The killing of former Inquirer corespondent Melinda ‘Mei’ Magsino brings to 26 the number of media personnel killed under the watch of Philippine President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III. Suffice to say, even the mightiest newspaper in the Philippines will likely helplessly watch as justice, yet again, proves elusive; this time to one of their own.
Despite so many years of indignant calls for justice by some of the most influential communicators in the country, very little progress has been made. They are up against powerful people and very cheap assassins. A deadly combination indeed. The latter punctuates the absolutely dismal value Philippine society places on human life. The wealth of the earlier gives that fact poignant context.
Notable of all is how, despite the supposed “outrage” Filipinos seem to express about powerful people killing vocal journalists, such sorts of people continue to be elected to office by popular vote again and again.
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Indeed, the disturbing way murder is regarded as a mere banality in the Philippines seems to emanate from the top.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) quoted the following excerpt from a statement issued by President BS Aquino in Belgium after he was queried on the “questionable” human rights record of his administration.
For instance, in the media killings, some who used to work in media died. Did they die because they were investigative journalists? Were they exercising their profession in a responsible manner, living up to journalistic ethics? Or did they perish because of other reasons?
It is quite revealing that the President would focus his explorations on the matter of the murder of Filipino journalists on issues of their conduct rather than on the means, motives, and nature of the perpetrators. It is almost as if he is suggesting that the possibility that these journalists attracted their fate is even worth considering.
This attitude, in fact, can also be seen in the way the administration of President BS Aquino is managing the fallout from the massacre of 44 Special Action Force police officers by Islamic terrorists in January this year. The approach to inquiries into the case tends to focus on “historical” contexts behind Filipino Muslims’ armed insurgency in Mindanao and on issues surrounding the flawed (if any) coordination between the police and the Army within the framework of the ceasefire agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
In both President BS Aquino’s statement in Belgium and the way his government is spinning the SAF 44 massacre, it is the victims’ circumstances and contribution to events leading to the crime that are being scrutinised — not the circumstances and nature of the perpetrators and the actions they contributed to the tragic criminal outcomes.
Politicians in the Philippines, it seems, have become experts at literally spinning the story around when it comes to the subject of politically-motivated killing. Where Filipino politicians are involved, it is the victims — not the perpetrators — who are on trial.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
It is more safe to become a Blogger, than a Journalist. The Maguindanao massacre of Journalist is not yet resolved. Aquino is sitting on his ass on the case. The Murder of the Journalist: Dacer and his driver, Corbito is now forgotten. The murderers, even have high positions in the government.
Life is cheap in our country. In the cyberSpace, there are no asassins; only YellowTard Hackers. but, it is easy to deal with them.
You forgot hackers.
Whether there will be justice or not I don’t know if it will ever be realized. Incompetence is around us, courts can give out judgments but can never dispense justice.
“A security camera from a nearby auto shop showed a male gunman, wearing a white “sando” (sleeveless shirt), approach the victim from the back. The gunman shot her at close range, with the bullet exiting through the victim’s left eye.
The gunman escaped on a black and white Honda motorcycle driven by another man, the police investigation said.” http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/685131/former-inquirer-correspondent-shot-dead-in-batangas
Her killer sounds like it could be anybody. Parang makakasabay mo lang sa traffic sa Edsa, makakasabay mong bumili ng sigarilyo sa naglalako sa kalsada, makakasalubong mo sa daan. No wonder it’s easy to be killed in the Philippines.
This reminded me of the On the Job film and I believe what’s happening there is true because I heard a third degree relative, whose sister’s husband is a prison guard, remark to her brother na “Sabihin mo lang. Maglalabas ako ng tao para tapusin ‘yan.” The brother’s son was being threatened by this drug addict in their neighborhood. And here the Department of Justice try to make us believe that they have the prison system covered when they underwent series of raid and that the PNP already has decreed a war against gunmen riding in tandem.
I heard lawmakers are again condemning the act of killing a journalist and whoever her killers are (and those behind it?). It’s just like them to say something about it and not really do anything about it.
“In both President BS Aquino’s statement in Belgium and the way his government is spinning the SAF 44 massacre, it is the victims’ circumstances and contribution to events leading to the crime that are being scrutinised — not the circumstances and nature of the perpetrators and the actions they contributed to the tragic criminal outcomes.”
Well said, Sir. I guess if one is on the side of the criminal, he’ll do his best to acquit them showing us that in the Philippines, the criminals have more right than the victims.
The Philippines has become a wild west kind of deal where the only Justice you can get is by the smoking barrel of your gun and the benefits you get is by the contacts you cultivate and the money you can invest in certain business.
Sounds like an awesome setting for a story, but unfortunately, a terrible reality for millions of Filipinos.
OTJ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Job_(2013_film)
Nice movie, though made me depressed of the failed state of the country.
the philippines it’s like westeros only all the people vying for the throne are twice as cruel and half as smart as joffrey baratheon.
This pretty young Lady was shot by a coward, that was most likely hired by a coward. The Philippines is such a crap-hole.
HA, the 57 journalists that were murdered in the ‘Maguindanao Massacre’ died for no good reason, BUT THE murderers remain at large.The Philippines is a law-less crap hole in the world right now.
GET OUT NOW, IF YOU CAN !!!!
The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.
This is like the Gerry Ortega murder, which was wrongly cited to be because he was anti-mining. The truth is, he stepped on a politician’s toes, and of course the politician, not liking that, had the guy killed. Whoever Magsino criticized just before her death, that will be the primary suspect.
This are only a few among many killings happening when one challenges warlords in this country.
A pretty young Lady murdered by a creepy scumbag. Such a shame.Here’s hoping that whoever did it gets caught and then outs the POS that sponsored the hit.Then throw that low-life POS in a hole in the earth and bury him up to his neck and un-leash the ants on his head.The more I look at this finer than wine young Lady the more outrageous the crime becomes….not that its different from any other Lady being murdered BUT to attack such beauty is a crime against nature as well as a crime against society and,of course,the individual.
So many journalists killed in this country heven’t even get their well-deserved justice. And we’re not even communist!