Im sure most of us, or all of us already knows about this. as I was going through the situation and talking to people, mostly uncles and aunts over the weekend, i couldn't help but think who is really to blame for this? and other thoughts came into my mind.
1. Is it the fault of the LGU/Govt of Sulu for not protecting the crew?
2. Is it the fault of the news crew or ABS-CBN for not informing the LGU/Govt of Sulu about their desire to feature the abu sayyafs?
3. Who's call was it anyway to continue the coverage? was it Ces Drilon's? ABS-CBN? the question again is why do reporters continue to do such reports or coverages if they already know that these things can happen. is it in pursuit of truth? or pursuit of fame? or to divert the attention of the people from the Meralco issue?
4. What does Mayor Alvarez got to do with the negotiations? remember, elections in that area will be sometime this year.
- please feel free to comment, add insights, more details, questions, other points... really interesting to know more about this issue or topic.
Thanks,
Enrique Moran
3 comments:
Thanks Enrique. the questions you raise are significant. but one question that maybe isn't being asked is this: what is the difference between the Ces Drilon kidnapping from the Philippine government's own unresolved issues of killing activists? is the state/government really different from these "outlaws"? might the focus on holding ASG accountable or pursuing them be reifying the power of the state and therefore obscuring the injustices of the state by framing the issue as one where the state is the protector of justice and of peace and all other groupings in society the opposite of the state?
"3. Who's call was it anyway to continue the coverage? was it Ces Drilon's? ABS-CBN? the question again is why do reporters continue to do such reports or coverages if they already know that these things can happen."
why should the freedom of the press be stifled just because of the potential dangers of a coverage? it's an occupational hazard and they're aware of it. so we can't really blame them for trying to pursue a good story. and on the other hand, would/should we, as the consumers of media, just settle for safe reports? should we just forever turn a blind eye to the realities of our society simply because we refrain our reporters from taking risks?
i think the kidnapping issue of ces drilon pushed more than what she was trying to cover. for a while the issues in mindanao were side-lighted, now we remember that there are rebels in mindanao who are raising issues, who are trying to make a point, and will do whatever they can to make their point clear. and i remember something ces drilon said about her kidnapping: (roughly quoted) "there were children holding guns, 12, 15, 17 years old. and it makes you think, why are these children holding guns instead of books?"
she has said that her kidnapping opened her eyes. and i think it should open our eyes too. instead of just trying to pinpoint the blame, we should be able to unearth the other issues that are also at hand.
and i was thinking, i thought our government already allocated our taxes into ensuring peace and safety in mindanao? aren't our soldiers fighting there with defective guns and thinned-out slippers and sacrificing their lives for the sake of the administration and its people? given that, i will quote from everybody's favorite author, Anonymous: should we kill people who kill people to show them that it's wrong to kill?
-rayna vihuela reyes
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