An Appeal to the Philippine Daily Inquirer to lead us in the Search for our Future Leaders

July 12, 2008

Ms. Sandie Prieto Romualdez
President/CEO
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Dear Ms. Romualdez,

The Philippines is in need of true leaders for our future. We need a leader who will lift us from the evils of graft and corruption and bring us to economic prosperity and political stability. However, we know that our elections do not produce credible results while many well-meaning and qualified leaders do not get enough exposure in our mass media.

In India, a similar problem, although on a different plane, was acted upon by one of their leading newspaper, the Times of India. A very unique and fresh idea, the Times of India launched a national search for leaders, the Lead India campaign. Much like a search for an Idol or the next Star, prospective leaders where auditioned, interviewed, questioned, tested, debated with, as true future leaders should be (see the following youtube video).

I am not sure what the final results will be for the future of India, but surely the same idea is desperately needed to be implemented in our beloved country. Surely, we can make good use of our being the “Text Messaging Capital of the World” to search/screen nationwide, through text messaging, real future leaders.

And to successfully launch a similar campaign, is there any other newspaper more dominant and credible enough than the Philippine Daily Inquirer to lead us? I am sure you feel your paper have done many good things for the country just by being there. I am also sure you feel the same as many of us about how low our country has become through the years. Imagine what could the Philippines be in a few years if we continue in this downward spiral. Perhaps, just being there is not enough. We need leaders and we need them now.

I, and all those who approved of this letter (by adding their name or signature here), therefore, appeal to you to lead a similar campaign. Lead us in the search for our Future Leaders. Lead us in Saving the Country. We ask you to lead us, because we know you can.

Sincerely,

Sef Dudeo

Misery by Sulpicio Lines

Filipinos are now used to disasters happening around the country. Every typhoon that arrives seems to always result in deaths, if not by landslides, by sinking of sea vessels. So, no one is surprised anymore of the recent sinking of Sulpicio Lines' Princess of the Stars. People even easily joke about it.

EVeryone believe that we must be on the top of the list worldwide in maritime disasters. Indeed, Reuters listed today some Philippine sea disasters in recent memory:

June 23 (Reuters) - Around 800 people are missing on Monday after a ferry sank in a typhoon off Sibuyan island in the central Philippines in what could be one of the island nation's worst maritime disasters in more than 20 years. Here is a list of some of the deadliest shipping disasters in the archipelago over the past two decades.

* Dec 1987 - A total of 4,386 die in world's worst peacetime shipping disaster, as ferry Dona Paz, owned by Sulpicio Lines, and an oil tanker collide off Mindoro Island.

* Oct 1988 - Dona Marilyn, sister ship of Dona Paz, sinks off Leyte province, killing around 300.

* July 1993 - 279 pilgrims drown when an overloaded wooden temple, mounted on three boats, collapses during a religious festival as it is being towed along the Bocaue river, 20 km (12 miles) north of Manila.

* Dec 1994 - Ferry Cebu City collides with Singapore oil tanker, killing more than 140.

* Sept 1998 - Almost 200 die when ferry MV Princess of the Orient, sister ship of Dona Paz and Dona Marilyn, sinks in stormy seas near Cavite and Batangas.

* April 2000 - At least 138 drown after the ML Annahada sinks off Jolo island in the southern Philippines.

* Feb. 2004 - Superferry 14 catches fire near Manila Bay, killing 116 people. Abu Sayyaf claims responsibility, saying a suicide bomber sabotaged the boat to protest ill treatment of Muslim communities.

* June 2008: MV Princess of Stars sinks 3 km (2 miles) from Sibuyan island in central Philippines in typhoon-lashed seas, leaving around 800 people missing.

Source: Reuters

Sad to say, with goverment and businesses so corrupt and inept, these kinds of disasters are bound to happen again.

P20M ransom

The PNP said that to secure the release of Ces Drilon from the hands of her abductors, her family paid a total of P20M ransom. The amount seems logical. It is easy to believe that the family would have that amount. But it is more logical to imagine that ABS-CBN contributed to the pot although they would never admit it.

