A journalist must be independent and credible

“The press is a watchdog. Not an attack dog. Not a lapdog. A watchdog. Now, a watchdog can’t be right all the time. He doesn’t bark only when he sees or smells something that’s dangerous. A good watchdog barks at things that are suspicious.”

—Dan Rather

 

 By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE will always take the critical side when discussing issues about the government—especially the corrupt and bad government.

Our main objective is plain and simple check and balance, or acting as “Big Brothers” to the powerful and influential.

Our society needs a critical press to maintain balance, transparency and accountability because it is the government that calls the shot when it comes to disposition and handling of taxpayers’ money.

We need a critical press to review and check what’s going on; to mirror, inform or report to the public how public funds are managed and spent by those in power—elected or appointed public officials and their subalterns.

Public funds will always be the lifeblood and paramount assets of government.

It must be spent wisely and properly; public funds shouldn’t be wasted and stolen by those who are supposed to manage and safeguard them.

 

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Our role as critical journalists is to remind the crooks in government that “hey, somebody is watching. Your actions and activities are under close scrutiny and will be reported to the public.”

Critical means we must constantly remind our public officials—and chide them, if necessary, if they commit infractions or activities that are inimical to public interest and display actuations that expose them to scandal and compromise their image and functions basically as public servants.

We come in, so to speak, when public officials are on the brink of plunging into the abyss of moral turpitude.

That’s why the journalists—as watchdogs and “fiscalizers”—should be first and foremost also credible and knowledgeable.

If the watchdogs and “fiscalizers” are scoundrels and “fixcalizers”, they aren’t credible to handle and perform the responsibility of being investigative, confrontational and adversarial, which is what every democratic society needs.

Journalists who can be bribed are no better than the crooks in government the press is supposed to rebuke and expose.

Two wrongdoers—crooks in government and rascal journalists—means a total chagrin and gradual setback for Juan de la Cruz.

 

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Basically, a committed and principled journalist should avoid many friends in the political circle.

The more political friends a journalist acquires, the less he becomes effective as “catalyst of change.”

A genuine journalist is an ironclad gadfly of democracy, not an attack dog, lap dog or double-edged political mercenary.

At least this was how my mind as remnant of the original post-Martial Law years College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) member has been shaped and trained.

This was how I cultivated my principle when I became seriously involved in community journalism immediately after the EDSA Revolution, when press freedom and free speech were slightly and sardonically restored.

For my part, I would rather criticize than praise; I prefer to be hated as a critical journalist than to be praised (mostly by politicians) as a merchant of “praise release.” Everything boils down to walang personalan, trabaho lang.

Socrates said wisdom begins in wonder. I say journalism begins by being suspicious without being malicious, and in constructive—not destructive—criticism.

 

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Off to Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, New York City we will go on February 21 where eggs will be given away.

According to the information we received February 20, FarmerJawn, Prince Abou's Butchery and Triple J Farm will be offering a total of 100 dozen free eggs.

In an Instagram post, the two farms and butchery said in part, "Working people are the backbone of our communities, yet too often, relief isn’t made for us. So we’re doing what we can to pitch in."

The egg giveaway will reportedly start at 10 a.m. at Brown Butter Craft Bar & Kitchen on 413 Tompkins Ave.

There will also be 100 dozen free eggs given away in Queens and Philadelphia, it was announced earlier.

Is the much-ballyhooed 2025 egg shortage in the U.S. real? Yes it is. And soaring prices aren't going away anytime soon, as families and restaurants alike are struggling to purchase them. Why are egg prices going up, anyway?

There are several factors as to why eggs are so expensive right now. Here's what we know based on information from the United States Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and more:

The commercial table egg layer flocks suffered a depopulation of birds due to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in December 2024 and continues into the first six weeks of 2025, according the USDA.

"The impact of these losses in the marketplace continues to be influenced by the timing of the losses relative to demand patterns, the type of production systems affected, legislated restraints in certain states, and the intended use of the production either for in-shell or egg products use with most impact currently being felt in the retail cartoned sector," the report stated.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

It’s OK to kill all the lawyers but not the sin-nators?

“Since we all know that death is inevitable, I don't really see the difference between dying now and dying a decade later. So if I'm threatened with assassination, I welcome it!”

—Miriam Defensor-Santiago

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NOT all lawyers are despicable, but almost majority of the senators (at least in the Philippines) we always referred to as “sin-nators” are not only tainted by chicanery but are also shady and corrupt.

And it’s okay to threaten to “kill all the lawyers,” according to a character called Dick the Butcher in Act IV, Scene II of William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part II, which was written between 1596 to 1599, and not the sin-nators?

Killing is murder and is a crime per se; it shouldn’t be promoted or dangled as a form of punishment in any civilized country.

If we are going to hold the swaggering Citizen Digong accountable for his threat to kill the 15 senators (mostly allied with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.), which was only a “joke” according to his defenders, then why the lawyers in the 16th century weren’t up in arms against the Bard of Avon (this was how Shakespeare was known) for “threatening” to exterminate all those involved in the legal profession?

