just thinking aloud on independence day

6-12-08

1. How ironic is it that today, Independence Day, the banner stories of today’s leading newspapers are about the abduction of media personality Ces Drilon and two others somewhere deep in the jungle of Mindanao.

2. According to the article, the abduction happened on Sunday but was only aired on Tuesday morning on account of Maria Ressa’s appeal to rival networks for caution and restraint in media reportage so as to not endanger the lives of the hostages. Well, well, well. That I didn’t see coming. Here I was thinking that there’s no hope for responsible journalism in this country. Now if they could only extend the same courtesy to subjects other than themselves…

3. A few entries back I remember writing about some members of the media--about their inflated sense of self; about how they stick their haughty noses where they don’t belong; and about how they sometimes twist the truth and angle their stories to fit their scripts.

4. The thing is, technically, we don’t pay these people to go out there every day, scavenge the dirty streets for scoops, and send these stories straight to the television sets of our plush and comfortable living rooms. That being said, I think it’s too much for mere spectators to expect the whole truth to come out of their mouths. I am not saying this because they are part of a company that depends on sponsors/advertisers to thrive in a highly competitive industry. I am saying this because they are also human beings and are therefore subject to human frailty and personal inclinations that make them fallible.

5. Therefore, to say that the media is neutral (in other words “walang kinikilingan at walang prinoprotektahan”) is an overstatement. There is no such thing as free lunch.

6. But of course this is just one side of the story. The problem also lies in the readers and viewers, who generally hold these news reports as sacred doctrines sent forth by a messiah. I am not saying that this is wrong; I'm saying this is scary.
   

7. On second note, despite everything I’ve said against the media companies, deep inside I do admire the people behind them. In fact there were times in my life when I contemplated on what life could have been had I taken that path. I thought maybe if I had the mental fortitude that could stomach the sight of blood streaming from mutilated fingers, decaying carcasses, or government officials shamelessly engaging in illicit political affairs, I’d probably vie for a news reporter slot as well.

8. Unfortunately, I don’t. And I think this is what separates them from spectators like me—courage, guts, and that fervent desire to be there as it happens at whatever cost.
   

9. I guess this is also what I feel when I think about the activists marching on the streets with their closed fists in the air. When I was still working as a corporate slave, I used to look down upon them from the lofty windows of my building and wonder how come these people—who obviously need more money than I do—have so much free time. Surely, those 10,000 people with complete sets of arms and legs can’t all be unemployed, right?

10. But all these ill feelings would usually subside come 6p.m., the time when first-class slaves like me go down from their high horses. It was easier to look at them in the eye when you’re stepping on the same ground. There I saw individual faces—each with different expressions. There I saw each of them as a person and not just a part of a boisterous crowd. I realized that it’s easy to keep an even keel if your stomach is not growling. I thought if I were they and I were hungry too, I’d probably be as angry.

11. By now it’s already a known fact: While I am too catholic to be confrontational, I don’t usually agree with the people around me. It’s my curse. As much as I’d like to be submissive and peace-loving, I couldn’t bring myself to nod as often as I’d like to. I think it’s in my blood. I have been contradicting everyone and challenging fixations until I was 11, before I began to understand the incalculable perks of being diplomatic. Although sometimes (especially when fueled with caffeine or alcohol) I still find myself caught up in heated arguments. I guess it’s a hard habit to break.

12. Point is even if I often find it hard to find common grounds with other people, I do understand that sometimes people do what they do because they think it’s right. And sometimes even if I raise my eyebrows and roll my eyes at what seems ridiculous, I do respect them for giving in to their passions and putting up a good fight.

13. This country is going to the dogs. The evidence is in the newspapers every day. But it is in this political and economic environment that countries breed heroes. This is the exact miserable condition that eventually gives birth to true freedom—freedom to think and act differently, to do the unthinkable and the seemingly stupid and brave its consequences, and to make a choice and stand by it to the very end.

14. The heroes that made today’s Independence Day possible are once the lawbreakers whose great ideas (which were once deemed outrageous) and bold efforts have completely transformed the cultural landscape of this nation. The Katipuneros, the guerillas, the scholars, and the militant priests—most of them didn’t even see the end of the battles they were fighting—had given their lives for something they strongly believed in. They had died even before the fight was over, but that doesn’t mean the battle was not won.

15. To say that no story is worth a reporter’s life is not wrong, but it would be a crime against the scientists and doctors who are now dedicating their lives trying to find the cure for cancer and aids; the astronauts who died in the first few attempts to reach the moon; the soldiers fighting in war-stricken corners of the world; the missionaries who were crucified and beheaded for carrying out charitable and religious missions; Aung San Suu Kyi who was detained for pushing democracy in Burma; and all the unsung Filipino heroes whose failed attempts of revolution didn’t even make it to our history books. Have their efforts and lives been futile just because some of them didn’t live long enough to reap their struggles’ rewards?

16. I am not encouraging imprudence especially in media coverage, but we are what we are because some people in the past decided to put their fears aside and dared to do something big. Not all of them were able to produce the results they’ve intended, nevertheless their efforts were not in vain. A story of courage and audacity—regardless of the ending—always inspires and teaches. If it were able to get one idle ass to move forward, then it has served its purpose. Remember that it only takes one inspired move to change the world.

17. Everything is a choice. You can always choose to be just another face in the crowd and live happily ever after or you can choose to do something no man has ever done and swim against the current.

18. There is no right or wrong choice, though this doesn’t make the decision any easier. But to those who decide to go off the beaten track, whether you get what you want or not (or in the case of Ces, get beheaded or not), the only losers in this game are those who look back and regret.