LETTERS
FROM THE AGNO
David
March
Politics
is hotter in Kalinga. Gov.Jocel Baac was recently charged with administrative
and criminal cases by provincial officials and vice gob Sonny Mangaoang, his
known political adversary, for allegedly inflicting injury against the
provincial board secretary.
In
reaction to the charges, he said the ultimate prayer of the vice governor and
senior board members was for him to be “preventively suspended” for their own advantage which shows that they desperately want his position and to derail him
this coming election.
Looking
at it as an observer from a distance, Kalinga politics has always been linked
to violence. The charges against Baac have yet to be proven in court. His reply
to the charges is more believable, considering that he knows from head to foot
the people behind the charges that were filed.
Integrity
and credibility do not side with persons who directly take advantage of the
courts to weaken their political opponents. The provincial officials and
Mangaoang, who is known to be related by affinity to a big politician in the
province, should have honestly inhibited themselves simply because they have
something to gain from the cases filed.
***
Beyond
his chairmanship of the committee on public works in congress, Benguet
Congressman Ronald M. Cosalan last week shifted his focus on the environment,
this time augmenting funds he has appropriated for the delineation of the Mt.
Pulag National Park (MPNP).
Last week at the Cielito Inn and Restaurant, he said, P5 million more will be
allocated to determine the metes and bounds of the MPNP and stop the expansion
and intrusion of vegetable gardens into the forest. It is also intended to
preserve the lush vegetation and wildlife from development threats such as
vegetable farming, increased tourism, hunting and timber poaching.
This
is in addition to the P4 million Congress allotted for the same purpose in 2011
in an effort to keep intact the natural environment in Mt. Pulag, sometimes
called by the Ibaloi tribe as the “Playground of the Gods”, hence, considered
as sacred ground.
***
Fourth
of July notes. Last June, I wrote: “On July 4, 1946 under the Treaty of Manila
that was signed after World War II, the US granted the Philippines its
independence and relinquished American sovereignty over the Islands.”
So
that the day was then the Independence Day for Filipinos although on August 4,
1964, then President Diosdado Macapagal signed Republic Act No. 4166 that
returned the date of Philippine Independence to June 12, the date the
Philippines declared independence from Spain in 1898. From that time on July 4
in the Philippines was called “Philippine-American Friendship Day”.
Even
American history has its own flaws. It is on record that historians time and
again doubted that Congress actually signed the Declaration of Independence on
July 4. In fact, many of them believe that discussions about the document was
finished and signed a month later on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4, 1776.
Not
only that, some historians have also noted that the original 13 states were
separated from Great Britain on July 2, 1776, when Congress signed a resolution
of independence that was proposed a month earlier, thus declaring the United
States independent from Great Britain.
Other
historical dates significant to the Fourth of July are: It is the death
anniversary of at least three American Presidents namely; Thomas Jefferson,
John Adams and James Monroe. It produces around $220 million worth of liquor
and hot-dog sales; causes more than 1,500 fireworks injuries and considered by
truck drivers and other motorists as “more dangerous than New Year’s Eve”.
***
What
exactly is a Police Press Corps? Or should the question be: Does a legitimate
news reporter from a legitimate newspaper have to be a member of the Police
Press Corps in order to be allowed to extract news from police officials?
Sometime
in the recent past, I texted the Camp Dangwapress information officer for an
update about the CAFGU member who killed his Philippine Army commander in
Sadanga, Mountain Province. But I was denied outright of any information
because she said, I was not accredited as a news reporter who can get news from
Camp Dangwa or the police.
I told her that I already had the details of the Sadanga shooting incident and
that I was only asking for an update. I further informed her if she looks at
the police-newsman relationship that way then Camp Dangwa or police officials
cannot in any way give their side if ever some bad news happens to the police
organization. She said, “hindi naman ganoon” then said she will inform me of any
update. She never did.
As
far as experience dictates, whether the Police Press Corp is there or not, and
whether newsmen are accredited with the PIO or not, news is for everybody. By
the way, I seldom read or hear police news that is circulated by the PIO. In
most cases, the news comes out first as gathered by independent outfits. Police
reaction comes later.
What is more bad is that they sanitize news if not hide it from newsmen… but call the newsmen for news coverage for their benefit when they have announcements to make. And how come the PIO or police officials do not give newsmen information about jueteng and illegal gambling. Unfair. Aside from being dubbed as “jueteng press corps” sometimes, what can the PNP Press Corps do to improve news gathering?
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