Monitors
School blues
In a special report timed for the opening of classes, The Manila Times identified another problem related to the country’s deteriorating educational system: hunger.
Departing from the usual focus on lack of classrooms, the June 11 report revealed that more than six million Filipino students go to school on empty stomachs. Hunger further reduces the children’s capacity to learn. The report said the government’s feeding program might not be the right solution. Sanitation, hygiene, and health of the children appeared to be more urgent concerns since many of these children have worms.
The Manila Times also came up with a separate story about the condition of public schools in Bataan where Aetas go to class. It noted that volunteer instructors were more effective educators than regular teachers assigned there by the Department of Education.
Killing activists and journalists
The Big News produced a special report on June 1 about the repercussions of the rise in activist and journalist killings in the country. Citing views of human rights groups that pointed out the government’s inability to solve the cases, the report said the killings are contributing to the deterioration of peace and order. The story, however, failed to make a distinction between the killings of journalists and activists. The murder of activists has been linked to an alleged systematic effort to suppress political dissent, while journalist killings have been attributed to several motives.
The wages of labor
The Manila Times traced the policy shift on wage adjustments in the light of moves to legislate a P125-salary hike (“House has come full circle,” June 3).
The Times noted that proposals to legislate a P125-wage increase run counter to the spirit behind the passage of the law that created the regional tripartite wage boards tasked to peg the minimum salary of workers.
Passed 16 years ago by the Eighth Congress, the law was supposed to expedite the grant of wage increases through a tripartite body instead of a deliberative body like Congress. It was pointed out that legislating across-the-board increases was not equitable because the standards and costs of living varied from region to region.
Leyte Representative Alberto Veloso, author of the bill, predicted that the law’s passage would stop the legislation of wage increases. But while petitions for salary hikes have been passed on to tripartite wage boards, the pressure on Congress to legislate wages has not ceased.
Right guy, wrong job
The Manila Bulletin got the names of China’s leaders all mixed up in its June 8 issue. In the caption of one of its front-page photos, Bulletin identified the Chinese official shaking the hand of Vice President Noli de Castro as President Wen Jiabao. It’s Wen Jiabao all right, but he is not China’s president. Wen is premier while Hu Jintao is the president of China.
Not by incentives alone
On June 5, The Manila Times highlighted a study done by University of the Philippines School of Economics professor Felipe Medalla which said that the government‘s tendency to grant tax incentives indiscriminately is bad for the economy. According to the report, entrepreneurs would continue to invest in the country even without tax incentives and that incentives extended to businessmen only take away much needed revenues from the government.
Who owns this paper?
In its June 8 issue, Manila Standard Today reported on the passage of the election automation bill sponsored by Makati City Representative Teodoro Locsin Jr. Upset by the bill’s seeming lack of support from his colleagues, Locsin attacked some congressmen. Standard Today printed Locsin’s statements but none of those he had criticized.
Why the abundant sympathy for Locsin? Could it be because he is the publisher of Standard Today?
Blood + gore = guts?
In its June 17 issue, the Manila Bulletin published the gruesome photos of three suspects killed in a shootout during the rescue of an abducted Makati entrepreneur. One of the photos had the suspect lying in a pool of blood while another showed a suspect’s bullet-ridden body. An episode from Fear Factor?
New take on an old problem
There are other ways of looking at the unemployment problem, the importance of which is often reduced because of the predictability of most stories written about it. BusinessMirror showed us how (“What the ads say: Jobs aplenty, but not for the unskilled,” June 20).
Using data from its research staff’s Jobs Advertisement Monitoring project, BusinessMirror studied the volume of placements of job advertisements in three major national newspapers every weekend and three leading job websites every day.
Results of the monitoring showed that “demand for jobs (was) largely concentrated on the professional and technical occupations.” The article said this indicated that the jobs created in the economy “have yet to trickle down to the unskilled.” This means that there is a mismatch between the demand and supply.
Doing job hunters one more favor, BusinessMirror came up with an infographic showing the top 10 job advertisers in May and identified the industries that needed more workers.
Answering the ‘Why?’
Taking on a question often asked by Filipinos whenever the government paints a rosy picture of the economy, BusinessMirror also explained why an improved economy does not necessarily translate to lower unemployment and vice versa. A front-page report of the paper said more jobs were generated last April but the unemployment rate was unchanged (“Robustness of services sector can’t cover army of unemployed: Number of jobless still high,” June 16-17). This was because the continuing growth of the services sector, such as the call centers, was not able to absorb those actively looking for jobs.
