So, it is not the Philippines that is the leading English language-speaking Asian country, according to the CEOWorld Magazine? It is Singapore. The CEO World conducted a world-wide study and unfortunately for the Philippines it ranked only 20th overall. Singapore on the other hand, ranked fifth, according to the survey.
For us Filipinos it might be hard to swallow such truth. But again that is what the study says. We can argue for as long as we like but again, that is the result of the survey. Yes, for us who have long been made to believe that we are the top English-speaking nation we might as well accept the fact that even in that aspect of competition we can be beaten by some countries whose mode of uttering the English language is not far from the way the people utter their native tongue.
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We read with gusto the statement issued by a group of journalist organizations as well as individual media practitioners in reaction to a denunciation by Davao City First District Councilor Bonz Militar chastising the media for its alleged bias in the coverage of the more than two weeks of police operation inside and outside the compound of the main headquarters of the Kingdom of Jesuis Christ (KOJC) Church of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. The police “occupation” of the church compound was a strategy to make sure that the then fugitive Pastor who was reported to be holed up in one of the buildings inside the compound will be served the long standing arrest warrants issued by the courts against him.
The media practitioners were actually as sleepless as the two thousand or so policemen involved in the operation. They want to cover every aspect of the police activities as well as the responses of those KOJC members who want to prevent the law enforcers from doing what was mandated of them.
Unfortunately for the legitimate journalists their bias for TRUTH was interfered by the protagonists in the Quiboloy arrest warrant service to the point that the efforts of certain parties are geared toward having the reporting of the media to be done in accordance with the way they want it. That is, to present the news coverage all in their favor.
It was also clear from the statement of the groups of journalists that most, if not all, of their members who risked their lives and limbs in the coverage received some scathing verbal bullying and heard undesirable words imputing reporting by the mainstream media as unfair and grossly bias against them.
Reading between the lines of the media men’s statement it was clear to us which of the protagonists most of the chastising and bullying came from.
The same statement also clearly manifested the journalists’ disdain on Councilor Militar’s apparent “ignorance” of the role of the journalist in reporting what transpired in that particular stand-off.
Of course it is understandable if the city councilors will be all-out for their support to the Pastor. After all, they know who the Pastor’s friends in Davao City are. They also need the support of the Pastor’s followers in the local election come May 2025. Many of the City Councilors are running for reelection therefore, they badly need the votes on the KOJC members who are distributed in all three districts in the city.
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Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte somewhat “mockingly” advised House Speaker Martin Romualdez that the local residents “want more” of the “ayudas” that were distributed recently through the office of PBA Partylist Representative Congresswoman “Migs” Nograles.
From what we got from the mayor’s statement, there are a huge number of the 1.9 million Davaoenos deserving to receive the assistance. Hence, the ones given by the Office of the House Speaker through the Partylist Nograles could have only reached the hands of a few.
Without too much discerning of the words of Mayor Baste it is clear that he was insinuating that the few “lucky” recipients could only be those who have earlier been listed as followers of the Nograles camp whose names were gathered at the height of the signature solicitation for the apparently failed Charter change.
So we are not anymore surprised by the sarcastic reaction of the city mayor.
We can only hope that the Speaker from whom the mana came, will still make good the promise of the defunct UniTeam during the 2022 Presidential elections. That is, to unite the Filipinos and serve them without distinction as to their political affiliation.
The Speaker would have done a major service if he offers to engage the officials of the Davao City LGU in the distribution of the assistance. The latter can opt to set aside political difference and work with those tasked by the national government on the “ayuda” distribution.
If the Speaker refuses to do such “uniting” act then it could only mean he is willing to risk losing support from Davaoenos in whatever future political plans he has.
Moreover, if it is the LGU, through its officials, that will ignore an offer of collaboration – even if only temporary – then we are certain it will be to the disadvantage of the local political leaders.
