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The dust has scarcely cleared after the “Wowowee” stampede and the recent Leyte landslide calamity, when the Philippines is once back on the world news map after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s declaration of a State of Emergency.
International protest on media crackdown
General Order No. 5, implementing Proclamation 1017, which Arroyo signed last February 24, invokes Section 17, Article 12 of the Philippine Constitution, which gives the president the power to “temporarily take over or direct the operation of any privately owned public utility or business affected with public interest” in times of national emergency. The proclamation, in effect, paves the way for warrantless arrests, government takeover of utilities, including media, and a ban on rallies.
This move has not gone without howls of protest from members of the Philippine media, in response to police implementing “standards” for media to follow, in response to the police raid of the office of the Daily Tribune, a newspaper that has been critical of the Arroyo government, in response to reports of police milling around top broadcast stations ABS-CBN and GMA-7.
Messages of solidarity have poured in from international organizations condemning the attempt to stifle the free press.
“Democracy in the Philippines has been threatened in the years since the 1986 revolution, but no administration has used the restrictive means your government has taken. It’s deeply disturbing to see political unrest threaten the precious and deeply held concepts of press freedom and democracy,” said the New York-based Committee to Project Journalists on a message posted on the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism website.
“We fear a wave of arrests and more closures of newspapers critical of the government,” said the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.
“Closing newspapers and arresting journalists are steps that are antithetical to democratic governance,” said James Bettinger, the Director of the John S. Knight for Professional Journalists at Stanford University, in a statement on the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) website.
“The harassment of the press is uncalled for, the guidelines are unnecessary and unconstitutional, and the whole move to control the media is suspicious,” according to he Bangkok-based Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA).
Similar statements have also been sent in by various concerned members of the international media to the NUJP, all condemning the crackdown on press freedom in the country.
‘Muted People Power’
Major U.S. newspapers have painted a very bleak picture of Philippine democracy after Arroyo’s declaration.
“Thousands of Filipinos had planned to gather Saturday (February 25) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ‘people power’ revolt that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos. Instead, they were left to ponder what had become of the freedoms they had won,” according to “Quiet in the Streets in Manila: ‘People power’ is muted by more arrests and a crackdown on media in the Philippines,” by Richard Paddock, published in the L.A. Times last February 26.
The L.A. Times story quoted Presidential Spokeman Ignacio Bunye as saying the morning of February 24, “President Gloria slept well.” An image of calm in contrast to a nation, yet again, in turmoil.
Democracy a ruthless contest
A news report posted on the Washington Post states that nothing has changed since the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
“Today, Philippine democracy is little more than a ruthless contest among rival clans with such names as Aquino, Arroyo and Marcos. Political parties are largely irrelevant, and most Filipinos are relegated to the role of spectators,” according to the article, “In 20 Years Since Marcos, Little Stability for Philippines,” by Alan Sipress of the Post.
Sipress further writes that the cost to the Philippine economy “has been tremendous.”
“The perpetual political crisis has scared off investment, both domestic and foreign, while national leaders have often been too preoccupied with their own survival to pursue long-term strategies of development that could reverse the country’s slide into poverty.”
Sipress concludes that even if the Philippines has come to closely resemble the U.S. democratic style of government, “the electoral system failed to deliver American success.”
People Power fatigue
The New York Times news analysis, “Political Turmoil Again Thwarts
Progress in the Philippines,” by Seth Mydans, published last February 26, described the latest crisis to hit the nation as “a discouraging spectacle of national futility,” and “the latest in a relentless procession of political disruptions that have crippled political and economic development for the last two decades.”
“Now, a new catchphrase has entered the Philippine lexicon: people
power fatigue. This nation of political romantics has sunk into a mood of weariness and disillusionment,” according to the NY Times.
Instead of “People Power” being “the Philippines’s shining moment,” of wresting power away from a dictator, it has degenerated to something short of a spectacle, an obsession with trying to recreate the moment, “assuring continued instability with seemingly unending coup rumors and coup attempts, and with repeated popular uprisings.” The original model, “seen as a model of nonviolent resistance,” is now a “letdown,” “an object lesson in the limits and even the destructive effects of a popular uprising.”
The article was also critical of former President Corazon Aquino,
stating that while Aquino’s prime legacies were “restoration of
democracy, and the democratic transition to a new president,” “yet, she has led mass demonstrations against all three of her democratically elected successors.”
This power of electing a president and having the power to also remove a democratically elected president has perpetuated a self-defeating notion of democracy. “People Power” has now become “an odd-sounding term that has helped Filipinos define themselves as an idealistic, righteous and democratic nation. After 20 years of disappointment, the term has lost its power to inspire and has become, to many here, an oxymoron.”
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of Emergency has once again shifted the world’s attention to the Philippines, albeit in a negative way. It is not a pretty picture. From the outside looking in, the country seems like a nation who cannot resolve its own issues within the parameters of its chosen system of government.