Similarly, Malaya analyzed the unemployment situation and explained the proportion of part-time workers to the total labor force (“More grow hungry as 2M more work part-time: Q1 growth fails to reduce jobless rate,” June 16).
A yawning gap
Not all official statistics are reliable. BusinessMirror proved this when it spotted something amiss in the National Statistics Office’s (NSO) figures on the country’s balance of trade (“Huge gap between N.S.O. latest figures in March report and those in archives: Import bill up 8%; data puzzling,” May 26-27).
While most reports simply accepted NSO’s report, BusinessMirror decided to check out the figures. It found out that the actual trade deficit on January-March 2005 was $180 million, not $564 million as claimed. Therefore, the difference between that period’s trade deficit and this year’s $12 million (January-March 2006) is not as big as the government claims it to be.
Fat pig hiding
The Philippine Star did a good job in reviewing documents from Congress which showed that legislators’ pork barrel is really bigger than what has been reported (“Actual ‘pork’ is P17 billion, Congress records show,” June 1). The report explained how the pork barrel is allocated to each lawmaker, how members of the House of Representatives and the Senate spend it, and where the pork funds come from.
Trouble with truth
When the Department of Education’s officer-in-charge Fe Hidalgo got a tongue-lashing from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for reporting a huge shortage of classrooms, media mostly emphasized the fact that the President lost her famous temper. Two news programs, 24 Oras and Saksi, however, went a step farther and checked out some public schools in Metro Manila on May 31 to find out the truth about the classroom shortage. Guess whose figures were more accurate. Hint: she should say “I am sorry” again.
Terrifying tag
IBC Express Balita was too quick on the draw when it labeled last June 2 as “terrorists” two Filipinos who were arrested and detained for allegedly being members of the Jemaah Islamiyah network. The connection of the two suspects with the terror group had yet to be established.
Sequestered news
IBC Express Balita, aired over sequestered television station Channel 13, quoted lawyer Jesus Santos as saying that the theory of former President Joseph Estrada that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo conspired with the business sector to oust him in 2001 was an act of desperation. A counsel of presidential spouse Mike Arroyo, Santos went on to accuse Estrada of funding the protest actions against President Arroyo. No one from Estrada’s camp was given a chance to dispute Santos’s allegations.
The missing quote
They had a picture and a headline but where was the quote?
In its June 16 issue, The Philippine Star used as banner story the report that former President Fidel Ramos has “agreed to support” the people’s initiative for Charter Change (“FVR backs people’s initiative,” June 16). The information was attributed to the Charter Change Advocacy Commission (ad-com), a group that pushes for people’s initiative to amend the Constitution. Although the report had a photo of Ramos giving the thumbs-up sign while with ad-com members, there was no statement from the former president that would confirm the headline.
Subsequent reports by the Star on Ramos’ purported support for people’s initiative, the Palace’s and the opposition’s reactions (“’People’s initiative now unstoppable with FVR backing‘,” June 17 and “Ramos gets flak for backing ‘initiative’,” June 19) still did not carry any statement from the former president. In contrast, other papers were able to interview and get quotes from Ramos himself.
Pang-masa ba?
No lawyers, no big names, nobodies. Which was probably why during a raid on an alleged safehouse in Taguig City last May 29, 24 Oras showed the faces of two women suspected of drug pushing. One of the suspects had her face so close to the camera while the other was seen hiding as a police aimed a gun at her, threatening to shoot the suspect if she did not come out. The report named the two suspects and even had sound bites from both of them.
And then there was TV Patrol World which, on June 20, showed how two male suspects were being arrested by policemen on suspicion of murder. One of the two suspects, apparently a minor, was made to face the camera after he was dragged out from under a bed where he was hiding. The news program even proudly branded the story as an “exclusive.”
Viewers must have been wondering what IBC Express Balita was thinking when it reported on a family squabble involving a man who was arrested for beating his wife. The drama was reported on the news program’s May 31 edition. The report narrated that the wife caught her husband with another woman. The report described the husband as a “playboy” and referred to the other woman as his “kabit.” It then went on to interview the man who accused his wife of being the first to cheat on him and gave details about his wife’s supposed infidelity. So now we know…
Haunted by an execution
Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban’s remark that the high court ruling that sent rape convict Leo Echegaray to the death chamber may have been a “judicial error” was indeed big news. But the coverage raised more questions than answers.
