Out of focus

JEERS TO ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol for focusing on a supposed premonition by the children of a Yolanda-ravaged family instead of hard information when it reported the death of three siblings in Leyte during the Typhoon.

In the segment “Kabayan Special Patrol” (KSP), TV Patrol reported the story of a family whose children had shown drawings and shared anecdotes on floods, death, and end of the world flood days before the super typhoon hit the country. (May 19)

According to the interviews, the children urged their parents to read the Bible, particularly the story of the great flood in the book of Genesis; knelt and prayed during unexpected times; and the five-year-old daughter drew pictures of the family’s separation.

The special report featured the plight of the children’s parents and other relatives during and after Yolanda. The report mentioned that the entire family would have survived if the warning about the effect of the super typhoon, more importantly the storm surge, was clear and explained well.

Unfortunately for the survivors and the general public, TV Patrol chose to focus on trivial details rather than promote understanding of why the disaster happened, provide context in the aftermath of Yolanda, and check the progress of rehabilitation efforts.

TV Patrol had no other reports about post-Yolanda updates during its May 19 broadcast.