Unethical and unprofessional (UPDATED)
UPDATE. Statement of Arnold Clavio on Unang Hirit, November 7:
“Mga Kapuso, sa mga nakapanood po sa naging interview ko noong Martes, ang aking tanging intensiyon po lamang tulad po ninyo ay makakuha ng impormasyon mula kay Atty. Alfredo Villamor patungkol po sa pagpunta ni Mrs. Janet Lim-Napoles sa Senado. Sa ngayon, siya lamang ang kilala naming natitirang abogado ni Janet Napoles kaya siya lamang po ang kinausap namin na umaasang makakuha ng impormasyon tungkol sa nasabing Senate hearing. Sa sidhi kong malaman ninyo ang balita, inaamin ko po na lumagpas ako sa aking limitasyon. At humihingi ako ng unawa kung may nasabi man ako na wala sa lugar. Maraming salamat po.”
JEERS TO GMA-7’s Arnold Clavio for his behavior during the morning program Unang Hirit last November 5.
Clavio drew flak in the social media (YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter) when his interview with lawyer Alfredo Villamor on the cases against his client Janet Lim Napoles went viral. Napoles is in the headlines for the pork barrel scandal. (“Pork-barrel scam: a billion per year for ten years”; July 2013)
Social media users found his behavior “rude,” “mayabang (arrogant),” “walang respeto (disrespectful),” and “napakabastos (uncouth).”
Clavio asked Villamor to comment on the situation of his client, particularly if Napoles would attend the November 7 Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Hearing. Villamor immediately made it clear that he is representing Napoles only on her serious illegal detention case, not the plunder case, and could only discuss updates on the first matter. Confusion then ensued, as evident in this exchange—
Clavio: “Pero hindi ba pagkakataon na rin n’yang maharap ‘yung mga…itong si Benhur Luy sa Senado (But isn’t this her opportunity to face Benhur Luy in the Senate)?”
Villamor: “There will be an opportunity for that pero as I’ve said hindi naman po ako involved dun sa pagharap n’ya sa senado o sa cases involving the PDAF (There will be an opportunity for that but as I’ve said I am not involved with her appearance at the Senate or the cases involving the PDAF).”
Clavio: “Pero kailan ho siya nakatakdang humarap naman sa korte para sa panig n’ya (But when is she due in court to give her side)?”
Villamor: “Sa serious illegal detention case po (For the serious illegal detention case)?”
Clavio: “Opo. E ‘yun ang kasong hawak n’yo po di ba? O ‘di ‘yun ang tanong ko po, ‘yung kasong hawak n’yo. Kelan po siya naka-schedule sa korte (Yes. That is your case, right? So my question pertains to the case assigned to you. When is she scheduled in court)?”
Benhur Luy was Napoles’ personal assistant and is the principal whistleblower in the pork barrel issue.
By this time, Clavio sounded irked: “Sino na ho ba dapat talaga ang kausapin namin dito?…Kaya nga po binabalikan ko po. Pang-sira ka ng araw e. Kaya nga sinasabi ko ‘yung illegal detention case, Attorney. Kayo ho ba opisyal nang humaharap na katawan niya? Abogado kayo ‘dun (Who should we talk to? That’s why I asked. You’ve ruined my day. I’m talking about the illegal detention case, Attorney. Are you the official representative? You are the lawyer).”
Villamor again explained that his engagement with Napoles was limited to the illegal detention case and said that he’s just waiting for a decision on Napoles’ petition for bail.
Clavio interrupted Villamor’s explanations repeatedly and commented: “Binago ko na nga. Tatawa-tawa ka pa. Binago ko na nga po. Binalikan ko na nga po. Ano pong schedule niya sa korte tungkol sa illegal detention kay Benhur Luy (I’ve changed the question. And you are laughing. I’m asking again. What is her schedule in court about the illegal detention of Benhur Luy)?”
The anchor then ended the interview abruptly and said: “Sana pala hindi na namin kayo tinawagan. Okay po, salamat po, wala po akong nakuha sa inyo (We should not have called you. Okay, thank you, we did not get anything from you).”
Was this behavior merely rude or was it also unethical?
An interview is in the first place meant to solicit information and opinion from the interviewee, not an occasion for the interviewer to insist on his own views, much less berate the interviewee, who, in this instance, was moved by the ethics of the legal profession not to comment on a case other lawyers are presumably involved in.
