One thing I can absolutely say about the Senator Judges in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona is that they have been a very respectful lot. Although there were some instances where witnesses were made uncomfortable by their lines of questioning (which is by nature part of the hazards of being called to the witness stand in any case), I have so far seen no incident where any of the Senator Judges showed undue disrespect or spoke with a tone of condescension to any of the witnesses.
You’d think then that the people who constitute the self-styled “heroes” of Filipino “freedom of expression” that is the Philippine Media would take care to behave in a manner at least a notch above the politicians they presume to pontificate about in their hallowed pages and lucrative broadcast minutes.
Then again, you never quite know when they would outdo themselves as far as plumbing the depths of ill-breeding. The 14th of March 2012 edition of the Aquino Family newsletter — the Philippine Daily Inquirer ran what, to put it mildly, has been described as “unflattering photos” of defense witness Demetrio Vicente who appeared in yesterday’s hearing.
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Right underneath the sort of screaming headline you’d expect of the tabloidesque “broadsheet” are four close-up photos of Vicente in various states of grimace as he undertook a gallant effort to attest to the character of the Chief Justice.
Vicente reportedly previously suffered from a stroke, which explains his slurred speech and, shall we say, less-than-optimum faculties for managing his facial expressions. This, in no way, undermined the soundness and monolithic consistency of his testimony which he delivered in an unblinking and candid manner — the hallmarks of a man obviously telling the truth. His outstanding performance on the stand considering his physical challenges earned him the affections of an admiring audience and a markedly extra-dignified regard from the officers of the court.
It is unfortunate then, that the Philippine Daily Inquirer editors did not take their cue from yesterday’s audience response. Ironic, considering that their sponsors have for so long insisted that this the impeachment trial is ultimately one that will be judged by “the people”. There is indeed no substitute for good breeding. We can thank this very public trial for helping reveal who has it and who doesn’t.
[Image courtesy Inquirer.net.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
weird. my inquirer doesn’t have those pics of vicente on the front page but on page 20. on my frontpage, the top photo is not of the azkals but just one big one of vicente looking over papers, justiniano and cuevas flanking him. same headines though and everything else the same.
which tells me they came out with a second edition to feature the azkals win, sabay put in that derogatory collage. kabastusan to the max. as if azkals not bastos enough.
Their tabloid heritage never fails to shine through the way ill breeding can never be masked by brand-new silverware, branded clothes or a shiny SUV…
You can take the barrio folk out of the barrio, but not vice versa, it seems.
mas masahol pa rin naman mukha ni abnoy dyan.
They should rename themselves the Philippine Daily Insensitivity, Philippine Daily Inquisition, Philippine Daily Insult (take your pick).
Attempting to establish credibility through physical features. More fun in the Philippines.
Maybe some people will disagree with me, but some shred (perhaps the last remaining) of decency of the PDI died with Gani Yambot.
One word – nakakarumi. It was the epitome of a low-blow. Come on, PDI, you’re supposed to be intelligent and not bias (teh last term is very loosely used here). This is just one of those instances when I hate to be part of the media industry.
One word – nakakarumi. It was the epitome of a low-blow. Come on, PDI, you’re supposed to be intelligent and not bias (the last term is very loosely used here). This is just one of those instances when I hate to be part of the media industry.
i have stopped reading the Inquirer long ago when they can no longer stand up to their firmer logo which says something like”balanced news, fearless views”.
*former
From this day on, that photo will flash in every Filipinos’ minds whenever Demetrio Vicente’s name is mentioned. PDI should explain how their apology can change that.
A spread of apology can never avert the gratuitous amounts of damage done.
Reminds me of the time when Sen. Miriam Santiago were labeled as “brenda/brain damage” more than a decade ago and still we have to admit that the ill aftertaste of that name calling still lingers on till now.
It seems like they, the yellow media, have been poking fun of the potential threats to their allies and the desecrated images shall be ingrained in the minds of ignorant.
Here is a good one… It is now an instrument of public policy to make fun of and ridicule defense witnesses testifying for a perceived enemy of the One. The list is getting longer.
Philippine Daily Inquirer is MEAN and as abnoy as the President.
The Inquirer practices Yellow journalism, in two senses of the term. Rabidly pro=Noynoy and cheaply sensationalist. Foremost among Noynoy’s apologist is erstwhile Cory critic and Marcos propagandist Conrado De Quiros. The Inquirer is a shitty rag. Many poorly written articles, mostly contributions from woeful amateurs. The hatchet job on Corona’s cousin was made to make the poor man look poor (therefore not the buyer of the property) and mentally unstable (which he is not). Sandy Prieto is married to Imelda’s nephew. If one looks at the paper, it has been relatively quiet on Marcos activities. She is a hypocrite guarding the family’s interests.
what can we expect?…this is Philippines!