The University of the Philippines has again sprung to life as the center of protest for Proclamation 1017. The UP Diliman Council and the UP law faculty have clearly made their strong stand on the issue.
The De La Salle brothers have also been very visible. During the Camp Aguinaldo stand-off, I remember reading about the De La Salle brothers being there inside the camp where all the action was. I also remember them being mentioned in a few other news reports.
But where in all this is Ateneo? Not one blip on the news radar (unless I totally missed it and I don’t believe I missed it because I monitor news on a daily basis).
I checked out the official ADMU website and struck gold (well, not really gold, but at least the school had a statement to explain their stand). And trust Ateneans to come up with something short of a thesis. Some highlights (the rest you can glaze over):
There appears to be a crucial difference between the events of EDSA 1986 and the present. EDSA was a civilian-led initiative against dictatorship that received support from the military. What we are witnessing these days is quite different: a military-led effort seeking civilian support and legitimation.
The response of the government is the declaration of a state of National Emergency, through Proclamation No. 1017. The column of Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J., in today’s Philippines Daily Inquirer, explains the constitutional basis for and scope of emergency powers in the Proclamation. But Fr. Bernas also points to the disturbing inclusion of what seem to be martial law powers in the President’s declaration, particularly in its appeal to Article XII, Section 17 of the Constitution, concerning the temporary takeover of privately owned businesses and utilities, a move that seems aimed at government control of the press and media.
Democracy demands the rule of civilians who are legitimately chosen from and by the people, and not simply kept in power by military might. It is important to recall the principle articulated by the CBCP in its pastoral statement of January 2006: actions that “condone violence or counter-constitutional means in resolving our present crisis” are not acceptable, especially since they “would only bring about new forms of injustice, hardships, and greater harm in the future.”
The serious threat to democratic freedoms involved in Proclamation No. 1017 should be exposed, questioned, and resisted. Even constitutionally mandated emergency powers can be abused if they are exercised disproportionately, to the point of undermining basic rights. It is alarming that, even now, there seem to be indications of this abuse, such as the arrest of civilians without clear bases and charges. This is a serious and unacceptable violation of civil and political rights.
Furthermore, the present administration’s actions towards controlling the media must be resisted. Not only are these moves of questionable constitutionality, but state takeover of media seems morally unjustified, as such a measure would violate the freedom of expression which is a fundamental tenet of democracy.
We must not be naïve and uncritical. Many groups have taken and will continue to take advantage of the present confusion. We, especially religious and Church groups, must be wary about which groups we identify with, lest we indirectly legitimate and support antidemocratic groups with vested interests. The question of the future governance of the country, should the present administration collapse, is not a matter of indifference, but a serious moral consideration. Who assumes power, with what mandate and what agenda, are questions that we must seek answers to from those who would solicit our support.
The present administration’s actions to frustrate legitimate constitutional means of reform and accountability must be held largely responsible for the present crisis. Government’s constant attempts to evade accountability and true reform have made the military solution seem attractive and inevitable to some.
C. Some Immediate Courses of Action:
In this situation, the following are appropriate immediate courses of action:
• Gatherings of prayer for peace and a non-violent resolution of the crisis;
• Gatherings to exchange reliable information, and to discern collectively in the light of emerging developments;
• Expressions and actions of protest against the curtailments of democratic freedoms in Proclamation No. 1017.
To make a long story short, if one reads between the lines, wait and see. I believe that this is in contrast to EDSA II, where Ateneo was the hotbed of action and mobilization between the then president, Erap (who went to Ateneo high school) and current president GMA (who went to graduate school).
I meant to write a comment on the article written by PDI columnist Rina Jimenez-David, “Dear Edsa Baby.”
I WONDER sometimes what sort of life “we have won for you.” How would you, and people of your generation, judge us and our efforts at making the promise come true? Especially given the events of the past two days and the “national emergency” we’re confronted with, I feel like such a failure. We had been at Edsa, and at so many demonstrations and rallies before and after, to win for you and for your kuya a life of vaster dimensions and endless possibilities. But the future for you seems even more circumscribed than the one we faced as college students so many years ago.
I remember, for one, graduating from college and being filled with confidence about the future. I was apprehensive about finding work I enjoyed and which paid well, but I was sure I would find a job, one way or the other. But today, I sense such despair and hopelessness among your cohort, and such desperation about finding work. So many of you are choosing to find employment abroad-which was only a final option for many of us-and giving up on ever finding fulfillment here, among your people, decrying not just the poverty but more so the corruption and cynicism.
How many of those among you still believing in our country, watched the unfolding events and have just decided to throw in the towel and pursue the foreign option?
