Blacklisting HK journalists a big shame

By Alfredo C. Garvida Jr.

Contributor

Just as the Philippines is creeping to recover from the global shame it suffered issuing from the comical rescue operation by the Philippine National Police on the Hong Kong tourists that were held hostage by a rogue police captain, we are placed in the international limelight again, as shameful as that hostage situation by no means, by no less than our government which is planning to ban nine Hong Kong journalists from covering the APEC summit to be held here next year.

As a journalist, I feel offended by this third-world-class disposition of our government on fellow journalists from abroad. Some boneheaded bureaucrats from the immigration bureau want these journalists to be banned from covering next year's APEC summit in Manila because they are "threat to our national interest". What a laugh, and what an embarrassment our nation has suffered again before the international community this decision has made. The journalists, understandably, were coming in strong on their questions to the Philippine President given the unforgivable tragedy that befell their countrymen on account of the government's doubtless incompetence in handling the hostage crisis, magnified later by our government's steadfast refusal to apologize for that sad event. Journalists are human too and can be overcome by emotion especially when the subject of the questions are of utmost importance, as what that tragic hostage situation in Luneta 3 years back exemplifies. Absent of disrespect and insult on the President, the Honk Kong journalists were well within the tenets of their their profession. So why do we have to be spotted in the international limelight again on a question of press freedom?

Journalism is a profession that helps people know and understand events that impact on their lives. It fosters relationships among nations and peoples. It is the basic foundation of press freedom, that without it, the basic rights of man will remain vulnerable to abuses by those in power and authority. Journalism is the vanguard of citizens' freedom in itself and to have certain overzealous bureaucrats at the Philippine Immigration Bureau needlessly undermine its function is more than dictatorship, enough to poison the well of our democracy.

Perhaps, Commissioner Mison and his subalterns at the Immigration Bureau are just too eager to please and patronize President Aquino, but they are failing to realize that their "threat to national interest" theory where they based their scornful recommendation to blacklist the journalists is just so deeply hollow, insulting and holding our country in a shameful and embarrassing fold. These guys do not deserve to sit in their lofty offices a minute further. And it would be interesting if President Aquino upholds their idiotic recommendation, for then we will know how he sizes up the importance of democracy and of press freedom.

Bongbong may become the next President

WE are 17 months away from the next presidential election but the race seems to be as murky yet as to who will be in it. There used to be only four: Binay, Roxas, Cayetano and Bongbong Marcos. But fresh names have surfaced lately, Mirriam, Trillanes and erstwhile reluctant contenders, Grace Poe and Rodrigo Duterte, thanks to Binay's uncontrollable downward spiraling of his popularity. Trillanes and Poe are the least experienced, political speaking, among these 8 contenders, although Trillanes' candidacy announcement was met with varied reactions from varied sectors central to the wisdom of his zeal against Binay in the ongoing senate investigation on the Vice President's alleged corrupt practices in public office. 

While Binay still held the lead in the last SWS survey, it is expected that with his debate faux pas with Trillanes, it would be next to impossible for the survey numbers not to change. Therefore, this time around, the electors must be burning their candles poring over the credentials of the seven remaining candidates. In terms of statesmanship, Bongbong and Poe, who are actually related—by affinity, that is, given that the late President Marcos and the Former First Lady were principal sponsors (ninong and ninang) to Poe's parents' wedding—stand out. In terms of courage and conviction, Duterte and Trillanes seem to have the edge. In terms of sweetness and amiability, Roxas leads. In terms of verbosity, Mirriam and Cayetano are beyond match. What stands out too is that these presidentiables are all intelligent people, notwithstanding Mirriam's self-defined intellectuality in public discourses. 

In the final analysis, the most determinant factors in the race will be money and bailiwicks. And this is where Bongbong grabs the edge. His rivals in the race will naturally raise the issues of corruption and human rights abuses, issues imputable to his late father that Bongbong had nothing to do with as the son. But these issues are eras gone by, effectively deleted off the Marcos family's "ledger of sins" by the incidences of corruption, poverty and crimes--which are human rights abuses in essence and in fact too--now subjugating our society,  much worse than those in the late president's martial law regime'

The Marcos bashing does not sell any more to the electors, especially the young ones, because no one nowadays is stupid not to see that the very advocates of this destructive stereotyping are no better evil than what they have pictured the late president to be. If we are social media craze, we will find that people's opinions and rhetoric on websites are comfortably defensive of Bongbong's right and quality to be president. And this is a telling harbinger for his adversaries' while to consider.      

I wrote a commentary about Bongbong's presidential chances a couple of years back where I had surmised therein that he had the chance to win the presidency in 2016. Given all the brouhaha ongoing now in the political landscape, my feeling about the senator's chances has grown stronger. What will strengthen his chances even more hinge on who his running mate will be and what program of government will he offer--which must have a defining impact on the voters' socio-economic imperatives at this time, namely: poverty alleviation, peaceful existence and downgrading of thievery in government.

Senator Marcos is expected to have the Solid North solidly behind him. And he will surely get a good piece of the pie in the Visayas and Mindanao too. Chiz Escudero from vote-rich Bicol region as his running mate will constitute a very formidable team with him; so will a Marcos-Duterte tandem. 

It is extremely important though that the Marcos family present an unquestioned solidness on their home front Ilocos Norte to clothe Bongbong with the ascendancy to claim solid support from the Solid North. A polarized Ilocos Norte will surely undermine that needed ascendancy, which may be enough to cost him his presidential dream.