The answer is simple: Shakespeare’s version of “let’s kill” was not considered a crime because it's a fictional line spoken by a villainous character in a play.

And it was meant to represent the chaotic and destructive nature of a rebellion, not a literal call to violence against lawyers; it's often interpreted as a commentary on the importance of law and order by showing what would happen without it, essentially praising the role of lawyers in society.

 

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Citizen Digong’s version was complicated, controversial and downright cryptic, especially that he is a notorious major player in the brutal summary execution of thousands of Filipinos during the dark years of the campaign against illegal drugs.

It can be misinterpreted by his legions of myopic-minded die-hards who might be persuaded to translate the “joke” into something we dread to imagine happening given his status as a political demigod.

To begin with, the quote, “The first thing we do is, let’s kill all the lawyers”, was real and not a myth; it wasn’t a misquoted aphorism.

Approximately 400 years after Shakespeare’s death, this pithy phrase, according to Olivia Rutigliano, has become one of his most famous witticisms, appropriated often to disparage the legal profession, or at least acknowledge the ubiquitous caricature of the crooked, overpriced, counselor.

Rutigliano wrote in LITHUB that “Let’s kill all the lawyers” is a complicated phrase that (somehow always) refers to the importance of maintaining a fair rule of law that protects the people.

Whether lawyers symbolize evil or good, she added, is almost irrelevant; the most important thing about the quote is the upholding of a fair and just law system, itself.

 

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The oligarchs who allegedly mediated the political feud between Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Trenas and Iloilo City lone district Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda last year may have succeeded in preserving the political status quo (whatever that means in their own terms) in Iloilo City when both camps averted a head-on collision course in the mayoral and congressional contests,  but not the more preferred and glorious unity.

As of this writing, sympathizers from both camps continued to hurl vicious insults and scurrilous accusations against each other both in the mainstream and social media.

And it appears there is no sign the hostilities will slow down especially now that the official campaign period for the May 12, 2025 elections has unfurled. It is even worsening.

The fact that both Baronda and Raisa Trenas, the city mayor’s daughter who is running for city mayor, don’t have clear and present threats of losing and are actually a cinch away from being reelected and elected respectively, makes the cold war and antagonism between two parties so riveting and outrageous.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

Mother, mother I am sick

“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.”

—Ernest Benn

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NATIONAL and local candidates in the May 12, 2025 election—nuisance or serious—should be aware of their chances and be able to anticipate their fates this early.

Unless they are plain and simple ego trippers and nincompoops, candidates for any elective position with rationale and objective minds know if they are winnable or if their chances are nil, especially now that the official campaign period has blasted off and some of them are still eating the dust in credible and legitimate surveys.

The irrational and closed-minded candidates believe in their own invincibility and will normally refuse to acknowledge they can and will lose.

In their thinking, they’re always on top and nothing and nobody can beat them in any contest or election. Thus they will never lend credence to survey results and appeals from concerned friends and family members—unless favorable to them.

If they lag behind, they will only bellyache and discredit the surveys. These surveys can only be credible and realistic if they are the ones leading and “winning.”

“Mother, mother I am sick. Call the (mind) doctor very quick?”

These types of candidates are detached from reality. They are used to being hailed and glorified in pubic because of their past achievements that earned them applause and glowing recognition.

 

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To some extent, they believe their lofty standing in society can be translated into glorious public approval and sure victory in any election.

The superstar complex that gobbles up their egos gives them extra energy and confidence and bolsters their pathetic beliefs there’s no way the voters will not give them a resounding win.

We theorize senatorial candidates Rodante Marcoleta, Philip Salvador, Vic Rodriguez, Ariel Querubin, Jose Montemayor Jr., Raul Lambino, Norberto Gonzales, Bonifacio Bosita, Jimmy Bondoc, Ronnel Arambulo, Jerome Adonis, Apollo Quiboloy, Roberto Ballon, Angelo de Alban, David d’Angelo, Arnel Escobal are actually aware if they’re riding on a one-way trip train or in the luxury ship.

They haven’t been doing well in the surveys but have been brimming with confidence like Cyrus’ son Cambyses and Darius’ son Xerxes, giving campaign speeches left and right all over the archipelago, unfazed by the phenomenal popularity of candidates in the two leading political parties—Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas backed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and Partido Demokratiko Pilipino backed by former President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte.

 

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It’s too early to conclude, but all indications, analyses, circumstances and recent events have pointed to only one direction: another possible down-the-wire finish for candidates supported by President Marcos Jr. and ex-President Duterte.

Win or lose, it seems come-backing boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao is only enjoying what he is doing while going around and hooping from south to north vice versa shaking the hands of his legions of (mostly boxing) fans and watching them shriek as he waves and hands them cash for no apparent reason other than “to share my blessings.”

It’s normal for the former boxer to wish for the stars and entertain the possibility of winning once more now that he has embraced the politics of his rival in the 2022 presidential race, Mr. Marcos Jr.