And if it is indeed P20M paid, then we can only conclude that the Ces' et. al. abduction is true.

The PNP also said the it was Sulu Mayor Isnaji who facilitated the negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf. Isnaji was alleged to have pocketed part of the ransom payment and is now being charged as part of the kidnappers. The only proof offered so far to the media is the photo of Isnaji counting the money. Surely and sadly, we wouldn't know the truth.

Meanwhile, another journalist who was said to have been also kidnapped some years back by the same group (of which no one can be sure if true), Arlyn Dela Cruz of the Inquirer maintains the that Loren Legarda was able to help secure the release of Drilon and company. If ransom payment was made, then what could be Legarda's role? The only role left her is that of a decoy story. One that can be released as an official story of the abduction... yes that one for the press release.

With all these incongruent information floating around us, it seems that world media yet again dismisses the news as another joke coming from the Philippines. There were no coverage by the CNN (I did not monitor CNN 24 hours daily but at I can easily say no prominence was given), nor was there a headline on Yahoo news. Perhaps the world did not believe Drilon was abducted in the first place.

P20M may be enough to secure the release of Ces from the Abu, but no amount of money will ever have the country recover its credibility in the eyes of the world. Whatever the truth is, we shall remain to be a joke.

All's Well

Yesterday, Ces Drilon and others was freed by her abductors, apparently without ransom nor any preconditions. So, all is well that ends well. However, many people still do not believe that she indeed is kidnapped. There are many things going against the story:

1. Fresh from a horrifying experience, Ces is ready to make a press conference. Being kidnapped is a horrendous experience and her being in the limelight is not a very natural thing to do.

2. During the press conference, Loren Legarda was portrayed to be the person behind the release of Drilon and others. Asked how she did it, Legarda said she communicated with her contacts in the region, talked to Drilon herself (presumably on the cellphone, but whose phone is not clear), talked to the kidnappers either to plead with or rebuke them directly on their actions. Loren said she worked to release Ces without preconditions and she did it. Isn’t it just too amazing how a beautiful Lucida endorser and a presidential wannabe also a successful kidnap negotiator? To top it, Loren insisted that there were no ransom paid. (of course there is another Loren coverage which is more of a press release and they now have a better story here).

3. When asked if Ces knows her contacts, she said that “they are (the contacts) careful”. She did not answered directly (translation: evaded) but hinted that she doesn’t know the names. The question is obviously referring to the contacts that had her going to the area for whatever purpose and should be more than just Dimampo and Biyaw as referred to in the Inquirer news (here). Obviously, Ces closed the door on the full story of her going there.

....Drilon and her crew were in Sulu province purportedly to interview a leading member of the Abu Sayyaf when they were kidnapped by armed men on June 8. Dinampo, a professor of Mindanao State University who has access to the bandit group, served as their guide, as did Juamil Biyaw...

4. Ces said it more than twice, the experience let her open her eyes to the plight of the Abus, as in why they are there, in the jungle. She said she doesn’t want to justify their (Abu Sayyaf) actions (more than twice too) but she poses the angle the Abu Sayyaf would love. And believe me when I say this is no Stockholm Syndrome, and it looks more like a “press release” granted.

5. Ces mentioned that 4 of them shared one pack of noodles. She said they (the Abus more than her) sleep on hammocks or sacks on the ground. She said you’d sleep wet when in rains. However, it seems she is more of telling us about the miseries of life in the jungle for the Abu Sayyaf, and not the difficulties she faced. Also, she didn’t mention if they were on an Abu camp.

6. When asked if Ces would file a case against her kidnappers, again she evaded the question and said that she is cooperating with the authorities.

7. They (Ces and her staff) still have their cameras intact. Now, we wouldn’t be surprised if they had everything covered, wouldn’t we?

8. They announced that they are going to the Medical City for checkup. After a kidnapping, would anyone want everyone know where you are going to be?

Meanwhile, the Inquirer is notably soft on Ces with their version on the same issues …

…But Drilon refused to elaborate on how she, her cameramen Angelo Valderama and Jimmy Encarnacion, and peace advocate Octavio Dinampo were betrayed.

