Do not consort with the enemy

When three terrorists stormed into the office of the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris and slaughtered 12 people in the process, the French people and the global community were swift and united in their condemnation. In fact global leaders from around the world came together in a public march to show unity and support. Their declaration was “ JE SUIS CHARLIE” meaning “I am Charlie” to symbolize that they support freedom of expression and that part of them were killed in the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack.

This does not seem to be the case for the SAF-44. They have all been laid to rest but not the acrimony, anger, accusation and mistrust. A word war has erupted between the AFP, the PNP, the MILF as well as the media. A wider circle has caught bishops, politicians, the left versus the right. Truth be told we are in a far darker place than we were when the SAF-44 were killed and we are certainly no closer to knowing the truth whoever’s version comes out first. We have shot at each other as much as the MILF and the BIFF shot at the SAF-44. If Paris and the world came up with the statement “ Je Suis Charlie” ours should currently be, “I AM GUILTY.”

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There is a very good reason why many companies practice the rule of rotating their people from one position to another or one location to another. Aside from developing people for multi-tasking, many companies also do it to avoid familiarity, unhealthy relationships or the risk of them “Consorting with the enemy.”

This practice is a long held rule among veterans in Philippine media, particularly for beat reporters who run the risk of becoming “integrated” into their beat, and begin acting as spokespersons for their place of assignment.

In the on-going word war between officers of the AFP and the PNP, I recently noticed the reportorial style of several reporters who were no longer making objective and impersonal reports, but were clearly infected or affected by the sentiments and views of their go to source. One even began to take up the cudgels for a certain general and sounded more like the spokesperson than the reporter. To err maybe human but reporters need to be reminded and rotated immediately when they have spent more than 2 years on the beat because their reports are part of the fabric that becomes public opinion and possibly government decisions. It’s our job to work with them, not to work for them.

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The already overloaded and swamped Office of the Ombudsman may have also been overwhelmed by on-going developments regarding the Mamasapano massacre because these would be the only reason why they have not taken action against suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima for continuing to “work” in that capacity in spite of his suspension.

Even before the massacre, I was already surprised by the fact that Purisima continued to be active by attending the blessing and opening of a PNP housing project in Central Luzon that is still connected to his position and assignment. The question now is what further penalty will Purisima face from the Office of the Ombudsman for defying their order?

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I wonder if Presidential Spokesperson Sonny Coloma realizes it or not, but he is beginning to wear himself thin doing his job. Time was when 3 people did his job but nowadays all we hear from is Sonny Coloma and as the issues and complaints pile up his reactions have increasingly become terse, aggressive and turning him from the mild mannered respondent into a tired grump.

I remember a former Malacañang spokesperson telling me that the job has a shelf life of 2 years and after that it’s time for substitution or you crash and burn. The question is: Does Coloma want to share the light with those who once overshadowed him? Aside from Coloma’s actual performances, there is also the observed fact on how P-Noy’s once impressive speech making talents have hit the gutter as mere speech reading. Question #2 on the other hand is can all the King’s men and all the King’s horses put Humpty Dumpty together again?

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Call it “Itchy Minds” but the PNP Command Conference at Camp Crame certainly got the attention of the media with one or two even asking the “L” word as in “Loyalty” check. After being kept in the dark by both the President and the suspended PNP Chief, some people were alarmed to its purpose.

However, it was a good first step on the part of PNP-OIC Leonardo Espina to bring the PNP leadership for a team huddle which also provided them an opportunity to show that they are all in this together and that there were already ongoing actions as well as future plans. Espina also did very well in answering questions showing his aptitude, knowledge and matter of fact simplicity of addressing things. Given Espina’s track record and handling of the current situation, one good move that P-Noy can do is to install Espina as Chief of the PNP to signify change and that the administration is responding to the crisis at hand. Any notion of getting Purisima back on the saddle is an utter hallucination because he will never dig himself out of his self-inflicted misfortune.

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The head of a health-related government agency announced yesterday that in celebration of their anniversary they have decided to hold yet another “fun-run” and will plant trees inside a park.

Running several kilometers in smog filled city can’t be healthy for your lungs and why is it that government agencies, NGOs and corporations always do their tree planting in parks. Why not shift tree planting to various places in Metro Manila so we can grow clean air pockets? A tree-lined road is just as useful and pretty as a mini forest.

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