Finger-pointing!
It's been a week that one of the country's high caliber newscasters was always the top story of every media outfit. The whole nation is watching for any development about Ces Drilon's abduction. I can't even skip a day without reading the news about her. At first there was a finger pointing story, almost blaming the veteran journalist and her crew for turning down security assistance from the army. Men in uniform believe that Ms. Drilon, her two cameramen and Prof. Octavio Dinampo could have been avoided the abduction had they accepted the military assistance. Prof Dinampo, Ms. Drilon and her two cameramen were abducted allegedly by the Abu Sayyaf group last June 8.
Again people are talking about journalists and their security while some use this issue to their advantage, proposing to draft some guidelines for media coverage. I don't even understand why other viewers are using this as a loss of the network to the other giant network (it makes me sick, many Filipinos are heedless? Why can't we just join together, forget about the network war and pray instead for their release?
As an inactive journalist it made me think, who's to blame? Should it be the government, the ruthless militants or the journalist herself? Should we blame Ces for not accepting the security offer? Can we blame her not allowing the military to be a part of her investigative journalism? We can't blame her to have the interest of digging out the real news, risking her own life just to know real details which she could impart to the people. After all, this is a journalist's mission. We can't blame her for not taking the security offer. It might hamper her reportage. What about the government? It has been a lot of decades since they started an all out war against the bandits in Mindanao but still they can't quash them down. These bandits have their principles and reasons why they continue their battle against the government. Sad to say, they used this as an excuse to abduct and mercilessly kill innocent people including those in media. Media serves as transmitters to people and to the government. People most especially bandits should recognize that!
Ces and her crew just did their journalistic duty just to transmit the reality in Mindanao, risking even their own lives. She's just doing her job and she clearly knows her mission. Should we question the government and the bandits themselves? Are they still holding on to their missions? If so, what's their objective? What are they fighting for? Is it saving or killing innocent lives?
To Ms. Ces Drilon and her crew I salute your bravery! I'm joining my colleagues in media in condemning such a BARBARIC ACT! When are they going to stop this?
It's such a big irony for what we call a free country!