“We’ll get there. We are cooperating with the investigation and we condemn [the kidnappers] for what they did,” said the 46-year-old mother of four…

…As she did in Zamboanga City, Drilon said she and her crew would continue coordinating with authorities to pursue their captors.

She said their captors were “careful not to give their real names.”…

Of course Ces cannot expect to ask her captors their real name. Obviously, the question was addressing her contacts prior she got there...

…She said there was no toilet to speak of, that meals consisted of a platito (saucer) of instant noodles, and that they slept on hammocks or sacks laid on the ground.

“Then it will rain and you’ll sleep with your clothes wet. It was really bad,” said Drilon, looking refreshed now in a white button-down shirt, jeans, black rubber shoes and polka-dotted socks…

…Eye-opener

Besides the trauma of captivity, a discovery in the jungle has left another lasting mark on Drilon.

“I don’t want to justify what they’re doing—they are bandits and we’re cooperating with authorities so they’d be caught—but I think we must also understand why they are doing that. There were bandits who were 12 years old, 17, 15, and they were holding guns,” she said, adding:

“Your eyes will be opened. You’d think, why are these children holding guns instead of holding notebooks and studying?”

Asked by a fellow ABS-CBN reporter if she would ever return to Sulu, Drilon said with a quip to her boss, Ressa: “The office will not allow me anymore... But Mindanao is vast, right, Maria?”…

On the other hand, there are a few things going for the story.

1. Ces had mosquito bites on her face and had no (or little) makeup.

2. Ces cried when she talked about her family, and the family of her staff.

3. Ces said she was at fault and her employers are not to be blamed (or something like that).

Note: all quotes and the photo from the inquirer.net .

Tim Russert, 58

Today, I heard the news that NBC's Tim Russert died of heart attack while at work. Many would not have known him but I have seen and liked his show "Meet the Press". I have watched the show for about a dozen times (I only see it intermittently on cable as it is not regularly shown), and I am amazed at how much research Russert make for his political interviews.

What Russert usually do on his interview are quoting the things a politician said years ago, contrasting that with what the same politician is saying now, and giving the same politician chance to clarify his position. He just do not quote some sound bites but he really make extensive research of many instances when and where a politician said what and how. Clearly, if this Russert guy is even just a radio anchor in our country, all Pinoy Politicos would have been exposed as double-faced fakes.

If Tim Russert was a DZMM or a DZBB anchor for example, a politician with dozens of wives and hordes of children like Erap, etc. would not even be a candidate for Barangay Captain. Anyone who cannot speak straight, like De Venecia or even PGMA will never make it to the top. The verbose style of Mirriam Santiago may even falter. Only persons who speak fluently such as Ninoy Aquino or Raul Roco would have made it.

But this kind of Russert Journalism would not survive in our country. Our mass media are controlled only either by corrupt or incompetent hands. I think that even the Catholic controlled Veritas will not play host to any Russert type anchor. Veritas seem to me to be too busy talking and not able to listen and realize what the people actually needs. No media player in the country today is bold enough to employ or encourage a Russert-type journalist to host anything. They prefer to play with the politicians and profit from the absence of reality.

Meanwhile, well-meaning groups such as the AngKap political party are also too busy (being used) trying to oust PGMA, that everyone forgot that without a working mass media, the country will never rise from the dump.

I know I am not but I hope I can be a Russert kind of guy. But I do not speak too well and I easily get distracted by many things and forget what was being said right in front of me at many given moments. So being a Russert is out of my league. Sadly, I know that we need this Russert Journalism started here but I am out of ideas how to do it.

