I remember a radio program in my youth whereby its only focus would be about the goings-on in both local and national politics. To add spice to this early morning show, there would always be biting commentaries by both the announcer and an occasional guest or two, on whatever was the controversy of the day on the political scene. As part of the radio format, the people involved in whatever controversy were always unnamed, thus leaving the listeners to guess who those were involved. This was the tickler of sorts, and it clearly had everyone amused. Imagine, from our row of apartment houses in Mabini St., up till the corner of Claudio during that time in the 60s, you could hear the same program playing on all the households if one stood in the middle of the street every morning.
As I remember it, the host’s radio name was “Chismoso”, or something to that effect, which in Tagalog meant rumor monger, and his show was titled “Bato bato sa langit”, which was roughly translated as “throwing a stone up in the air”. The complete text evidently comes from an old Filipino proverb, bato bato sa langit, ang tamaan wag magalit, (if one indiscriminately threw a stone up in the air, whoever gets hit when it fell down must not get angry.)
As I saw it back then, this was the appeal of the radio program; while being critical of whatever was the topic of the day, it also implied their attack was much like the blind item reportage of today, a bit of tongue-in-cheek and not given to openly blaming specific people in the process. In all, it hinted, if one were not deliberately called out, then it shouldn’t really be taken seriously.
Nowadays, especially in Metro Manila, I still hear about such shows, and a friend tells me, they’re quite popular among the drivers of public utility vehicles, as they’re blared through their jeepneys’ radios every morning.
But I wonder, in the present time, are those on the receiving end of the critiques still game enough to take them, even if they were delivered ala say, ‘tongue in cheek ‘?
As one reads through social media and traditional media outlets, those who pose expose or comments directed at officials can now be threatened with prosecution. As it is, several bills on such are being cooked up in the state kitchen. Quite fittingly, one only needs to add garlic (anti vampire bites) and their very own onion skins and voila! Chismoso and his posse would be turning, lechon- like in their graves.
