Furthering a Hidden Agenda?

Media Report Arroyo’s “Presidential” Activities

 

HAVING BARELY survived past controversies, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who’s been a member of the House of Representatives since 2010, is now Speaker of the House. But from her take-over of that post during the president’s State of the Nation Address to the three-way minority war that ensued, Arroyo’s speakership is off to a rocky start.

The media were understandably interested in Arroyo as the Philippines’ fourth most powerful government official.  As a former president, Arroyo is getting more than former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’ share of the media limelight. Some primetime newscasts are reporting on Arroyo’s activities beyond what she’s been doing and saying as House Speaker.

CMFR monitored the reporting on the former president turned House Speaker of the three leading Manila broadsheets (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star and Manila Bulletin) and the four primetime television newscasts (ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol, GMA 7’s 24 Oras, CNN NewsNight and TV 5’s Aksyon) from July 24 to August 3.

Prime Minister Arroyo? Or Duterte’s Co-President?

Upon Arroyo’s election as House Speaker on July 23, critics immediately questioned her motives and the legitimacy of her take-over. In a report published by the Inquirer on the same day, Sen. Grace Poe said that a parliamentary system would give equal powers to the president and the prime minister, making Arroyo once more head of state (“Poe: Have we forgotten Arroyo’s ‘sins’?”).

A report by Rappler on the same date quoted former Akbayan Rep. Barry Gutierrez as noting that Arroyo had pushed for constitutional amendments when she was president “as a means of extending her stay in power.”

“She has the smarts, the experience, and this is something that she has wanted for a long time,” he added (“‘Prime Minister Arroyo’ if Cha-Cha succeeds, opposition warns”).

Cheers!

CMFR cheers the three primetime newscasts for calling attention to Arroyo’s activities outside her mandate as House Speaker which were oddly reminiscent of coverage while she was chief executive from 2001 to 2010, showing her in seemingly presidential activities, such as meeting with the Budget Secretary Ben Diokno to discuss inflation. These reports tend to validate the contentions of Arroyo’s critics who doubt her motives in wresting control of the House from Alvarez.

On August 3, ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol reported that since taking her oath, Arroyo has already received diplomats, distributed relief goods and attended ground-breaking ceremonies outside her congressional district (“Arroyo fends off criticism on ‘presidential’ activities”).

In her defense, Arroyo said that “I can’t help it if when I do my duty, people will want to interpret it differently.” She claimed that “attending to the needs of the constituents of the districts” is part of the speaker’s mandate. Unfortunately, none of the reports looked into the validity of Arroyo’s statements.

But a quick check by CMFR on the functions of House of Representatives officials in the website congress.gov.ph showed that the speaker’s duties are limited to presiding over sessions; deciding on all questions of order; signing all acts, resolutions and other issuances by or upon the order of the House; appointing and disciplining House personnel; and exercising administrative functions of the House.

Aksyon reported on the same date that Arroyo continues to visit other provinces, but denies that she is “politicking.” She also refused to comment on accusations that she is pushing for charter change because she has a “hidden agenda” (“Speaker Arroyo, tumangging  sagutin ang batikos ng ilang senador”).

Unlike TV Patrol and Aksyon, only 24 Oras on August 3 reported that Arroyo’s own party-mate, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, has relayed some concerns from his fellow senators.

“Sabi nila baka daw may hidden agenda. Sinasabi ko nga, maraming nagsasabing baka gustong maging prime minister,” he said. (They say she has a hidden agenda. Many say she may want to be prime minister.) (“Pagtulong sa mga distritong nangangailangan, bahagi raw  ng papel ni Arroyo bilang Speaker”).

In a previous monitor, CMFR cited news organizations which recalled the numerous scandals that hounded Arroyo’s nine-year term like the surge in extrajudicial and journalists’ killings, the “Hello Garci” tape that validated suspicions of electoral fraud in 2004, and the $329 million overpriced NBN-ZTE deal in 2007, among others.

Interest in what this former president is doing, thinking of and planning is understandable and may even be helpful in alerting the public to her possible agenda. But because of Arroyo’s tainted record as president, the media should take care that they’re not manipulated into contributing to the realization of whatever political intentions she may have by constantly keeping her in the public eye.