Abu Sayyaf Board and Lodging Fee

This could be the most expensive vacation one can have, a two million peso 5-day jungle vacation in the island of sulu hosted by the Abu Sayyaf. Of course, we won't really know if this is the ransom price actually paid by whoever to secure the release of Angelo Valderama, one of the abducted ABS-CBN staff who with Ces Drilon was kindnapped by the Abus last Monday. I found the information in gmanews.tv as follows:

A GMA News source, who is involved in the negotiation for the release of Drilon’s group, said the ABS-CBN newscaster was with Prof. Octavio Dinampo of the Mindanao State University. Drilon’s crewmen were being held separately by the captors. On Thursday night, Drilon’s assistant cameraman, Angelo Valderama, was released.

Reports quoted Undersecretary Amilasan Amilbajar of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Mindanao as saying a P2-million "board and lodging fee" was paid in exchange for Valderama's freedom.

Now, Ces Drilon is not yet free and it was also said that from P10M, the ransom demand for her release has now gone up to a range of P25M to P50M...

It was not immediately known whether ransom was paid in exchange for the release of Valderama, but the kidnappers have reportedly demanded as much as P50 million for the hostages.

The kidnappers originally demanded P10 million, but radio network dzRH on Thursday said the bandits asked for P50 million.

The report said the hostages should have been freed on Wednesday after unnamed negotiators agreed to pay the ransom.

The radio network, which quoted "unnamed sources privy to the negotiations," also reported that the kidnappers already lowered their demand to P25 million.

For people like myself, P2M is a whole lot of money, more so P50M. I am sure though that for ABS-CBN, this is just a drop in the bucket. In 2007, it was said that ABS-CBN posted consolidated revenues close to P20B.

Meanwhile, I am not sure how talents are paid in the entertainment industry. I heard that Regine Velasquez charges hundreds of thousands of pesos to sing 5 songs in a private event. In comparison, I wonder how much ABS will pay the Abu to secure an exclusive interview?

"Board and lodging" fee has been said to have been paid to the Abu Sayyaf before. This time, they could also be charging ABS-CBN an "exclusive interview" fee.

ABS-CBN is changing tune on the Drilon Abduction

ABS-CBN seem now to be changing tune on the abduction of Ces Drilon, et. al. by the Abu Sayyaf. They are now asking other stations and journalists to condemn the Abu Sayyaf for the incident, which is quite a departure from their previous stance requesting for a news embargo. ABS-CBN is also now announcing a supposed corporate policy of "no ransom payments" for kidnappers.

If the abduction is true, it seems that their initial negotiation with the abductors broke down and they must have made todays pronouncements to discourage the Abu Sayyaf from negotiating something more than what ABS is willing to offer.

Of course, as bystanders, we wouldn't and may never know the truth. However, at this point, many people I talked to still do not believe the news. Many would rather believe that the station is just trying to make some publicity. Some are even suggesting that this is just a ploy to sideline the negative news on Meralco, while at the same time they bombard the media background with Judy Ann's cute pro-Meralco advertisement.

ABS-CBN cannot blame many people from doubting them and speculating. They have been known to create and sensationalize news rather than just report them. Their news embargo at the start even helped fuel the doubts. Personally, I am still not fully convinced although I continue to pray, and I enjoin everyone to do the same, that Ces and her staff, wherever they are, be safe.

The Abduction of Ces Drilon and the News Blackout that followed

Our Mass Media is suddenly sensitive. Easily, when the safety of one of its own is at stake, our mass media folds up and most would heed the calls for a news blackout. This is the case now when ABS-CBN news reporter and TV personality Ces Drilon was supposedly abducted by the notorious Abu Sayyaf. ABS-CBN requested other media outlets to suspend highlighting the big event apparently to assure the safety of Drilon. Inquirer did not run the news the next day nor did many other news organizations. It was only today that the event was on headlines (not yet at abs-cbnnews.com, though).

From the Inquirer website:
MANILA, Philippines—The biggest story on Monday did not come out the next day in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) or in any of its competitors.

But broadcasting giant ABS-CBN Tuesday maintained it had good reason to hold the story on the abduction of its senior correspondent Ces Drilon and her crew in Sulu by armed men said to be members of the Abu Sayyaf, and to ask other media outfits to do the same.

Bong Osorio, head of ABS-CBN corporate communications, said the network made a “gentle request” to other news agencies to “embargo” the story.