This particular part struck me not because I was necessarily the same age as Rina’s daughter who was born same year as EDSA I (I was eight years old), but because like Rina, my parents have also tried to secure a future for me in the country.
Like Rina’s wish for her daughter to try to find work in the Philippines, my mom too had a wish for me to find work in the country. I did find work, thanks to having graduated from one of the best universities. I even had the chance to go back to school to earn a higher degree.
But no matter how much effort you put into work, there still was instability and job insecurity. And mostly it was not because I wasn’t qualified or because I was lazy but because the system was just the way it was, is, a system of corruption, of patronage, of disregard for workers’ rights, among other things.
The foreign option has been a very good one, opening a lot of doors and enabling a lot of experiences. Some very good friends of mine too are actually on the same boat as I am. When you are left with very little option for survival, you take what you can and hope for the best.
I have not yet thrown in the towel completely. But I still dream of coming home and making it work, no matter how impossible that dream might seem at this point, especially in my line of work as a member of the press.
HOW have you turned out, my Edsa baby?
In many ways, you embody your generation. From your stories, and your indignant reactions to the more polemic among your teachers and student leaders at the state university, you have a visceral dislike for anyone, including your parents, telling you what you should think and feel. You are cynical about all sorts of isms, and harbor doubts about moral certainties and inflexible ideologies.
Ah, this part I can relate to completely. I am of the generation that was taught to think critically, to not just accept answers just because someone in authority said it was the “right” thing. I am of a generation that has been raised to weigh issues and do things with a conscience.
I know that Rina Jimenez-David wrote this column for her daughter. I was teary-eyed after I read it. Because I could relate to a mother’s hope of her daughter just finding a future in the country that they have worked so hard to help build. So far, it’s only been a big disappointment.
(Insert theme song from Rocky)
In the blue corner, standing barely five feet tall and weighing less than 100 pounds, let us give a round of applause for Arroyo! Gloria Arroyo!
In the red corner, standing X feet tall and weighing X pounds, let us give a round of applause for, wait a minute, another Arroyo! Joker Arroyo!
I’m sorry but I’m biased. I’ve always had a whole lot of love for Joker. Gloria? Don’t really have a whole lot of love for her.
Running Account on INQ7
Senator Arroyo defends media against Proclamation 1017
Veronica Uy INQ7.netSENATOR Joker Arroyo defended on Monday the people’s right to free speech, expression, and assembly, and insisted that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s declaration of a state of national emergency could not be used to curtail those rights.
“The President cannot, under the guise of national emergency or public interest, arbitrarily order the takeover or direct the news content of television or radio stations and thereby deprive the public of free and balanced information,” he said in a statement.
The statement of the human rights lawyer during the martial law years came after government forces raided the Daily Tribune on Saturday.
“Any provision in a statute or executive issuance, or governmental action that runs counter to that constitutionally protected right is unenforceable,” he said.
Arroyo said no government body, including the National Telecommunications Commission, was empowered “to draw up guidelines on what electronic media could or could not air because that would amount to prior restraint, which was constitutionally impermissible.”
Quoting Benjamin Franklin, a famous American statesman and inventor, Arroyo said the actions against media was only the beginning of the suppression of the people’s freedoms.
“’Whomsoever would like to destroy the liberties of the nation shall start by destroying the freedom of the press.’ The government would like to curtail our freedoms and it is now starting with media,” Arroyo said.
Without media reporting people’s exercise of freedom of speech, expression, or assembly, Arroyo said, “Nothing will come out of it.”
He said the government’s assertion that it could control media outfits “could not prevail over the superior right of freedom of the press, expression, and speech.”
Well said sir. But will she listen? And if she does decide not to push through with ML, how will she go about her daily business without losing face in the aftermath? Just food for thought.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has received letters of support for press freedom.
Here in the US, the State of Emergency has had its fair share of news coverage.
Use yahoo? Notice that tool bar on the right side that says In the News? The Philippines has barely left that tool bar for the last three weeks. First it was the Wowowee stampede tragedy, then came the Leyte landslide, now the State of Emergency. The State of Emergency was even mentioned (albeit fleetingly) during a local news broadcast here in California. Because of the State of Emergency, the Philippines has continued to remain a mainstay on the World News section and the splash pages of the major dailies here in the US.
There’s a saying that all kinds of publicity, whether good or bad, is still publicity. Or something to that effect. But our country has been hammered over and over again with really bad publicity. The Philippines has become a nation of chaos and turmoil and disorder. Everything has come down to this.
I was reading through the transcript of the meeting of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and I didn’t find any sentiment from the Philippine Star.
I understand Manila Bulletin not having any say in the matter (when did Bulletin ever have any say in any issue?) but the Star has been hollowingly absent. Even their website is blah, having only a few updates on the State of Emergency, unlike the Inquirer website that is a wonderful source of news for Pinoys who are abroad, like me.
