With due respect to esteemed colleague, Luis V. Teodoro, I beg to disagree. The depoliticizing of the Filipino--termed by him as encouraging citizen indifference to political issues, and in preventing understanding of the political system in terms of both the basics of the political structure-- is not the fault of media in general, even outfits out to use grave issues like corruption as a means of entertainment, but the fault of the very people involved in these issues--those seated in positions tasked by the Constitution to put an end to corruption. The publics indifference is not born out of ignorance (if at all there is collective indifference), but deep-seated frustration. Government itself lacked not only the will to put an end to corruption, but to bring CLOSURE to the issues. The public is well aware of the reasons why corruption is practiced in high places, insatiable greed being one of them. Another is a twisted sense of entitlement that pits the presumed rights of government over the constitutionally bestowed rights of the individual. How can the public act when much of its rights have been overshadowed by laws and policies that give more power to government than its people? The media is tasked to expose, government to depose erring officials. Media in general, imperfect as it is, have done a great job in revealing what has been swept under the rug for decades. After all the gory details that led to the impeachment of former Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona, or the house arrest of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a nagging thought haunts each of us: were they caught as an act of political revenge or a sincere attempt to rid government of bad apples? No opinion, however well-written, will know why. Wasnt Corona the one who moved in favor of farmers of Hacienda Luisita? What about the alleged bribes offered to senators to oust Corona? Unanswered questions contribute to the collective doubt plaguing the peoples minds. This is what I mean by the lack of closure. Who gave the nod to murder Ninoy Aquino? Who was behind the massive oil smuggling that once funded a presidential bid? Was DAP used in the ouster of Corona? These are questions left unanswered. And even if media had the answers to these lingering questions, it is not within medias jurisdiction to solve them. It is governments. But how can this happen when the very institution tasked to solve the countrys problems IS PART of the problem? Filipinos have one too many exposes on their table. What we need is closure. Fil Elefante, Alma Anonas-Carpio, Psyche Roxas-Mendoza, Inday Espina-Varona
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:54:17 +0000
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