“The request was made primarily for the security and safety of Ces and her companions. At that time (Monday), we did not know what their situation was. We didn’t want to speculate on any information that would jeopardize their safety,” he said.

Osorio thanked the media outfits “who allowed the request to happen,” but said the network thought it was “okay” that others did not heed it.

“They got the stories from interviews with other sources. That’s OK. We are just sticking to our official statement on the matter,” he said.

He added that making such a request to other media agencies would not be a company policy and would be made “on a case-by-case basis.”

News blackout

ABS-CBN news and current affairs head Maria Ressa appealed for a news blackout on the reported kidnapping of Drilon and company so as not to jeopardize their safety.

“In deference to the safety of Ces Drilon and her crew, the Inquirer decided to hold the story for just one day,” said Inquirer newspaper editor in chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc.

Ressa phoned the Inquirer on Monday to appeal for a news blackout until 6 a.m. Tuesday while negotiations for the release of the ABS-CBN team were ongoing.

She told Magsanoc that reporting the abduction would pose a danger to the lives of Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama.

Ressa said the news blackout was important because the network was afraid that other extremist groups in the area might take advantage of the situation.

In response to Magsanoc’s reservations about the news blackout, Ressa said she had also appealed to other newspapers, ABS-CBN’s rival network GMA 7, the wire service agencies and the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines to observe a news blackout...

I too pray for the safety of Drilon and the others now with her, if indeed they were abducted (yesterday, many people do not believe there is an abduction specifically because of the limited news it garnered). But it is somehow ironic to note that in the recent past, even a small call for the mass media to curb their coverage would have started cries for press freedom and independence, even when national security is at stake.

It is noteworthy also to consider the reasons why ABS would call for a news black-out. Among their official reasons are to avoid jeopardizing the rescue efforts and/or to hamper other extremist groups from taking advantage of the situation, all for the safety of Drilon and others. ABS did not explain why Drilon will be more in danger if news of the kidnapping will be on headlines. One reader of my blog commented that news will hamper ABS' efforts to pay "ransom".

We all know that paying ransom to kidnappers only encourage more kidnappings in the future. But of course, we also know that most everyone will pay ransom when kidnapped. This is the truth that nobody wants exposed. Indeed, this could be the only reason why a news black-out is needed.

Apparently it is not only now that kidnappings of journalist and probably payment of ransom by their employers happened. Obviously in order to explain that it is not only them asking for news blackouts in such events, ABS-CBN made a list of past Abu kidnappings which many of us are unaware.

...Based on abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak’s research, there have been at least 20 journalists that the group has held captive since 2000. Most of them were foreign journalists, but the list includes reporters of the country’s top news agencies—leading television networks ABS-CBN and GMA-7, and the newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer, among others.

Date of Captivity	Victims	Length of Captivity
April 2000 (Basilan)	GMA-7 television reporter Susan Enriquez	A few days
May 2000 (Jolo)	10 Foreign journalists (7 German, 1 French, 1 Australian, and 1 Danish)	10 hours
July 2000 (Jolo)	German Andreas Lorenz of the magazine Der Spiegel (He was also kidnapped in May.)	25 days
July 2000 (Jolo)	French television reporter Maryse Burgot, and cameramen Jean-Jacques Le Garrec and sound technician Roland Madura	about 2 months
July 2000 (Jolo)	ABS-CBN television reporter Maan Macapagal and cameraman Val Cuenca	4 days
January 2002 (Zamboanga)	Philippine Daily Inquirer contributor and Net 25 television reporter Arlyn de la Cruz	over 3 months
September 2002 (Jolo)	GMA-7 television reporter Carlo Lorenzo and cameraman Gilbert Ordiales	6 days

It is now for everyone to see how powerful our mass media is, they can easily filter the information coming our way. They can easily make big even the littlest of issues or hide big news such as this. ABS-CBN obviously do not trust the quality of journalism in the country because they have short of admitted that coverage of the event will put Drilon and others in more danger. Why else would there be more danger for the victims except for when so called "journalists" try to outdo each other for a scoop of sensationalized news?

