experiences as journalists in the Philippines differ greatly but all three are bound by their duty to inform the public. First we have the dearly departed Marlene Garcia Esperat, a journalist from Mindanao. She wasn't particularly wealthy but her dedication to her job made up for that shortcoming. During her time she wrote a weekly anti-graft column as a whistle blower. These particular journalists raised concern about wrongdoing in an organization. As a result of the nature of her anti-corruption work, especially when related to bribery she soon discovered a scam involving two officials working at the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA). It was then that she was shot to death by assassins in her own home while eating with her children.

But, what makes her case so extraordinary is the fact that her murderers were actually identified. One of the lookouts, Randy Grecia and his three accomplices namely Estanislao Bismanos, Gerry Cabayag, and Rowie Barua pled guilty. Furthermore they testified that they were indeed hired by two officials at the DA. Sadly, the two officials who are alleged to be Osme have eluded capture with the charges against them dismissed and warrants for their arrest withdrawn because
On the other side of the spectrum we have Korina Sanchez, the face of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. As a young woman she rose through the ranks of the corporation first as a weather girl during Ferdinand Marcos' regime. After the coup that ousted him, put Corazon Aquino in the presidential seat, and ended martial law Sanchez returned as a veteran reporter. She became executive producer and host to programs such as “Magandang Umaga Po” (Good Morning Please) with then co-anchor Noli de Castro, “Bayan Ko Sagot Ko”(My Land, I Understand It), “Balitang K” (K's News), and “Pulso: Aksyon Balita” (Pulse: Action News). Through the years she has become one of the most recognizable faces of Philippine journalism and one of the richest at that. Last year she caused controversy in the form of her marriage to Senator Mar Roxas, grandson of former president Manuel Roxas. Fueled by the April 25, 2009 episode of ABS-CBN noontime show "Wowowee" wherein Sanchez appeared as a guest co-host where she revealed that she was already engaged to Roxas.

The announcement turned the show into a Question and Answer session which derailed the program and prompted allegations of an “election ploy”. Since then her husband has been out of the running and now enjoys the possibility of being vice-president as he willingly stepped down to support Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino who, you guessed it, is none other than the son of former president Corazon Aquino. Korina Sanchez has been awarded many prestigious awards for her journalism but falls under the curse of Philippine society, social climbing through politics. It may just be coincidence, but she has become such a big star that it seems like she can do anything she wants, one of those being the ability to stop regularly scheduled programs in their tracks. For someone so wealthy and well received it seems she has traded the life of gritty reporter to the equivalent of the Philippine's Oprah.

Lastly, back in August 5, 2006 English national Chris Rogers best known as the correspondent for ITV news received his first big investigation. He was to report on “Kids Behind Bars” which exposed the cruelty that children experienced in an unnamed adult jail in the city of Manila. Posing as an aid worker Rogers and his team were allowed to film in the jails and what they found there made headlines. Thousands of children were herded into tiny jails one atop the other almost like animals. Once word got out the warden was ordered by the government to separate the children from the adult criminals. Then six months later, despite risking arrest, Rogers went back to the jails he visited in the previous year. Still posing as a charity worker he found that nothing had changed although the previous warden had been sacked and Rogers was put on a list of people to be wary of.

Luckily, the new warden had no idea it was him and proceeded to tell Rogers about his own investigation saying “It was bad because the jail was shown in bad shape.” This shows how indifferent the officials were at the time because even though he had been to that jail for some time, he wasn't recognized.


Solutions

In conclusion if there is to be any change in the treatment of journalists real democracy must be practiced. I'd like the U.N to step in because it's clear that the Filipino mentality best described as “out of sight, out of mind” stops them from doing anything for their suffering countrymen. It is true that even the pillar of democracy in the world today, the United States has had “dynasties” of sorts. Namely the Kennedy's, Clinton's, and the Bush Administration, but it is only the Philippines where you find it in such a large degree that ever since the end of the Marcos regime (1965-1986) it has only been led by the same eight families for generations. Specifically: Aquino, Cojuangco, Dominguez, Escudero, Estrada, Lacson, Marcos, Macapagal.

Up to now they may be the only ones qualified considering they have the money for education but they all have deep problems with conflict of interest. After all, it doesn't take a high school education to wonder why the Aquino's were never set on land reforms and why the Estrada's continue to campaign for presidency despite the previous damage they caused via dictatorship. Meanwhile, the Philippines struggles to support itself via exports.4 If these same people end up in power then their dictatorship will send a bad signal to other nations. That signal being that the Philippines is even more corrupt then it was before and I don't think people will like their food touched by those who may be starving and diseased because of malnourishment and a government that doesn't care about them. Next, I want the mentality of treating real journalists like nothing more than meddling paparazzi to stop. These people risk their lives to give the free people of this world news and give voice to issues that need them. Is it too much to ask to give them their well deserved respect?
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