And what’s with this editorial from the Star? It’s wishy-washy at best, neither here nor there, playing it safe with both camps.
This, on the other hand, is how an editorial should be at this particular time, when the Philippine media is squaring off with the government.
To the President’s declaration of war, we can only offer a counter-declaration. She can count on us to do our share in defending democracy.
Amen to that.
This photo was on the splash page of PDI last February 26, Pacific Standard Time.
Don’t you just love this photo?
My first reaction on seeing this was WTF? The gall!
If we had late night talk shows like Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, the jokes would have been flying out the window in succession, night after night.
Oh, silly me, I keep on forgetting. We can’t make jokes, we might get arrested. It is, still after all, a State of Emergency and even jokes might be enough to incite rebellion.
What was Gloria thinking? Possible thoughts from the imagination of this writer:
Lord, parang napasubo ata ako. Tulungan niyo po akong malampasan to and I promise to be good. (Roughly translated, Lord, I find myself in too deep. Help me get past this and I promise to be good.)
Lord, tulungan niyo po ako gaya ng panahon na tinulungan niyo ako kay FPJ. (In other words, Lord, take care of those who hate me the natural way so I won’t have to do drastic action.)
Lord, why don’t they like me? Mabait naman akong tao ah. I am doing this for the good of the people that’s why I deserve to be in power for a long time. Let them like me Lord. Please.
The Philippines is at it again, and for foreign and local experts it is a discouraging spectacle of national futility.
Now, a new catchphrase has entered the Philippine lexicon: people power fatigue. This nation of political romantics has sunk into a mood of weariness and disillusionment.
As it continues to chase the old elation of people power, the Philippines sometimes verges on self-parody.
And there is people power, an odd-sounding term that has helped Filipinos define themselves as an idealistic, righteous and democratic nation. After 20 years of disappointment, the term has lost its power to inspire and has become, to many here, an oxymoron.
How sad that we have come to this.
With the declaration of a state of emergency a day earlier, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo granted her government sweeping powers to ban public protests and control the media. Arroyo said she needed greater authority to defeat a plot to remove her from office.
“President Gloria slept well,” said her spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, on Saturday morning.
At least one of us is still able to sleep soundly at night.
Journalists in the Philippines are calling for solidarity.
No to curtailment of press freedom. No to censorship. No to “government guidelines” on what can and cannot be published. Full text of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) here.
Leaders of Philippine society have spoken out against the government’s iron-hand tactics. The Philippine journalism community has also moved fast to unite against this grand assault on press freedom. Today, (Sunday, Feb. 26), the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines will lead various organizations and individual journalists in protesting the crackdown on media. The Philippine media community intends to send Mrs. Arroyo a strong message: We will not go gently into the night.
We call on all our colleagues in print, broadcast and digital journalism worldwide to support Philippine media in this dark hour. Please add your voice to our protest. Let us collectively condemn the crackdown on Philippine media and remind Mrs. Arroyo that no country can be free to prosper if its media is silenced and cowed. You can send protest letters to the government through the Office of the Press Secretary at osec@ops.gov.ph, with facsimile number (632) 735-6167 or deliver these to the nearest Philippine embassy and consulate. You can send solidarity messages to the NUJP through its email address, nujphil@gmail.com or post this on our website, www.nujp.org.
As pointed out, the Philippines is not one of the best places to practice one’s profession as a journalist. The danger of being a journalist in the Philippines is one of the reasons why my parents did not want me to take up journalism in university. This, and the fact that you earn peanuts if you’re an honest journalist. But people become journalists anyway because being a journalist is a calling.
It goes without saying that, like in every profession, there are bad apples in the lot.
But Madame President, you have gone overboard, especially with the scare tactics.
Media groups denounce press ‘crackdown’
LOCAL and international press organizations have denounced President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for trampling on democracy after the police raided an opposition newspaper and placed troops outside broadcast stations GMA Network and ABS-CBN.”We condemn in the strongest words possible the Friday night raid by government troops of the office of the Daily Tribune newspaper, and the sending of troops to ‘watch’ over broadcast stations, ABS-CBN and GMA7,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said in a statement.
The Philippines is was a democracy before the declaration of the State of Emergency with the questionable provisions that give you the power to “temporarily take over or direct the operation of any privately owned public utility or business affected with public interest” in times of national emergency.
And the gall to even suggest that the police liaise with the media. What do the police know about the media?
Police=force
Media=reasoning, thinking, threshing issues through exchange of ideas
Everyone is still waiting with bated breaths on how this drama will unfold. But you’re probably in too deep right now and thinking that maybe you should just take this all the way. After all, how long can one remain in a State of Emergency, with this kind of State of Emergency (not like the first one that you had) without losing face and racking criticism once the order is lifted?
God bless the Philippines and save it from the “Queen.”
Survey says…