Another truth we can easily see now is how our so called journalist have turned a blind eye on the Abus. Kidnappings by the Abus of journalists are not highlighted by the mass media. Meanwhile, again and again they cry harrasment by the government and/or the military when there are dead journalists or when some of their ranks felt threatened. Obviously, they know that the government will not touch them. There may be dead journalist but surely they know that government is mostly not to blame (although still government should be blamed for the lawlessness in our society). Meanwhile, they know that the Abus are a serious lot and are not to be cried to.

Blind Ads in the Inquirer, is itFair?

I read so many times in the Philippine Daily Inquirer some advertisements about the excesses of Napocor and why Napocor is to blame for the increased cost of electricity in the country. The advertisements themselves did not say who paid for the ad but it is obvious they were supportive of Meralco. It is therefore easy to conclude that Meralco, or the Lopezes are behind the ad.

Reading through the ads, it is also easy to conclude that the assertions are wrong or at least incomplete. For example, one ad showed that the price of electricity from Napocor/WESM is much more expensive than those which Meralco bought from their own ISP. However, Napocor and WESM are two different entities and totally unfair to confuse them as one. Also, since WESM price is fluctuating according to the time of day, the ad did not say whether the prices were of what given time. I am not sure if people are actually reading the ads and digesting them as gospel truth but surely those unaware of the situation will be duped. The ads also are laden with words such as "Tongpats" and "bukol", the terms recently used to refer to graft money supposedly for the administration added to the cost of goods.

Amazingly, the newspaper that claims "balanced news and fearless views" did not even comment as to the truth of the ads' claims. Of course, the advertiser paid them good money, but isn't it the Inquirer's responsibility to deny access to people using their paper to spread propaganda? Shouldn't they at least investigate the claim and publish on the paper if said claim was true or otherwise? Or is it the papers policy not to touch their advertisers? So, does it mean also that a dirty politician can get free from the Inquirer's journalistic investigation by paying for advertisements?

I think the advertisements are totally unfair and newspapers should resist printing such unfair ads unless they are part of a propaganda machine. The Inquirer (and the others, as I heard many other papers run the same ad) therefore is answerable to the people: Can we expect them to report the truth as far as Meralco is concerned, or would they spin the news in behalf of their advertiser?

Ces Drillon, Kidnapped?

There were news that Ces Drillon was kidnapped by the Abu Sayaff. I found about it only when I browsed through inquirer.net website. Here is a news clip...

MANILA, Philippines -- Television reporter Ces Drilon and her crew who police said were abducted by local terror group Abu Sayyaf were "alive and well" and being treated fairly by their captors, an official said Tuesday.

"Pinapakain naman sila [They are being fed well], they are well and alive, hindi sila nakatali [they are not tied] and nakakalabas sila [they are able to move around] but they are being escorted," Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao, police regional director for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview, citing reports from the crisis management team formed to negotiate with Drilon’s captors.

Goltiao said that the ABS-CBN news team was intercepted Sunday in Maimbung, a township in the Sulu capital Jolo, by armed men under Albader Parad, an Abu Sayyaf leader in the area and Gapur Jundain, a former member of the Moro National Liberation Front who recently joined Abu Sayyaf.

However, I am not sure what to make of this as it seems that ABS-CBN is not too much concerned. I immediately browsed their online news and I took the following screenshots of their front page...

It is amazing that ABS didn't think that the news is worth their headline but posted the news on the "nation" news as if it is just an ordinary news... "Ces Drillon kidnapped" is certainly a headliner but not so for the administrator of abs-cbnnews.com?

So is this true? If it is, then why is it not on the headlines? If it is not, then why is abs-cbnnews.com not denying it?

I may be wrong but if asked to bet, I will bet on this NOT being true. I suspect that ABS-CBN is doing some story on the Abu-sayyaf and would like to use some opportunity to sensationalize it. Perhaps even the Abu-sayyaf is in on it to have some publicity too..

True or not, this news does not do good to the image of our country.