If he won’t make it, we can see Pacquiao going back to the ring despite his age and “reviving” the career that gave him wealth and global fame.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but for 46-year-old Pacquiao, an instant $1 million in a megabuck duel with any UFC star or the current champions in the WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO and other alphabet boxing bodies is easy to collect as long as he isn’t yet 60. Mark our word.

In this elections season, by being there—to be seen and heard by the Filipinos from all corners of the globe—waging marvelous crusades and inspiring the hoi polloi to rise from obscurity and being underdog in life, is already a victory, something they probably couldn’t achieve if they were only running for village chiefs.

 

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WE received a “Social media warning” from Chase, a bank that offers banking services to consumers and businesses in the United States and a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase, a global financial services company, informing us that “nearly 50 percent of scams reported to Chase originate on social media.”

“Many of our customers are reporting to us that scammers on social media asked them to send their payment with Zelle® or Wires,” Chase disclosed in an email.

“Social media is flooded with fake ads for things like merchandise, cars, property rentals and home services. These scams can show up in marketplaces, spoof websites and groups you follow.”

I added: “Keep in mind that sending money with Zelle® or a Wire transfer is just like sending cash. It's highly unlikely you'll get your money back if something goes wrong.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

Irresponsible political coordinators

“The poll that matters is the one that happens on Election Day.”

— Heather Wilson

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

POLITICAL leaders and coordinators who didn’t follow the Commission on Elections (Comelec) guidelines on campaign materials—how and where to display them and what sizes are allowed—should be blamed why the posters of their candidates were taken down in Oplan Baklas.

These coordinators and leaders were aware that if they violated the campaign poster guidelines, the materials would be torn down and thrown to the garbage bins but they continued to ignore the poll guidelines thinking they could get away with their infractions.

As a result, campaign funds have been wasted; time and efforts have been frittered away. The candidates in the illegal posters are also in trouble of being reprimanded and even disqualified.

Serious candidates in the May 12, 2025 Philippine elections should carefully choose their leaders and coordinators. If they can’t follow simple or basic rules on campaign materials, they can’t be relied on when the goings get tough during the campaign period, which blasted officially on February 11.

It is important for the candidates—especially for national positions— to tap the right characters for the right job, not just thrill-seeking “volunteers” and irresponsible liaisons who will eventually give the candidates a king-sized headache.

 

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Unlike the other known political characters in the Philippines, Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas didn’t mince words when he openly declared “there are strong grounds to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, following the testimonies and evidence presented during the quad committee proceedings.”

Many solons, mayors and even governors have refused to criticize the vice president, or said something about the impeachment case scheduled in July or two months after the elections, for fear of political reprisal.

Many politicians angling for important elective posts in the May 12 elections also fear the wrath of the Duterte votes, including the Iglesia Ni Kristo, which they believe is sympathetic to the embattled daughter of Davao City. Not the Iloilo city mayor.

In fact, Treñas has agreed with former Senate president Franklin Drilon who recently “urged” President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to call for a special session to convene the Impeachment Court before the May elections.

“So I think, so far as the legal issues are concerned, once the president calls for a special session to approve some bills and, among others, take up the impeachment, the Senate is duty-bound by the Constitution to perform its constitutional duty and immediately take up these bills and also the impeachment,” Treñas said in a press conference February 10.

 

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Even if he has decided to back out from the Senate race, many voters will still vote for celebrity vlogger doctor Willie Ong, who is stricken with cancer.

Ong’s withdrawal came when the Comelec has finalized the printing of official ballots.

The Comelec has printed over 17 million ballots so far for the 2025 elections and Dr. Ong’s name was included.

According to Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia, the poll body produced 17,356,811 ballots as of February 7, or 24.07 percent of the total 72,107,420 ballots that have to be printed.

The two HP printers, the Comelec chair disclosed, produced 9,008,136 ballots so far. These equipment were part of the signed deal with Miru Systems as the poll body’s automated election systems provider.

Comelec can’t halt the printing each time a candidate decides to withdraw.

Canon printers from the National Printing Office (NPO) reportedly  printed 8,348,675 ballots. The poll body targeted to print over 1.5 million ballots per day.

 

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According to the ancient Greek myth, man was originally a composite being, half male and half female. A capricious god split him in two, with the result that the separated male and female have sought ever since to become reunited with the "other half."

Modern psychologists make the same point in a somewhat different way when they say that "the deepest need of man is the need to overcome his separateness, to leave the prison of his aloneness."

GOOD NIGHT, POUNDS. We don’t have to dream about weight loss. One way to make it a reality: Relax for 20 minutes before bed, suggests Dr. Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet. Winding down before hitting the pillows helps keep us out of the kitchen (and away from tempting leftovers). Let’s try mellowing out to soft music or soaking in a warm bath.

"Support our Troops" paraphernalia; however gov't-issued brochures and videos featured a slightly different slogan during the WWII era--"Don't forget-- Put it on before you put it in." During the Second World War, many soldiers returned home with veneral diseases, costing the gov't millions of dollars in medical expenses.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)