CNN election reports spotlight marginalized sectors

CHEERS TO CNN Philippines for its program “Sectors in the Sidelines,”  which highlights the concerns of those communities that are commonly  marginalized in the news. “Sectors in the Sidelines” is a sub-segment of CNN Philippines’ “The Filipino Votes, ” in which the network features all election-related reports.

The first two reports on Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and the LGBT+ community reminded voters that the challenges these communities face must be addressed by the leaders they choose. 

In a  report on March 22, Stanley Gajete took a closer look at the state and challenges faced by OFWs. Noting the large number of Filipinos in other countries, most of them healthcare workers, Gajete said that each of them “is a human face that has a story to tell.” Those stories emphasized the great difficulties and many problems involved in working abroad.

Gajete interviewed one OFW who fled Ukraine and returned to the Philippines. Apart from having to cope with the uncertainties of living in another country, most OFWs are also abused. The report included the commemoration by Migrante International and other groups of the execution of Flor Contemplacion in Singapore in 1995. Migrante said Contemplacion’s case underscores the government’s neglect of migrant workers, most of whom are women.

Another report on March 25 focused on the plight of the LGBT+ community. Reporter Tristan Nodalo talked to a pastor of the LGBT Christian Church about same-sex marriage and civil unions. The pastor noted how important it is for such unions to be blessed in a country that has not legalized same-sex marriage.  Nodalo also reported that the church also serves as a shelter for those LGBTs estranged from their families. Some interviewees also revealed that under pandemic conditions, they did not receive “ayuda” (food or financial aid) because its distribution is household-based. 

Nodalo also presented a wish list from Bahaghari, a national LGBT organization, that includes the immediate passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality bill. Other demands by the group include the passage of the same-sex marriage law, accessibility to legally changing names and gender markers, and fully subsidized health care. 

Nodalo included in his report the positions of presidential candidates Manny Pacquiao, Leni Robredo, and Panfilo Lacson on same-sex marriage and civil unions, as presented during the CNN Presidential debates last February.

CMFR also cheers CNN’s reporting on other issues these past few weeks. Apart from the two reports, some accounts focused on what the presidential candidates had to say on corruption, the Marcoses’ unpaid estate taxes, and the oil price hike, instead of merely echoing the promises candidates made, and filling the news with empty campaign talk and the efforts of candidates to entertain voters. 

In the remaining weeks of the campaign, needed are more reports that can help voters evaluate candidates on the basis of their records of performance and their responses to questions that look into how prepared they are for the responsibilities of leadership at both the national and local levels. 

The concerns of communities that are often unreported must be part of media coverage. Media attention could drive candidates to deepen their commitment to serve all of Philippine society and to craft appropriate action plans. The media should then follow up with reviews and point out those candidates who have nothing to say or who lack the understanding to the needs of the Filipino people, especially the neglected communities.