Greedy lakes and tactless microphones

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March L. Fianza

Happy Independence Day to all!

See what greed can do. "Greed" was the term employed by Senate Committee on Agriculture chair Kiko Pangilinan in illustrating the fishkill that occurred in the provinces of Batangas and Pangasinan.

Senator Pangilinan estimated that around P200 million worth of fish was lost, because fish cage owners jammed their pens, and so the fish died of suffocation. After all, the fishkill was man-made and caused by overstocking fingerlings in fishpens.

“What was gold in the beginning has turned to stone," Pangilinan said. The effects of greediness has snowballed that now, people who come to the market stay away from the fishes thinking that these are not fresh or are part of the fishkill.

In restaurants, nobody is ordering fish, especially bangus and tilapia. But restaurant management would not serve fish anyway because of recent incidents. The Department of Agriculture during the senate investigation has also pointed to “greed” as the reason for the crisis.

One of its officials said, “fishpen operators overstock because they want to harvest more at the expense of the fishes.” Now, instead of expecting profits, P200 million was lost in the greedy waters.

Dr. Gil Jacinto of the UP Marine Science Institute said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the DENR first blamed “climate change” for the fishkill, but he said he shudders when he hears people say “climate change” is the culprit.

“We did not have, over the last few weeks, a significant amount of rain that would have been on top of Taal waters to be heavy enough to go down.” He said, “Taal Lake had been over its carrying capacity” because there were 12,000 fishpens in the lake which is twice its carrying capacity. Dr. Jacinto further told the Senate that fish feeds not consumed by the fish sink to the bottom of the lake and become phytoplanktons.

The small plants grow and compete with the production of oxygen in the water, consequently putting down oxygen levels as the fishes grow and reproduce. The end result is choking all of us, not only the fish. See what greed can do!
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Who monitors radio stations, especially government-owned stations? Who monitors radio commentators especially those who go beyond responsibility and discretion and jump over the fences?

In the past few days, media communities here and abroad were alerted by reports that Gov. Jocel Baac of Kalinga allegedly barged into the announcer’s booth and hit a broadcaster on the lips with a microphone.

Later, news reports released by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines and the National Press Club came out condemning the incident involving Baac and DzRK Radyo ng Bayan-Kalinga commentator Jerome Tabanganay.

Many times in the past I wondered why radio commentators and newsmen were physically attacked. Now, again I am wondering why Gov. Baac “barged into the announcer’s booth” which he already admitted as his mistake, and intentionally “hit the broadcaster in the lip with a microphone” as certain newsmen want to believe, and which Baac denied.

And if true, I can only believe that there is a reason for him to have done what he did. Remember the Golden Rule “do unto others…” or what a Chinese Philosopher once said: “you reap what you sow…”

Baac’s behavior in the radio booth may just be comparable with what many radio commentators do such as “firing away without double checking what they broadcast on air” which is really dangerous and risky.

And as we all know, being 'salawasaw' on air has caused the lives of radio commentators. Unlike in print media, airing bad commentaries whether true or not is hard to correct or recall once it goes on air, because even if the radio commentator gets back what he had said, it cannot be ascertained if the same listeners are still tuned to that radio station. And the damage is done.

In many cases, unlike print journalists, many radio commentators do not apologize. In fact what some of them do is to keep on "rubbing salt to injury" until things go out of bounds, “mapunuan dijay tao,” and things become messier and harder to patch up.

I agree with the “victim” Jerome that he should file cases against Baac. Let the courts clear things up for all of us who really do not know the deeper background of what caused these things to happen in the first place.

In a statement by Gov. Baac on June 10, copies of which were distributed to the media, it was mentioned that Jerome Tabanganay had indiscriminately aired damaging and unverified text messages.

This was brought out in a regular kapihan that Gov. Baac chaired, and that members of the Kapihan sa Kapitolyo suggested to Basil Baluyan, DzRK manager, that Jerome as the anchor of the “Agenda” radio program should verify the veracity of the text messages and to give opportunity to his subjects to explain or give their side on issues before he will air his comments.

“His uncorrected act of irresponsible broadcasting and unfair way of handling the Agenda Program of the DzRK Radyo g Bayan, Tabuk is already damaging to the image of the province which the provincial government is trying to uplift …, ” Baac’s statement said.

He denied having intentionally hit Jerome with a microphone and that he suffered cuts and bruises on his face as reported by him, and as reported again by other news outfits.

“What happened was that his lips may have been accidentally hit when I got from behind the microphone in front of him for the purpose of stopping him for I could no longer endure his personal attack upon my person and the kapihan body of which I am the chairman,” the statement continued.

Lawyer Kristian Wandag of the provincial legal office said, Baac told him that there was no need for using the microphone to hit Jerome because he could have easily slapped him if he really had the intention to physically hurt him.

Baac further said in his statement that on May 24, 2011, Mr. Tabanganay on radio “was even convincing the NPA to open their cellphones so that they could talk relative to the apprehension of jueteng cobradors…”

“His act in acknowledging on air the authority and ability of the NPA to implement government duties and responsibilities has no good effect but only to cause our people to lose faith in government and mislead our people to think that the NPAs are better than elements of the government,” added Baac’s statement.

Portions of the statement were also made part of a petition sent to Dir. Tito G. Cruz of the Philippine Broadcasting Service on June 6, 2011.

The incident in the booth in the afternoon of June 7, 2011 was caught on video and was shown to the world, however, it was unclear. The video footage showed the governor entering the announcer’s booth and pulling out a cord and further showed that the governor grabbed the microphone. But there was no footage that showed Baac smashing the microphone on the announcer’s face.

Tabanganay also survived an assassination attempt last year that wounded his right leg. It was also said that unknown attackers tried to burn down the station last month but failed. These were confirmed as facts by colleagues that attributed those incidents to his critical commentaries on jueteng, illegal logging and government infrastructure contracts allegedly being given to “favored” construction firms.

Baac was reportedly backed up by several armed men. But people who knew what happened first hand said the men described as “with armalite rifles” were in fact the police that were assigned to the radio station as deterrent for further attacks after the failed arson attempt last month.

Comments from Kalinga immediately appeared in social network websites after the video was shown.

One comment said: “Ilang beses kung tiningnan ang video pero hindi clear kung talagang hinataw ng governador ang announcer. Sabi sa news nasira daw ang mga microphone pero bakit nagamit pa ng announcer na mag pahayag sa mga tao kung ano ang nangyari? maraming butas ang kasong ito. Pero maraming tao sa loob ng booth, kung magsabi sila ng tutuo, siguradong malaman natin ang tunay na nangyari.”

Another comment said: “Jerome Tabanganay is a typical tableau of a media man who does not know his boundaries. OK sana ang programa niya. However, he is excessively engrossed in maligning people without cautiously verifying stories and sensitive text messages. In fact a lot of people here don't feel sorry about him. You come here and feel what people would say...”

Tabanganay said he plans to file charges of serious physical injuries and grave threats against the governor. The station also plans to file charges of malicious mischief and damage to government property, the NUJP reported.

Baac welcomed these announcements of Tabanganay to file criminal and administrative charges against him so that he can formally answer the allegations. –marchfianza777@yahoo.com