Drugs, bribery, and unfair reportage
There are many reasons why the ongoing congressional inquiry on the Alabang Boys/ bribery/ drug dealing is coming across as better-managed and more productive.
The congressmen - or at least those that are involved in this particular inquiry - seem less prone to grandstanding and showing off. The questions that the congressmen are asking are not exactly better examples of how to conduct a cross-examination, but at least they don't strut around like they are omniscient. There's less hysterics and less bullying. Of course, the appearance of the Justice Secretary threw a wrench into the whole inquiry, but what else can we expect from the man anyway.
As a result, I think the kind of information that is being unearthed are more substantive and insightful.
Here are two insights that struck me the most, so far:
1. Drug use is not only prevalent in the country; it's now practically out of control. Sources say we now rank first in terms of drug use in Asia. I am actually not surprised at this confirmation - I've known for quite sometime now that drug use has been on a steady rise. In fact, those among us involved in HIV/AIDS prevention believe that it is drug use that is the vector for the sudden rise of infections.
2. There are many scalawags in uniform, but there also remains quite a number of idealistic, principled, virtuous men in the military. Major Ferdinand Marcelino, PDEA Director is one of them.
In a related development, I was quite flabbergasted at ABS-CBN's reportage on the student caught selling drugs. ABS-CBN focused too much on the fact that the student was from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, even repeated that information many times and used it as the main identifying factor. There were a number of identification cards presented by the suspect - there were at least 10 laid out on the table, but it was his student ID that ABS-CBN chose to focus on. The subliminal message was quite clear. Contrast this with the way GMA did their reportage: They simply mentioned that the young man was a college student but did not mention the school.
The congressmen - or at least those that are involved in this particular inquiry - seem less prone to grandstanding and showing off. The questions that the congressmen are asking are not exactly better examples of how to conduct a cross-examination, but at least they don't strut around like they are omniscient. There's less hysterics and less bullying. Of course, the appearance of the Justice Secretary threw a wrench into the whole inquiry, but what else can we expect from the man anyway.
As a result, I think the kind of information that is being unearthed are more substantive and insightful.
Here are two insights that struck me the most, so far:
1. Drug use is not only prevalent in the country; it's now practically out of control. Sources say we now rank first in terms of drug use in Asia. I am actually not surprised at this confirmation - I've known for quite sometime now that drug use has been on a steady rise. In fact, those among us involved in HIV/AIDS prevention believe that it is drug use that is the vector for the sudden rise of infections.
2. There are many scalawags in uniform, but there also remains quite a number of idealistic, principled, virtuous men in the military. Major Ferdinand Marcelino, PDEA Director is one of them.
In a related development, I was quite flabbergasted at ABS-CBN's reportage on the student caught selling drugs. ABS-CBN focused too much on the fact that the student was from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, even repeated that information many times and used it as the main identifying factor. There were a number of identification cards presented by the suspect - there were at least 10 laid out on the table, but it was his student ID that ABS-CBN chose to focus on. The subliminal message was quite clear. Contrast this with the way GMA did their reportage: They simply mentioned that the young man was a college student but did not mention the school.
Comments
"For the love of God, DON't work for ABS-CBN!"
Now I can see why. XD
that's not entirely bad advice. hahaha.
bong