The press had a field day getting reactions from officials of the Supreme Court, Malacañang, Senate, and the House of Representatives about Panganiban’s statement (e.g. “SC error led to execution: Echegaray should have lived, says Chief Justice,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 19), with Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. saying that he would propose a bill that would award financial damages to victims of such “judicial errors.” Media also got the reactions of Echegaray’s family and that of “Baby,” Leo’s victim.
What was sorely lacking in the coverage was an explanation of Republic Act No. 7659, which restored capital punishment, and a background on how Echegeray ended up on death row seven years ago.
Still on Panganiban’s “admission”, the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s “In the Know” sidebar to its June 10 story wrongly reported that in June 1996, “all 15 Supreme Court justices, including Panganiban, affirmed the Quezon City Regional Trial Court’s decision to mete out the death sentence to Echegaray.” In fact, three justices disagreed with the decision, including Panganiban. The paper explained its error three days later, saying that since the ruling was a per curiam (by court) decision, “the authors were not identified and all the justices signed without any comment to show that the affirmation of the death penalty was a valid decision.”
Inquirer columnist Belinda Olivares Cunanan said that the cause of confusion was the failure to understand the difference between an ordinary resolution and a per curiam decision. “In ordinary cases reviewed by the high court,” Cunanan wrote, “the justices’ names appear as concurring or dissenting—at times, with their separate opinions attached. But all decisions on cases involving the imposition of the death penalty or dismissing officials from public office, which are called the per curiam decisions, do not carry such differences of opinion.” This is done to protect the ponente, she said. “But the Court addresses this difficulty by putting a paragraph at the end of each decision stating that some members of the Court disagree but defer to the majority decision.”
Nicole’s name
Even as all local newspapers and news organizations took care not to mention the real name of the Subic rape victim, the news website, news.balita.ph, revealed in a June 8 report “Nicole’s” identity. At the end of the story, the following message was written: “This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by Balita MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.” Would have been better if it had been scanned by an editor, too.
Journalists or vendors?
Should journalists endorse commercial products?
This was an important issue raised by Newsbreak in its May 22 issue. Newscasters Mike Enriquez and Arnold Clavio said that they have maintained their objectivity despite earning from product endorsements (“When Newscasters Sell,” May 22).
“But aren’t Clavio and Enriquez journalists who cover and deliver the news? Has it become acceptable for journalists—whose standing in the profession depends on credibility—to bank on that same credibility to sell products?” Newsbreak asked.
News that matter
How much importance do the media give to mangrove conservation?
According to a BusinessWorld report, “issues related to mangrove development and conservation appear to have the least importance among Filipino journalists covering the environment” (“RP media remiss in covering mangrove conservation issues” June 16-17, p. S3/4).
The report was based on a survey done by the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau which noted how the media “poorly treat” mangrove conservation stories. BusinessWorld quoted marine experts who said that had there been enough mangrove areas in the countries hit by the deadly tsunami two years ago, the loss of lives and property could have been fewer. Mangroves also serve as nurseries for various marine species, in addition to having medicinal value.
A nearly forgotten program
Bulatlat revisited the issue of land reform with a comprehensive two-part report on how decisions on the coverage of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program had caused farmer-beneficiaries to lose the lands awarded to them (“18 Years of CARP: Reclassification and Unfavorable Rulings Take Land Away from Tillers,” June 11-17, http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-18/6-18-carp1.htm, http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-18/6-18-carp2.htm).
These hot spots are good
MindaNews introduced its readers to a new kind of “hot spot” in Mindanao. “Not the ones you’d shun, as you would election hotspots, but the kind you’d welcome, especially if you are someone who will die without an internet connection,” said the report.
The May 28 report about the proliferation of wi-fi (wireless fidelity) hot spots in the region gave a refreshing look into how Mindanao’s economy has been developing. Mentioned as wi-fi hot spots were the cities of Davao, Surigao, Cagayan de Oro, and General Santos. (“Welcome to Mindanao’s hotspots,” http://mindanews.com/index.php?option= com_content&task=view&id=70&Itemid=50).
Taxpayer-paid editorial
Teledyaryo, the flagship news program of the government station, has no qualms about running patently pro-administration editorials. Last May 29, Rafael Dante Cruz, the program’s “Mr. Editorial,” attacked the opposition’s plan to file another impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Cruz likened the plan to a car that has run out of gasoline and driven by a drunk.
Mr. Editorial lambasted the opposition, saying that the public will not believe in an opposition that is disunited. “Ang impeachment ay hindi dapat gawing laruan para sa partisan o political entertainment,” Cruz said in his three-minute editorial.
Neither should editorials.
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