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.
4 Comments
February 27, 2006 at 7:08 am
Amee, I really enjoy your blog, especially since I have been following the political situation in the Philippines for some time now. I do not know what is going on at the Star. They really seem to be the most pro-GMA publication with only half-hearted criticism. I like reading Max Soliven’s column most of the time but he refuses to call a thief a thief when it comes to GMA. Maybe he is blinded because he sees her as the sweet young girl he knew when she was daughter of Diosado Macapagal. Maybe it is because she calls him Uncle Max and calls him on his cell phone “asking for his advice”, though I’m sure she never takes it. It is even possible the Star is the beneficiary of payoffs or patronage, especially since GMA is a notorious “transactional” president.
Often, he seemed full of hopes and would say “now is the time to get rid of crime, crush jueteng, crush the terrorists in the South etc.” Well, she has been president since 2001 and has not accomplished a darn thing except making the Philippines look bad and squandering billions of pesos (including the Marcos funds) just to stay in power. This is a man who in prison with Ninoy Aquino and he has not roundly condemned the threat to the free press. (It’s bad enough that the free press is under assault and journalists are murdered left and right and GMA could care less. About a year ago, FG Mike Arroyo told the press club in Negros “you guys are responsible reporters and that’s why none of you have been killed” I think he even laughed after saying that. They had made him an honorary member but there was an outcry and it was pulled back.)
The only member of the editorial board of the Star who is strongly critical of GMA is Ana Marie Pamintuan. Sometimes her attacks are very subtle and witty. She had a good point in her latest column when she said that GMA should realize that going after the press in the Philippines is drawing the attention and negative reaction of the free press around the world. Especially at this time when there was already media attention focused on the Philippines after the mudslides in Leyte and the 20th anniversary of Edsa 1. She really is giving Philippines democracy a black eye and the world press is drawing attention again to the fact that she is an illegitimate president who cheated last year. That’s why she could not get any appointments with anyone “important” in the US as she was previously scheduled to address a Press club in Washington DC this weekend.
I read the Tribune, Malaya and the Inquirer online to get a better view of the Philippines situation. I am frequently disappointed with the Star. The Star has not commented yet on the arrest of UP Professor and Inquirer Columnist, Randy David. They will lose a lot of credibility if they don’t stand up to injustice at this time. Emergency Powers do not give her the right to trample on basic rights like Freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly–but she’s doing it anyway. My prayers are with the people of the Philippines during these dark times.
February 27, 2006 at 7:45 am
Hi James.
Thanks for the insight. And thanks for telling me that you enjoy reading my blog. I’m fairly new at this, have thought of putting up a “serious” blog for a long time and the recent events in the Philippines prompted me to do so.
The Star has been tepid at best in being critical of the government, even during Erap’s time. Compared to the Inquirer, a paper that makes it clear what their stand is on a particular issue (whether or not it’s the popular view), the Star, in my opinion, tries to take the middle ground but not in a convincing way. One can be a moderate paper but there is a difference between unsure and taking the middle ground and the Star definitely falls into the unsure on their stand category.
Before the Manila Times ran into trouble with Erap, it was a pretty good paper too. So was Today before their merger. I will try to read the Tribune and Malaya regularly and see how both go in terms of news and editorial content.
I had a previous entry on the top three papers, Inquirer, Star and Bulletin but I deleted it by mistake. :T
The Philippine media is not perfect but it is the only check to the government in our country. And yes, GMA’s emergency powers do not give her the right to trample on the basic rights of the people.
February 27, 2006 at 4:12 pm
If you read Malaya, I recommend checking out the columns of Ellen Tordesillas and Lito Banayo. I believe Ellen has a blog at http://www.ellentordesillas.com. I think the Tribune has some good sources as I first read about wiretaps of election fraud months before “Hello Garci” broke. I think that it was Amb.Ernesto Maceda who broke that. Also, there has been talk some time now at that paper about plans in the works for GMA to declare “martial rule”. Sure enough, she declared a state of emergency.
Sometimes the Tribune has some wild conspiracy theories but they have called some of these events before they happened. There is definitely a pro-Erap bias at the paper. I’m not as familiar with that situation (I’m not Filipino but have a strong interest in the events over there and am on the Board of Directors of the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce up here) It seems to me that he should have been impeached and had a chance for a trial–or he should have resigned. Neither happened, so there is no closure on the matter. Apparently some of the evidence was weak, especially the testimony of Chavit Singson and some of the bank employees have recanted. I was starting to believe the slant of the Tribune regarding Erap until I took the time to read the excellent series on Erap at http://www.pcij.org. Sheila Coronel and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism do some excellent work and I enjoy listening to their podcasts as well. The most recent one was an interview with former President Cory Aquino. She may have som faults but there is such a huge difference to listening to her and GMA, the “Taray Queen”. (I remember how arrogant she was in her interview with Korina Sanchez, promising answers in due time about Hello Garci—we’re still waiting.) By the way, I saw GMA speak here in Silicon Valley a few years ago and was very hopeful at the time about her Presidency. She had potential but she was all talk. Nothing she promised has come to pass and the only thing propping up the economy is the massive inflow of dollars from OFW’s that are toiling around the world.
One case I’m following is the trial in Cebu regarding the murder of citizen journalist, Marlene Esperat. It has been almost a year since she was gunned down in front of her children, after she sent her bodyguards home for Holy Week. She was exposing corruption at the highest levels in the Department of Agriculture, which we now know engaged in massive fraud in using fertilizer funds and Marcos land reform money to buy votes. I can’t help but wonder if former DA Sec. Yap or notorious Undersecretary “Joc-Joc” Bolante had anything to do with her killing. Two local DA officials in Mindanao are the ones on trial for ordering this murder. A lot of media watchdog groups are watching this and I hope there is justice done in her case. Of course most of the murders of journalists in the Philippines are never “solved” as the political kingpins who order the murders make sure everyone is paid off from the gunmen up to the judges.
February 27, 2006 at 6:36 pm
It is nice to know that a non-Filipino is keeping tabs on what’s happening to the Philippines. It lends a different perspective to how issues are viewed and discussed.
In contrast, it is such a shame that most Filipinos are not in tune with what is happening to the country but I can’t say I totally blame them. The constant political bickering is tiring when all one wants to do is find a job and find a better life for your family, preferrably without leaving the country. Or worse, just earn enough money to eat decent meals.
Yes, the PCIJ is an excellent resource of in-depth articles. I’ve had the chance to attend some talks when I was in the Philippines.
Erap’s trial is ongoing but it has turned out to be a farce. His political imprisonment is one with various benefits. But his trial is still ongoing, last time I checked.
GMA is indeed a taray queen. Had the chance to interview her one-on-one before and while she knows her stuff issues-wise, she does not radiate any warmth and you find yourself asking doubts about her sincerity.
I too was hopeful when she started out. In fact, I had to haul my officemates to join the rally at EDSA II and we were in the middle of the throng. But so far, her government has been a bad repeat of all the past political mistakes.