The Presscon That Wasn’t
A reporter’s ringside view of an incident
The Presscon That Wasn’t
By Ellen Tordesillas
ARRIVING AT the Dusit Hotel for the press conference called by Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. on Dec. 9, 2006, I found all the seats behind the TV cameras occupied.
Three rows of seats in front of the TV cameras were empty except for two in the middle of the first row, which were occupied by a man and a woman both dressed in black.
As I was taking one of the unoccupied seats in front on the right side, I looked at the couple in black and the man looked like activist Renato Constantino Jr. I thought it was just someone who looked like RC because what would an activist be doing in a press conference of trapos? But it was indeed RC.
As I approached and greeted RC and his wife, De Venecia and his entourage came in. All the seats in front were immediately filled up. Among those I recognized were De Venecia’s wife Gina; Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa; Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Belinda Olivares Cunanan with husband Thelmo Cunanan, director of the Social Security System; Cecile Guidote Alvarez, head of the National Commission on Culture and Arts, with husband former senator Heherzon Alvarez; and Ed Malay, public relations man of former President Fidel Ramos.
The 25 congressmen with De Venecia took their positions with him behind the table facing members of the media. JDV read a prepared statement which was essentially a withdrawal from the proposal to have a “House-Only” Constituent assembly (Con-ass) which the administration con-gressmen had brazenly railroaded two days earlier. He said they were now calling for a Constitutional convention (Con-con).
In a pathetic show of bravado, De Venecia challenged the Senate to pass a resolution calling for a Con-con within 72 hours.
Appalled
After his statement, De Venecia said the congressmen were open to questions.
RC stood up, introduced himself, saying he was not a journalist. Then, in a clear voice, he addressed the assembled congressmen: “I would like to say to you all that I am completely appalled by your collective gall. You’re totally bereft of principle, that’s why you’re without shame.”
The congressmen were stunned. RC went on to tell them that they were “a disgrace to the nation.” Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte told Constan-tino that he could ask questions but that he had no right to berate him.
Pedrosa, who was seated behind Constantino, stood up and shouted at RC, “Respect your congressmen! This is a press conference!” Cunanan kept tugging at Pedrosa’s blouse, urging her to sit down. A fishwife was no match to Pedrosa, wife of the former ambassador to the Court of St. James’s.
Photographers and reporters rushed in front of Constantino, with their backs to the assembled representatives. For a while, the congressmen were reduced to pathetic spectators to the media frenzy.
Cherry Gil scene
Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo gave out the order, “Itapon ’yan!” (“Throw him out!”)
Malay, who helped organize the presscon, approached Constantino and asked him to leave. RC obliged, escorted by plainclothes security men, while shouting “Serial rapists!” at the congressmen, apparently comparing their violation of the Constitution to the rape of a Filipina by an American serviceman in the Subic case.
He was halfway towards the exit when he passed by Inquirer business columnist Vic Agustin. Suddenly, Agustin threw a glassful of water at RC.
Agustin was about to do a repeat of his Cherry Gil perfor-mance but was foiled by security men and reporters. Later, he explained to the other reporters that he found Constantino “boorishly hotheaded and he didn’t want to stop. So he needed a douse of cold water.”
All these were broadcast live on TV.
Four days after, the Inquirer announced the one-month suspension of Agustin:
“For Vic Agustin’s rude, boorish behavior at a press conference last Saturday, a three-person committee yesterday suspended the publication of his column, ‘Cocktales,’ for one month beginning today. The committee reprimanded Agustin for conduct unbecoming of a representative of the Inquirer— The Publisher.”
The announcement carried Agustin’s comment: “A good soldier obeys his generals.”
House for sale
A concerned citizen, Chabeli Araña, wrote Agustin telling him she was appalled by what she witnessed on TV. “If you, or your group’s, intention is (to get) people on your side to support Cha-Cha, throwing water at RC’s face only worsened it,” she said.
Agustin replied: “What can I say? You already lumped me in the camp of JDV and condemned me, not knowing why I, who (try) very hard to get away from politics, was there.”
In a TV interview, Agustin said he went to Dusit to see Gina de Venecia because he learned that the De Venecia house in Dasmariñas Village that was burned last year was up for sale.
In his reply to Araña, Agustin revealed why he became emotional.
“You obviously find it kosher for a non-media political partisan to attend a press conference and, instead of asking questions, harangues and denounces in (the) most vitriolic terms politicians who happen not to share his world view. What if the shoe were on the other foot, and the Akbayan/Bayan presscon were infiltrated by government agitprop teams?”
Agustin further said, “Come to think of it, Mr. Constantino and his fans should be happy for the incident—he got his message splashed all over primetime TV.”
Role of media
In normal times, I would not welcome non-media persons doing their thing in a press conference. But De Venecia and company, in their brazen attempt to impose their political ambitions on the people, trampled on the law, removed rules and regulations and destroyed the institution of check and balance.
Anybody who does not protest JDV’s Con-ass does not have the right to invoke propriety and respect for rules and institutions.
Furthermore, it is not the role of members of media to discipline gate crashers to an event organized by politicians. That’s the job of JDV’s media officers and security personnel.
Postscript: On Dec. 21, Agustin repeated his water-dousing act on ANC’s Media in Focus.
An obviously tense Agustin started by relating his conversation with RC, who was also a guest on the show, before the start of the program. He said he offered RC the chance to douse water on him to make things even between them. RC declined.
So, Vic poured water on himself.
The unflappable Cheche Lazaro was momentarily stunned.
At the end of the show, Agustin offered his hand to Constantino. RC instead gave him a bottle of mineral water.
About a month after the incident, Agustin left the Inquirer and joined the Manila Standard Today as a columnist.
On Jan. 16, Constantino went to the Makati Regional Trial Court. He filed a case of slander by deed against Agustin. n
Ellen Tordesillas writes a column for Malaya.
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