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Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Nalzaro: Pala’s questioned reputation
By BOBBY G. NALZARO
MURDERED Davao City radio commentator Juan Poras Pala, Jr. must have really been a controversial personality because even in death controversy is still hounding him. Pala’s colleagues in Davao and some press organizations are still discussing whether to declare him a “martyr of press freedom” or not because of his questionable reputation.
Unidentified assailants shot Pala, a former anti-communist crusader and city councilor, near his residence in Vista Village Saturday night while he was on his way home from a card game in a nearby subdivision.
Sources from Davao told me Pala transferred from one radio station to another because he usually tangled with management if his requests were not granted. When he died, he was handling a morning commentary program over dxGO-Aksiyon Radyo of the Manila Broadcasting Co. It was the third attempt on his life.
I met Pala once during the chairmen’s conference of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas in Davao three years ago. During his prime, the man was influential. Using the power of radio, he successfully convinced Davaoenos to fight communism. He acted as the mouthpiece of Alsa Masa, which he co-founded with then Davao Metrodiscom chief Franco Calida.
Swayed by his popularity, he ventured into politics in the early ‘90s but failed two times—when he ran for congressman and then for mayor. He was later elected city councilor. I heard he was also facing several murder charges.
Well, this is the prize a media person has to pay for joining politics: His or her credibility gets compromised. Pala was accused of using his radio program for his personal and political agenda. His reputation was questioned. A statement released by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) said:
“Pala’s career in broadcasting was not exactly exemplary. He used the airwaves to harangue and harass his enemies, most of them political enemies…Pala’s life as a broadcast journalist was one of ethical compromises. He is not a paragon of journalistic value. He should not be emulated by aspiring journalists. The NUJP does not see it fit to put him on the same pedestal occupied by other martyred but illustrious journalists.”
Davao-based media people described Pala as a politician masquerading as a broadcast journalist. Because of this, they didn’t want him declared martyr of press freedom. Some said his gruesome murder had nothing to do with his being a radio commentator.
Pala’s case is similar to what happened to block-time commentator Rey Cortez, who was attacked by a gunman a few months back. Luckily he survived. He did not get much support from the local media because many questioned his conduct as a broadcaster. The police even lost interest in pursuing the investigation.
But granting that Pala and Cortez committed questionable acts and used the power of radio for personal gains, but should they be silenced through violent means? Pala may have been corrupt, may have entered into questionable deals and may have gained political enemies, but I think he was killed because of his being a broadcaster.
We media people don’t expect to be declared martyrs of press freedom when we die, but we also don’t deserve to die in a violent manner. Kinsa pa man unya ang motingog alang sa hustisya, kaangayan ug kagawasan kun motalaw na kaming tanan tungod kay kinabuhi man diay ang bugti sa among pagpakabana? |
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