This Week in Media (January 31 to February 4, 2022)
Media join forces in presidential forum; Marcos again a no-show
THE OTHERWISE lackluster week sparkled on Friday with media showing their skills while providing citizens another close look at the candidates for president. Even on remote, the candidates made good use of the opportunity to make their pitch to the voters.
The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) held on Friday morning, February 4 “Panata sa Bayan,” a presidential forum that featured live five candidates. The event was aired in over 300 KBP member stations across the country and streamed online. Journalists from different news organizations served as hosts and panelists, and broadcast journalists outside Metro Manila broadened the landscape of concerns to ask about what mattered to the communities they serve. Among these issues were: the environmental impact of recent reclamations in the Visayas, the weak and inadequate healthcare system in island province hospitals and the proposed Mindanao railway project.
The three-hour forum saw Leody de Guzman, Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao and Leni Robredo presenting their platforms and answering questions from journalists, all within time limits. De Guzman provided a refreshing contrast to the better known politicians, bringing to the discourse more particular concerns from his background as a labor federation leader.
The format showed that the candidates came prepared, not just in the way they presented themselves visually. The candidates gave the viewers an idea of where they stand on issues, and what they can offer the voting public.
Again, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. declined the KBP’s invitation claiming a conflict in schedule. In reporting this decision which was announced Thursday, media noted that he had earlier declined an interview with GMA’s Jessica Soho, saying Soho was biased against his family. He was also a no-show for an interview with dzBB, GMA’s radio station due to connectivity issues.
CMFR cheered Rappler’s report that pointed out Marcos Jr.’s wavering and questionable stance on issues, which he made known during the series of interviews that he granted with other media during the last week of January.
Apparently, Marcos Jr. had scheduled a one-on-one interview with Korina Sanchez, formerly a broadcast journalist for ABS-CBN, but she focused on the soft “human” side of candidates. The Marcos camp tried to compensate for his absence in the KBP forum by posting online and on social media photos and clips of that activity.
More election issues
Media also reported on the very serious concerns about the delay in the decision on the disqualification cases filed against Marcos with the First Division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). News accounts published the separate opinion by Commissioner Rowena Guanzon which she disclosed to the media while the First Division had not yet released the ruling. Guanzon who officially retired on February 2 voted to disqualify him and released her decision to the media.
Media also reported Guanzon ‘s saying that a “conspiracy” to delay the decision may be due to political pressure, and that Commissioner Aimee Ferolino, the ponente of the case, is intentionally delaying the resolution so as to exclude Guanzon’s vote. At present the cases remain unresolved. Ferolino was cited in reports as saying she was just exercising due diligence in reaching a decision.
The media reported the rift but did not stress enough the need for a speedy resolution even if the law does not require it, and to point out that the delay would raise legitimate concerns about the independence of the Comelec.
Misplaced optimism about current COVID risks
On the pandemic front, the Health Department announced on February 2 that the country is back to “moderate risk” classification, citing a negative two-week growth rate and low utilization of hospital beds and intensive care units.
With the figures showing declines in the surge of Omicron cases, media reported the following developments: IATF downgraded alert levels in several areas across the country; the Department of Education called for the “progressive expansion” of face-to-face classes; and the Department of Tourism opened the country to fully-vaccinated foreign tourists starting February 10.
The optimism was most evident in the pronouncement of a so-called “pandemic exit plan” by the National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF), which the media reported without much question. Proposed by Joey Concepcion, Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship, and Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, OCTA Research Fellow, the exit plan calls for a shift from a pandemic to an endemic approach on COVID-19. This involves the removal of the alert level system within the first quarter of the year, with Concepcion claiming that vaccination rates are going up.
Once again, officials displayed the lack of internal agreement. Maria Rosario Vergeire, spokesperson for the Department of Health, clarified with ANC that only the World Health Organization can determine whether COVID-19 has entered the endemic phase. In a separate ANC interview, Karlo Nograles, acting Presidential Spokesperson, also said that it is not yet time to scrap the alert level system as there is still the possibility of other variants. Nograles added that vaccination rates outside the capital are still relatively slow.
Unfortunately, the media report these different views and positions in separate accounts, with no context included to indicate the disagreement among public officials. Journalists have not asked: Why are health experts not the primary voice in the pandemic response?
Pediatric vaccination
The pilot run of the vaccination for children aged 5 to 11 was postponed from February 4 to 7. News accounts cited Vince Dizon, deputy implementer of the NTF, as saying there was a problem with transport arrangements, delaying the delivery of the vaccines by one day.
Media also reported that on February 3, a petition for a temporary restraining order on pediatric vaccination was filed before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. Reports said the petitioners, Girlie Samonte and Dominic Almelor, a former ABS-CBN reporter, were assisted by lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO). News accounts noted that the head of PAO, lawyer Persida Acosta, led the campaign against Dengvaxia in 2017.
Earlier reports cited the government’s assurances that the safety of the Pfizer vaccines to be injected had been reviewed by four separate vaccine panels. Despite the petition, pediatric vaccination will proceed. Coverage should keep track of this move and its impact on the vaccination program.
Pharmally probes
Before adjourning sessions in time for the polls, the Senate and the House both released reports on their respective investigations of the Pharmally scandal.
The House recommended estafa charges against officials of the company, but found no sufficient evidence against Michael Yang, the financer of Pharmally, and Lloyd Christopher Lao, former head of the procurement service of the Department of Budget and Management. Meanwhile, the Senate’s partial report recommended graft and plunder cases against Pharmally executives, Yang, Lao and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. The Senate did not recommend charges against President Duterte as he remains immune from suit as sitting president, but pointed to his accountability in the scandal, adding that he “chose to defend and protect those closest to him.”
Rappler and the Inquirer pointed out this stark difference between the recommendations by the two chambers. The Inquirer’s editorial said: “Making Cabinet officials and the appointing powers accountable for their involvement in plundering much-needed funds during a global health crisis—unforgivable as the Senate report pointed out—might yet be one of the best government responses to the pandemic.”
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