An interview is also a privilege granted by the interviewee and not the other way around, and is held at the sufferance of the interviewee. The interviewee must be treated with appropriate respect both for this reason and as a matter of elementary courtesy. By these standards Clavio was both unethical and unprofessional.
CMFR had previously jeered Clavio for his “racist, discriminatory, libelous and malicious” remarks on the Philippine national men’s football team, popularly known as “Azkals,” during same morning program. (“Brown-skin chauvinism: GMA-7, Clavio should apologize”; March 2012)
Definitely rude and arrogant. And careless. I would be surprised and disappointed if he does not apologize on air, or if GMA7 does not discipline him.
Prepare yourself then to be surprised and disappointed. One has better chances in hoping that crows turn white before GMA 7 slaps Igan’s wrist at the very least. Spell sacred cow? Hashtag takot ang management much
He will not be disciplined. He is THE ARNOLD CLAVIO and “sige lilipat ako” is his trump card.
People like him think they are indispensable but in fact they are not. Kapag puno na ang salop dapat ng kalusin, maraming magagaling at talentadong broadcasters…GMA just need to find a new one. Kaya Igan, ingat ingat lang…
Ang dapat niyang kagalitan, ang staff ng kanilang programa. Hindi nila ginawa ang kanilang assignment. In the first place, hindi naman nagprisinta ang nasabing abugado para interbyuhin siya kaugnay sa kaso ng kanyang kliyente, right?
Tama po kayo, unethical at napaka-rude ng kanyang naging attitude. Mukhang pumasok na nga sa ulo ang kanyang kasikatan at pagtitiwalang ibinigay sa kanya ng GMA 7.
I hope, GMA big bosses will look into this matter at bigyan ng disciplinary action ang isang broadcast journalist na nagpakita ng pagkaarogante sa harap ng telebisyon na napanood ng libu-libong televiewers worldwide…
he maybe a good reporter, but with this one he acted very unprofessional.. nakakahinayang..
I don’t even think he is good. If you see him do interviews on TV, you will notice that a lot of times his questions are shallow and unproductive, and he doesn’t listen to his interviewee. And his tonight show is terrrrrrible, he always makes the show all about him.
Joseph Morong is a good reporter, i hope they give him a chance at being an anchor more often.
Magaling ka naman arnold clavio e! Pero bakit ganun? Nasaan ung delikadesa ng pagka propesyunal mo? Parang walang pinag aralan o? Geez
Hindi siya magaling. Iyan kasi siguro lagi niya naririnig from the people surrounding him, kaya naging mapangahas at arogante. That is what happens when a 6 thinks he is a 9.
clavio lumipat kana sa abs/’cbn at ipagtatang-gol ka ni Pnoy ang lahat ng ibubu-nga nga mo..mag-aral ka muna.. puro ugaling kalye ang ginagawa mong pag-i-interview..mahiya ka
naman…..
Mas may problema ka.
JUICE KO PO!!!!!!!!! SHOCKING!
He should make a formal apology rather than what he did. yes he apologize to the public viewers but he should apologize to Atty.Villamor.
In our modern world journalist is one of the most popular in the media, they are the
one who gives us very meaningful information that makes us to inspire, and most
of us are idolizing them, something that we feel to be like them or to be one
of them. On what Arnold Clavo did when he interviewed Atty. Alfredo Villamor will
make you shock, and you will think that he is unethical and unprofessional
journalist. He forgot what in the Journalist Creed written by Walter Williams, that
he should always remember it as a journalist, it says in the last part of the
creed that “I believe that the journalism which succeeds the best-and best
deserves success-fears God and honors man; is stoutly independent; unmoved by
pride of opinion or greed of power; constructive, tolerant but never
careless, self-controlled, patient, always respectful of its readers
but always unafraid, is quickly indignant at injustice; is unswayed by the
appeal of the privilege or the clamor of the mob; seeks to give every man a
chance, and as far as law, an honest wage and recognition of human brotherhood
can make it so, an equal chance; is profoundly patriotic while sincerely
promoting international good will and cementing world-comradeship, is a
journalism of humanity, of and for today’s world.” In what Arnold Clavo shows
in the media he lost his patient and self-controlled that makes him become
careless but every person committed a mistakes so the important thing that he
will get to what happen is to become more careful on every words that he will spoke
or what they say watch your words.
shocks.. i can’t believe that he really did that.. thats unetical..very unprofessional.