Journalism Review Archives | Page 77 of 159

POGO Rising: Media Must Take a Closer Look

IS THE Philippines becoming China’s “sin city”? Senator Joel Villanueva expressed this concern as he talked about his intention to file a resolution calling for an inquiry into the government’s policy on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO). Villanueva chairs the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Villanueva said...

UN Rights Body Resolution: Reactions Bury Some Exceptions

FROM ITS early months in 2016, the government’s campaign against illegal drugs has been confronted with protest against human rights violations in its implementation. But nothing has effectively restrained the “war on drugs” which, based on records of the Philippine National Police (PNP), continue to show the killings of...

House Speakership Coverage: Spotlight on the Dutertes

PRESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte broke yet another promise with his meddling in the race for House speakership. Despite his earlier assurance that he would stay neutral on the issue, the president announced during a speech on July 8 that “Your Speaker will be Alan Peter Cayetano”—adding that Cayetano (1st Dist.,...

Amnesty International on the “Drug War”: Media Took Little Interest

AMID RISING international concern about the spate of killings in the Philippines, the London-based human rights group Amnesty International (AI) released a new report on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs last July 8, its second on the subject since January 2017. The report highlighted their findings, including that...

Youngest Drug War Victim’s Death: Media Echo Official’s Indifference

JEERS TO the media for their uncritical reporting on the latest child casualty in the Duterte “drug war,” with coverage so bereft of context. Three year-old Kateleen Myca Ulpina was killed in a June 30 police operation that targeted her father, whom police said was a drug dealer. Police...

Tooting the Palace Horn: Malacañang PR for Banner

THE DUTERTE Administration has been most adept in the use of propaganda for everything it does; social media influencers supplement the messages that run freely through government media. It does not really need mainstream media to add to the flow of self-praise. And yet, some news organizations lend their...

The Recto Bank “Incident”: Government Narrative Trumps Survivors’ Accounts

ALMOST A month after the incident, public interest has remained fixed on the issues raised by the ramming and sinking of the Filipino fishing vessel in the West Philippine Sea. The accounts given by the victims and the Vietnamese fishermen who came to rescue Filipinos attest to the facts:...

Bomb Attack Underscores the Failure of Martial Law in Mindanao

MARTIAL LAW has been in effect in Mindanao since May 2017. And yet the region has continued to suffer from bomb attacks. So far, there have been at least 7 bombing incidents reported during the period; the latest on June 28. Two explosions rocked the camp of the 1st...

Come Hell or No Water: The Continuing Crisis

CHEERS TO the Philippine Daily Inquirer for pointing out that the water shortage has been a continuing crisis in Metro Manila since March and that some areas have been suffering from extended water interruptions all this time. Both Metro Manila water concessionaires—Maynilad and Manila Water— announced new schedules of...

The Kapa Ministry Issue: The Separation of Church and State Explained

MEDIA PICKED up on the questionable activities of Kapa (Kabus Padatoon or poor will be rich) Community Ministry Inc., a Surigao del Sur-based religious group, when President Rodrigo Duterte ordered it shut down in a TV guesting, saying it is running an investment scam. Members were quick to call...