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(1) From Bernard Ong, June 01,2016:
"EXTRAJUDICIAL MEDIA KILLINGS
Duterte blames media corruption as root cause of
journalists' killings. “Di ka naman papatayin kung wala kang nagawa. It’s not
because you’re a journalist you’re exempted from assassination if you’re a son
of a bitch.”
1. Nobody - including corrupt journalists - should be
assassinated. There is the law & due process to settle wrongdoing.
2. The statement "corruption is root cause" is
wrong. Many journalists are killed because they threaten powerful interests
like corrupt politicians or crime groups.
Couple of high-profile cases to illustrate the mistake:
Gunmen linked to Ampatuans massacred 32 journalists &
25 other civilians in 2009. The journalists were merely accompanying family
members of a rival candidate. (To put that number in context, total number of
mediamen killed in 2010-16 Pnoy administration is also 32).
Palawan ex-gov & his then-mayor brother were
convicted of murder of hard-hitting environmentalist radio broadcaster Jerry
Ortega.
3. It was actually Duterte's idol - Ferdinand Marcos -
who corrupted media wholesale as an institution. The dictator took over media
outlets, bribed or rewarded loyal journalists (while killing or jailing
critics). It was called "developmental journalism" which was widely
ridiculed as "envelopmental journalism".
4. Sounds like it is open season on journalists on the
suspicion that they are "corrupt". Name one politician assassinated
on the mere suspicion of corruption.
None. So why pick on journalists doing their job."
(2) From Michael Ortega, June 01, 2016.
"Our family is incensed by the hasty and crass
generalizations made about murdered journalists in the country. Doc Gerry
Ortega was killed for his courage and integrity. He was murdered precisely
because he was honorable. He fought for social justice. He stood up against
mining in Palawan. He exposed corruption in the provincial government, which
included the misuse of billions of pesos from the Malampaya funds.
This kind of speech is alarming because without due
process, it casts absolute judgment on all murdered journalists including those
who were killed for telling the truth."
(3) From Bernard Ong again, June 02,2016:
"APOLOGISTS WHO DON’T APOLOGIZE
Apologists are out in full force. Senator Koko Pimentel
said Duterte was misinterpreted. Spokesman Peter LaVina said his statement on
media killings "was taken out of context, misinterpreted, and
misunderstood." Incoming Press Secretary Panelo told media to be more
discerning, saying there was no mistake in Duterte's media killing statement.
Their statements amplified a million times by repetition on social media.
The problem with these explanations is their dissonance
with what was spoken in simple English & Tagalog. The questions were clear.
The answers equally clear. The specific context was media killings. There was
little room for misinterpretation.
Here’s a short transcript.
“Q: What is your policy about the journalists’ killings
that the Aquino government failed to act?
A: Kung papatayin ka talaga, papatayin ka… Hindi ka naman
talaga papatayin diyan kung wala kang ginawa. Nabigyan na tapos especially if
you want to take sides. Nabayaran mo na tapos you play. Yan ang karamihan na
mamatay. Or tumatanggap na sa mga sugarol. There is still corruption sa inyong
side. Marami yan… Kasi kung journalist ka lang na tama, wala man gagalaw sa
iyo.
Q: Is that an excuse to kill him, just because a
journalist is corrupt
A: Well that is the reason. You are asking why. That is
the reason. Na sinabi mo hindi dapat, you have to debate with the killer not
me. Of course, I know who killed him (referring to Duterte critic Jun Pala).
Kasi binastos niya yung tao… Do not make it appear that they are clean. Kaya
namamatay, ang sinasabi ko karamihan niyan nabayaran na. They take sides. Or
sobrahan nila ang atake.
Q: Banta ba ito sa freedom of expression?
A: Yung freedom of expression cannot help you if you have
done something wrong. Just because you are a journalist, you are not exempted
from assassination if you are a son of a bitch.”
Notice the following:
1. He did not directly answer the policy question of what
his administration will do about media killings, and went on to expound why
they are being killed in the first place
2. He unequivocally said corruption & bias are root
causes of most media killings
3. He claimed to know mastermind behind killing of Jun
Pala – a media critic & resident of Davao City. He knew about murder
suspect but failed to inform police on material lead that could help prosecute
the killers. Seems to imply Pala’s killing was justified, because he was a
son-of-a-bitch
4. He did not defend freedom of expression, or due
process, at any point in the interview.
Proper context includes reflecting not only on the speech
but also on the speaker. Statements out of the horse's mouth - from rape jokes
to throwing dead criminals to Manila Bay - show a lack of respect for human
life. "Kill" is the top verb in the speaker's vocabulary. And he uses
it as simplistic solution to complex problems like drugs, crime, and
corruption.
It does not help that the apologists have frequently
covered up for Duterte in the past. Sometimes with conflicting narratives.
Recall the fake rape joke pseudo-apology issued by his campaign team, which was
disavowed by Duterte barely hours later. This frequent urong-sulong between
Duterte and his apologists, sometimes between Duterte before and Duterte later,
does not inspire confidence in their words.
Finally, there is the matter of the credibility of the apologists
themselves. Pimentel used to be a fighter against corruption & human rights
abuses. He lost his mojo when Duterte's bank deposits reached the headlines.
The Duterte campaign was itself a master class in deception – Sun Tzu they
proudly call it. Good for winning votes perhaps, bad for governance.
And then there is the primus inter pares – first among
equals – of the apologists. Last time Salvador Panelo talked about media
killings, he was lying about the Ampatuans role in the killing of 32 journalists
at Maguindanao – that they were just framed up for the massacre in their
stronghold, 200 witnesses notwithstanding. Doubtful if anyone, even his
clients, believed him.
So we have apologists who don’t find error in their
master’s ways - blaming the public instead for lack of discernment, weak
understanding, contextual difficulties. They have forgotten what is usually
taught to toddlers - when you have done wrong, apologize."
--------------See also:
BWorld 56, Thomas Hobbes, Saul Alinsky and Duterte, April 30, 2016
BWorld 57, Eric Hoffer, Machiavelli and Duterte, May 06, 2016
Election 22, Is Du30 victory almost certain? May 07, 2016
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