Should there be an appropriate time and place for everything?
To everyone’s surprise, President Benigno S. Aquino criticized former Vice President Noli “Kabayan” De Castro in front of ABS-CBN executives including chairman and CEO Gabby Lopez, some Cabinet officials, and ABS-CBN employees durng TV Patrol’s 25th Anniversary celebration party where he was invited as special guest.
This is not the first time Aquino lambasted a person in his presence. In December 2011, the President took a swipe at then Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was sitting only a few steps away from him during a summit on the criminal justice system.
But others had a lot to say about Aquino’s timing, it was after all the 25th “birthday” celebration of the news outfit of one of the top TV station.
“Good to be a critic of the President, but we never heard “others” speak against Noli De Castro and other mediamen, not until Aquino raised the issue and got everyone’s attention.
Have we become desensitized to what media does such that we’ve become numb?
The feedback was specific because it was not just a general feedback, and the only problem is: does the President really have the luxury of giving feedback in private?
I guess the President wants to bring attention to this wrong practice of media. You can ask the old Malacanang press corps – this administration does not succumb or resort to envelop-mental journalism that is why some would like to be assigned to other institutions where the government people are still friendly.
De Castro is just a symbol of the wrongdoings of media. And you know how this President loves symbolism, he won on the basis of it.
We criticize the good when they do bad but have we ever criticized the truly bad (in this case the practice of De Castro and other media)? Maria Ressa allegedly resigned from ABS-CBN because of De Castro and his ilk. Is it so bad to lovingly confront?
I have been a guest in catholic schools themselves and I would tell them how lousy it is for their priest directors to dictate on their students their stand on RH bill. I talked a lot of times in Pampanga and I would berate them for supporting GMA blindly. The Filipino are not just accustomed to this kind of frankness.
I am also frank and I will not hesitate to confront and use an occasion to deliver a message. The message I am getting here is that, kif you are doing something wrong and you invited me, expect to hear from me about your wrongdoings.
We are probably just used to hear feel-good or bootlicking during speeches, President included. But sorry to say, even the country’s top leader has the freedom to express what he feels and in his mind, to speak for many of us in government who could be a victim of such baseless and skewed commentary from a media practitioner.
When Corona got convicted, I asked, “OK, more or less the judiciary is becoming straight, GOCCs, Ombudsman, some Executive departments, ARMM, so I asked.. what about the freakin’ MEDIA?????
I guess this is how this administration and my leader responds to my question.
Deeply, I am pleased.”
Is there always a proper venue for everything that some had thought it was very un-Presidential, un-Statesmanlike, and at the least, un-Professional to come to a celebration and act the way the President has acted?
What the President said was true. Media plays a critical role in influencing the minds of Filipinos here and abroad. Media needs to be more responsible to deliver the truth, and nothing but the truth to the public.
I agree with what Aquino said regarding De Castro. I watch TV Patrol (better compared to the other channel’s news program) but always get turned off by the anchor’s sarcastic and off-tangent remarks. Sometimes he does not listen to the reporters since he asks questions where the answers have already been cited in the reports. I long for straight news program rather than the sensationalized tabloid-style reporting. The comments portion at the end of the show has no place in a news program.
“Magandang Gawi, Ba ‘Yan?”
I agree…. news should be balanced. Need not write fiction, it is quite depressing to sensationalize bad things. It would be great if TV Patrol would be more like BBC rather than Jerry Springer.
However, Mr. President, stop throwing tantrums at your detractors. Just remain strong and prove to the citizens of this country that you can accomplish everything in your agenda. You already have accomplished a lot of things during the past 2 years so you don’t need to rant your critics and get unethical. You still have 4 more years, so just continue what you’re doing.
*credits to Leon Flores III
