I hate to sound like a spokesperson of the GMA administration for I do not really like her. However, in analyzing the issues of the land, I have to put things in their proper perspective.
The country’s media is very spoiled. Just a little inconvenience and they make a big fuss out of it. When a number of activists were being killed in front of them, they did nothing but simply wrote about it. When they felt that the news became stale, nothing more was heard about it.
But when it's the media who gets a little roughed up, they raise hell about it for so long.
Overkill, gross violation of human rights, etc, etc..
Hey you, spoiled brats. You were a simple side issue to yesterday’s coup and yet, you blabber about it as if it’s the story of the year. Hey, you! The story was about Trillanes. It was never about you!
Look at yourselves. Do you really believe that you don’t deserve to be cuffed and processed inside the police camp? The way, you push your way into the center of events are hardly ethical and yet, you never talk about it. Remember during the early hours of EDSA 2, when Cardinal Sin was saying mass? You all converged in front and all around him, that those hearing mass couldn’t see or hear him anymore. One of the priests even said, “King hindi ako pari, sisipain ko na ang mga to (If I am not a priest, I’ll kick the hell out of this people)!”
WAS IT OVERKILL?
Going back to yesterday’s coup, the newspapers say that up to 1,500 troops, a few tanks, a chopper and an undetermined number of cops were sent to attack the Trillanes group. Was it overkill? Let us examine the situation:
The Manila Peninsula had 900 guests evacuated and it wasn’t even at full capacity. With that in mind, one can probably imagine how many rooms and windows the entire building have. One should also add that there are offices and boutiques in the building and those also have windows. Knowing that, it will be easy to imagine the number of soldiers that will be needed to cover every window, corner, door, rooftop and other possible sniping areas.
Now let us estimate the number of troops needed to storm the building. Those who have been to Manila Penn will remember how large it is.
Operating under the assumption that there might be rebel reinforcements on the way, let us compute the number of troops that would have been needed to cover the roads and prevent enemies from reaching the Manila Penn.
THE PENN HAS THREE APPROACHES, AND AT LEAST FOUR CORNERS. HOW DO YOU EFFECTIVELY ATTACK IT AND COVER THE SOLDIERS?
As for the tank, the government's demonstration that it is determined to use it actually saved lives. The assaulting force used it as cover and its scary presence made the rebels realize the futility of firing back. They did not have anti tank weapons.
IN REGARD TO THE PRESS BEING CUFFED AND BROUGHT TO THE POLICE CAMP.
In the heat of the battle, one can never be sure who’s aiding the enemy and who the mere bystanders are. The police needs to investigate and separate who are those who simply reported and who helped the enemy.
The media men claim that they had identification and the rebels didn’t. Are they sure about it? ID’s can be bought very cheaply along Claro M. Recto Street. The reality is, some of the rebels were believed to have escaped by posing as press people.
Today, we were all treated to news that one of the soldiers with Trillanes, even when already under detention, was able to smuggle a pistol and hid it when he urinated. Imagine if he was not cuffed inside the bus. He could have pulled it and shot the unsuspecting guards. Imagine if one of the media men was supporting the rebels and passed a pistol while the bus was moving.
Etc, etc..
The point of this article is that I do not have the monopoly of common sense. The media, being used to military and police situations are aware of the possibilities. However, they think of themselves as sacred cows that they raise hell whenever somebody roughs them up a bit.
Don’t you just hate it when they act like brats?
Stop poisoning the minds of the people. You are all there to make money. Being press people provides the food on your tables in the same manner that I am in my profession to make money. Live with it!
3 comments:
thanks for dropping by!
I totally agree with you. Media people should COVER an event and not PARTICIPATE in an event.
They should have left the Pen Hotel as asked by the police and the military. Instead they gave those "terrorists" a voice and a human shield.
It would have been over in no time if ALL the media would have left the hotel.
Now those journalists put lives on the line for their silly antics...
This is something that you wouldn't see in Europe. Journalists mingling with the military and with the "terrorists" during action.
(The same happened during the hijack of that bus with children a year ago).
The media turned the whole event in one big circus.
Afterwards those media men even enjoyed being martyrs...
They deserved to be put in jail for at least one week on bread and water!
I think the police and the military did a good job. No blood was shed and it was not easy with all those media people running in the way.
Thanks, Sidney and Renz!
Whenever I watch Cheche Lazaro's show, I can't help but get disgusted at how she tries to portray the media as an institution above any wrongdoing. She makes it appear that nobody has the right to mess with them.
Well, she's right. Earn the media's wrath and you'll become the worst creature ever.
Thank God for the blogs. At least, other views are heard.
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