Bias! Di dapat tinatangkilik tong dyaryo na to! Walang respeto sa matatanda!
walang galang sa matanda ang sabi mo HA!HA!HA!yan an g nakukuha ng taong walang kahihiyan na nagpapagamit kay nakawrona …
Dati binabasa ko tong dyaryo na to..bakit nagkaganito..Kung ako ang may-ari ng Inquirer..sibak tong me pakana nito..this is not press freedom anymore..it’s more of an a-hole.
ang pilipinas ay democratic na bansa maykarapatan sila .kung ayaw mong basahin de huwag hindi kanaman nila pinipilit ..
Oh. My. God. This paper has really degenerated to its lowest with these photos. And look at all the news items on the front page and feel the revenge for everyone with ties to GMArroyo.
If you saw the 6:30 PM news on GMA7 today, Mr Vicente was interviewed inside his property. It is filled with his bonsai collection (he has gotten awards for them), the property is beautiful, with well cared for plants and a modest house that looks peaceful but classy. definitely a well cared for property of the owner who is obviously Mr. Vicente. He should invite that ass of a prosecutor who cross-examined him and offer him lunch so that ass would choke in kahihiyan kung may kahihiyan sya.
are you related to vicente or corona we dont care about the bonsai …go to vicente house and see if he will give you one bonsai.
I feel so sick to the stomach with disgust. I will never buy this paper ever again. Not worth it. Not even to wipe dog poop with. CRASS! Anong nangyari sa mga Prieto?
You can see how heartless this Noynoy Aquino is; by subjecting a stroke victim to testify. Just to protect his Hacienda Luisita. If, Noynoy Aquino can order the murders of helpless tenant-serfs in his Hacienda Luisita. He can also subject anybody, no matter how ill they may be to testify.
Noynoy Aquino is an evil and wicked person…we should demand how much he earned, in his two years Presidency…
why not also take pictures of joshua,the mentally retarded nephew of abnoy and published it also in internet and other networking sites.
Let us not stoop down to their level.
Indeed you are right, but feel free to air your criticism of the king in Yellow and his minions. It’s more fun and least strenuous.
kayong mga hypocritong mga tao si vicente ang pinag uusapan pero pati joshua idinadamay paninyo may paingles inggles pakayo na sa pinas naman kayo yoU#@#@#@# ING ASS@$#@#@#@LE AKALA ,MO KUNG SINO KAYO MGA PAKLAS LOKAL NAMAN KAYO AKO NANDITO SA AMERICA ….
Ano ginagawa mo dyan sa America??? Tagahugas ng pinggan o tagahugas ng pwet ng mga Kano, o tagadakot ng tae??? Yabang mo taga America…
isa ka rin yellow minions kasi..! Anung klas kaba magsabi komo nasa america ka lang klas kana ba??
baka taga pulot ka lang ng tae jan..
see, even the yellows’ print media arm has quality control – the sort of quality that is not even worth the dogpoop dog owners pick up with this sad excuse for a newspaper.
You know the Juanonymous will be all over the ensuing image meme/reaction face.
:3
It’s high time somebody do the “what I do, what i think I do, etc.” meme with Philippine Daily Inquirer 😛
If anyone were to accept the challenge… POST! 😀
/megustamucho
di na ako bibili ng inquirer! i hate them. stroke victims din lolo at lola ko. sobra ako nasaktan sa ginawa nila ke mr. vicente. hindi ako papayag sa pambabastos na ginagawa nila sa mga inosenteng tao porke hindi nila kakampi. lahat ng nabastusan sa ginawa ng inquirer, dapat wag nyo na bilhin yan. sayang pera nyo.
i take some hope from the fact that there was an outcry.
the best way to defeat bias is to expose it and rail against it.
but sad that ‘mainstream journalists’ have simply become propagandists and PR spokemen for the govt – with a few exceptions.
my lolo had a stroke and died later on. if this is done to my lolo, i will fire an AK47 and blast away the brain of the perpetrator. shame on them. buti hindi nila ni-front page si toby na parang drug addict w/o the socks. overkill na yun.
PDI disparage Mr.Vicente.. Its more fun(funny)in the philippines.
KAYONG MGA GALIT SA PDI MGA CRY BABY KAYO ..MGA PAAWA KAYO ..BIAS KAYO MGA TUTA KAYO NI CORONA
@Nutzi nelson ongpauco
Wow! You sure love to rant out loud. I boycotted the PDI a long time ago. I prefer a news broadsheet that is critical and exposes the dirt, lies and double talk of the administration. You seem to be deaf and dumb to what is happening to the country. Oh yeah I admire the true grit of Chief Justice Corona. He stands proud and tall against your dictator.
If we look closely at the collage, it’s actually 2 photos only, enlarged side by side to look as if it’s a series of photos. Kung baga e, pinadami lang!