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Saturday, October 23, 2004
Nalzaro: Enough publicity, please
By Bobby Nalzaro
Okay, one, two, three, sing: “Kay hirap unawain bawat damdamin/ Pangakong mag-mahal, hanggang libing/ Sa langit may tagpuan din at doon hihintayin, itong bato sa buhangin.”
Those lines belong to the chorus of one of the more famous original Pilipino songs in the '70s, “Bato sa Buhangin,” which was popularized by the singing group called Cinderella. That song broke the monotony of the lengthy debate at the fiscal’s office the other day between prosecution and defense lawyers and the prosecutor in the much-publicized Arbet Sta. Ana Yongco murder case.
After arguing for almost five hours on the status of suspect Michel Favila, defense lawyer Orlando Salatandre grabbed the microphone of an ABS-CBN news crew and started singing. Not to be outsmarted, the case’s private prosecutor, Gloria Lastimosa Dalawampu, got the microphone of the RPN news crew while City Prosecutor Cesar Tajanlangit, a known video karaoke enthusiast, joined the two lawyers using a GMA 7 news microphone.
What made the scene even more hilarious was that Favila joined the singing, which was a capella. I was not able to control myself and laughed when I saw the footage in my television newscast “Balitang Bisdak” over GMA 7.
I have nothing against lawyers and prosecutors singing in public. I also like to sing in private and in public affairs. But I am only comfortable singing with close friends, especially colleagues in the media. During the culmination activity of this year's Press Freedom Week celebration, I sang with singing reporters like Ramil Ayuman and Jun Rey Nadela of ABS-CBN, Malou Inocando Tabar of dyHP and Gary Cabotaje of Sun.Star Cebu.
But what we saw the other day inside the prosecutor's office was insulting and downgrading because Favila joined them. And why did they do that in public?
The singing did ease the tension after a long debate. But that scene can be interpreted several ways. I consider it a mockery of justice, sort of. Maybe, the people involved were just carried away by their emotion, but out of delicadeza, they should have done it in private or inside a karaoke bar.
Prosecutor Tajanlangit should not have allowed it to happen inside his office, which is tasked to resolve the filing of the murder case. The Yongco case is high-profile and the prosecutor's office cannot escape public scrutiny or suspicions, whatever the result of the case will be at their level.
Singing in public by a suspect in Arbet's cold-blooded murder is not good. Enough of the publicity. Let us all start focusing on the case.
(Bobby@sunstar.com.ph/ 0919-3181404)
(October 23, 2004 issue)
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