A hand to help

Pearl Ungab, the wife of the late Atty. Jonnah John Ungab, wore a black dress that day and sat in the front seat of the car her husband drove. On their way out of the Cebu City Hall of Justice, gunshots were heard and the love of her life was shot twice in the head. Her instinct made her pump the lawyer’s body while preventing blood from spilling out the left side of his head. She took all the blood from the mouth, and called for help. Nobody bothered. A lot of bystanders were at the area taking their phones and cameras out to record whatever was left of that incident. She shouted for anyone to help her, even just to put her husband in the back seat so she could drive. Again, nobody bothered. That fateful day still remains painful to her up to the day she narrated it to the public.

Her plight led her to cite specific media organizations who refused to help her in time of need. To her, it was a matter of life and death for her husband. Thoughts of “what if?” raced through everyone’s mind when she mentioned that she wasted that span of time calling for help. Had aid rushed to her immediately, there could have been a glimmer of hope he could have survived. As of the moment, we continue to accept things that they happen for a reason.

But beside the point of the incident involving a prominent lawyer, is the argument between being media and being a human being. As part of the media industry, it is our duty to document incidents as they happen which could probably lead to a scoop. But we have forgotten to show genuine care for one another. I have always believed that we should put lives first before our job. Those who took photos while Pearl asked for help had the choice to set aside the camera after three shots to lend their helping hand.

The act of putting our jobs first make others question the motives of those in the media industry. Worse, they think we are very selfish; thinking of our own advantage before another’s life. I believe that we don’t want that kind of judgment now, especially with how the government scrutinizes the media. Our actions should be exercised with utmost care when we are under the limelight. Yes, a good story was delivered with good visuals but we have forgotten our mandate to be of public service. What better is that than to extend a hand? We can always set aside fears and the code to stay away from incidents that will make one look biased. Yet, this is a case-to-case basis.

I do hope the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas will get to discuss the ethical boundary of incidents such as what had happened to attorney Ungab. We all need to reevaluate our jobs, as well as our purpose and personal motives.