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Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Malilong: Paranoia in Congress
By Frank Malilong Jr.
The Other Side
I remember an incident in 1985 when the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) was conducting a fact-finding investigation on the killing of a student while in police custody. Among those who testified were intelligence agents who requested that no pictures be taken of them for security reasons. The IBP panel agreed.
During one of our sessions, however, the irrepressible Johnny Bitang quietly inserted himself into the room and started taking pictures of the intelligence agency head who was testifying. Then as quickly as he entered, the Sun*Star photographer exited with his prized shots. I had to restrain the officer from chasing him. Fortunately, the newspaper did not use any of Nong Johnny’s stolen photos.
I am not familiar with the rules of the House of Representatives but my understanding of a public hearing is that it is open to the public. If the House or any of its committees find it necessary to exclude the public, such as when the subject of discussion is confidential or sensitive, then they go into executive session.
Transparency, which is enshrined in the Constitution, is not an idle or meaningless concept. We all have a right to know what our officials are doing and I mean all.
I cannot therefore understand the rationale for the reported detention by the House committee on human rights of two military men who were taking pictures and videos of its hearing on political killings. The committee chairman was quoted in a newspaper report as saying that he’s “starting to get peeved” because the military committed “a breach of trust” and an insult on Congress as an institution.
Excuse me? Unless the committee had a standing rule against the recording of its proceedings by anyone other than its stenographers, they had no reason to take umbrage. What’s wrong with taking pictures? Have the congressmen suddenly become camera shy?
Or was it wrong only because the pictures and videos were taken by military men instead of media people and therefore had no chance of landing in the front page or the six o’clock news?
If the military were spying, they should be punished not for doing their job but for doing it badly. I mean how could a spy be so careless or so naïve as to register himself as a military man and the unit he belongs to before proceeding to take pictures and videos?
But doesn’t that by itself establish that the act was not really as sinister as it was made to appear? A spy does his thing surreptitiously, doesn’t he? The committee was investigating killings for which the military had been accused of perpetrating. Isn’t it the legitimate right of the accused, be he a person or an institution, to be informed of the nature of the accusation against them?
Congress has a revered history. In its halls walked heroes who feared no evil. I do not think it should have room for paranoia.
(fmmalilong@yahoo.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 13, 2006 issue)
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