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Friday, November 04, 2005
Editorial: Babao case
THE Palace certainly cannot back off from its claim that ABS-CBN newscaster Julius Babao allegedly facilitated the payment of bail for one Abu Sayaff suspect especially that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made the statement based on intelligence reports.
While Babao had submitted to an internal investigation by the media outfit and repeatedly denied claims of paying bail for the suspect, the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) had yet to produce one shred of evidence against him.
If by identifying Babao the Palace intends to remind the national media about its boundaries in covering news or making commentaries critical of the administration, then they are going about it the wrong way.
For aside from having a credibility problem which prevents them from answering head-on the probing questions of media, the Arroyo administration has chosen both subtle and overt methods to divert public attention from allegations against them--traps like the Charter change scheme and "Know Thy Enemy" propaganda by the military.
Already the singling out of Babao only shows how determined the President and her people are in quashing criticism against them be it in the streets, in the pulpits, or in the printed and electronic media.
In fact, this Babao episode has the makings of the "Know Thy Enemy" routine and may be an indicator of the Palace's hard-line stance on media.
What makes this particularly stinging are allegations that hard-hitting Inquirer columnist Ramon Tulfo, who had been perceived rightly or wrongly as being a Palace man, identified Babao as the man who allegedly posted bail for the Abu Sayaff suspect.
As if there aren't enough threats to press freedom like assassinations and libel suits, the sight of media practitioners being played out like fighting cocks--the term "sabong" comes to mind--by the Palace is both objectionable and disturbing.
At the same time, however, questions raised by an ABS-CBN report about the ties or bond being formed between media practitioners and suspected terrorists likewise crop up since it involves both security issues and media ethics.
As pointed out while media should keep its distance and objectivity they exert great pains not to get involved because they are chosen as one of several last resorts by disadvantaged sectors.
It is this fact that the Arroyo administration should take cognizance of and not the constant tirades against them.
(November 4, 2005 issue)
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