Agusan Del Sur Hostage-taking: Lessons from the Past
By Karlin E. Galao, Mari Joie A. Ladia, and Norman Lee Benjamin Riego
Unlike the coverage of the Ducat and Mendoza hostaging incidents, the media coverage of the Agusan hostage-taking, which started April 2 and ended April 7, was noticeably restrained.
PJR Reports monitored the coverage of the Agusan hostage incident from April 1 to 8. Monitored were the major daily newspapers (BusinessWorld, BusinessMirror, Malaya, Manila Bulletin, Manila Standard Today, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Times, The Daily Tribune, and The Philippine Star), news programs (24 Oras, Aksyon, Express Balita, Rundown, Teledyaryo, and TV Patrol) and news websites (abs-cbnNEWS.com, Bulatlat, GMANews.TV, Inquirer.net, Newsbreak, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, and VERA Files).
Abduction
Members of the Manobo Tribe allegedly  kidnapped 14 school officials and two students in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur last April 1. The local government organized a Crisis Management Committee (CMC) To handle the incident. The alleged kidnappers demanded the release of their tribal leader Jobert “Ondo” Perez, who is in jail  for a mass hostage- taking in December 2009. Perez was convicted of abducting 79 people over a long-standing conflict among clans over land.
After four days, the armed tribesmen, out of fear of a military assault, fled and left the hostages. A government negotiator attributed the positive outcome of the incident result to the military and police show of force in the area. While there were no arrests,  neither were there any casualties.
According to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, limited media coverage, as prescribed by the CMC, led to an ideal setup. “There are things that the media and the public should not know first,” she said.
Surprising wait
The press stayed meters away from the headquarters of CMC head Mayor Alvin Magdamit. The reporters patiently waited for press conferences to get updates on the negotiations between the alleged abductors and the local government. There were no live interviews, no disclosing of police tactics and unnecessarily detailed reporting, unlike in the Ducat and Manila hostage-taking incidents.
Going beyond the issue
Some reports even looked at  issues beyond the hostage taking. The Inquirer editorial “At home with violence” dated April 6, 2011, noted  other violence-related issues in Mindanao and how the existence of the private armies made hostage- taking so much more possible. It also pointed out the need of “political will” in solving the problem of violence in Mindanao.
Bulatlat focused on the factors that contribute to the vulnerability of school personnel to kidnap groups and how the government should address to the situation (“Teacher-lawmaker Calls for Immediate Release of Hostages in Agusan del Sur”)
Looking back
Compare the media coverage of this event with the that of the Aug. 23, 2010 hostage incident in Manila which resulted in the death of eight Hong Kong nationals and the hostage-taker, former police officer Rolando Mendoza.
The Hong Kong government strongly criticized the Philippine government for its incompetence in peacefully resolving the issue. But  the local media coverage, which was full of serious reportorial and ethical lapses, contributed to the bloody outcome of that incident. The media reported  police tactics and deployment. They also aired live  the  arrest of Mendoza’s brother Gregorio, either without realizing that Mendoza could watch what was happening on the bus TV set in real time, or without considering the consequences.
Some broadcasters also disclosed police movements. Some were also panicky in their coverage, and even totally clueless about what was happening. Because the media were on site during eleven hours it took to end the hostage taking and had to fill otherwise dead air, they kept interviewing Mendoza, choking police communication lines with the hostage taker in the process and hampering t negotiations at a critical time.
Media missteps predictably led to the revival of  efforts to legislate  external media regulation. Immediately after the incident, congress threatened the media with legislation that would sanction their lapses and mistakes, while President Benigno Aquino III chastised the media for the “near criminal behavior” of some broadcasters.
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