‘Debate’

The occasion was the special pre-anniversary show of the highly popular "Debate ni Pareng Oca at Mareng Winnie," the award-winning program of Channel 7 and hosted by former Pangasinan Governor Oscar "Pareng Oca" Orbos and former Economic Planning Secretary Solita "Mareng Winnie" Monsod. The trend-setting TV talk show is now on its seventh year as a consistent top-rating program.

While make-up artists were attending to us, suddenly, a very unmistakable figure who looked like former President Joseph Estrada emerged from the studio door. We thought the Sandiganbayan granted special furlough that night for the detained President. But a closer look, it turned out, it was only Willie Nepomuceno, the great impersonator himself, who stepped into the studio.

Willie strode into the studio, all made up and ready for the show. Wearing Estrada’s signature wristband (with a presidential seal) and jacket over T-shirt and blue jeans, false moustache and wig, Willie even had the few goatee hairs attached below his chin to complete his perfect impersonation of the deposed President.

Living up to the person he is supposed to be, Renee Facunla, a.k.a. "Ate Glow" arrived last to the show, still to put on his make-up and costume as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

They were our fellow guests at the "Debate" for their featured topic "Mas Pasaway at Sablay: Gobierno o Media?" or in rough translation, which is more stubborn and error-prone, respectively.

This was an offshoot of the recent speech of President Arroyo before the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas (KBP) in Baguio City where she called attention to the media’s supposed acquired "bad boy" image in becoming witting or unwitting tool of anti-government forces to project only the negative or bad news while glossing over the more positive or good news.

Naturally aside from Ate Glow, the members of the panel pointing to media as more stubborn and error-prone, were our very own Star columnist, UP political science professor Alex Magno, and Paranaque Rep.Edgardo Zialcita. On our side were Willie as Sherap and Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David.

While Pareng Oca and Mareng Winnie were definitely taking opposite sides on the still raging accusations of "stealing, cheating and lying" against President Arroyo, this, however, does not show in their program as both of them professionally handle whatever opposing opinions or bias they each have.

Talking about Pare and Mare, I only learned recently that Mrs.Arroyo and Estrada were, in fact, "magkumpare," or both stood in the past as wedding godparents to a number of couples. The two Presidents were the godparents to the wedding last Saturday of the son of Rizal Governor Casimiro Ynares and the daughter of former Sen.Ramon Revilla. However, both were not there at the wedding for obvious different reasons.

Initially, I was hesitant to join another debating format episode of this TV show. After one or two appearances as member of one of the two debating teams, I have begged off to several subsequent invitations in this show in the past. I must confess, I am not an argumentative person. I think I am better read than heard. I see myself more as a commonsense thinker. So I accepted invitations in some of their episodes not as a debater, but as a panelist to ask questions to their week’s featured guests on the hot seat.

But when I learned that my idol Willie would be one of the guests, I broke this self-imposed rule. It was a good thing that the TV talk show is now being done taped as live in a much earlier time at night. In the past guesting I did at "Debate," it was aired live at way past 11 o’ clock in the evening until the wee hours of the morning.

What makes it worth the while of guesting at "Debate," aside of course from the token gifts we take home at the end of the program, is being closely associated with such a highly credible TV talk show like Pareng Oca and Mareng Winnie. What is funny is some people who recognize, even if they don’t even know me at all, would approach and tell me they always see me at "Debate" and how they appreciate my participation there.

TV really has a very wide reach of audience in our country and for a TV talk show program like "Debate" to remain at the top spot in the TV ratings game speaks for itself. This is the TV show that holds the distinction of no less than a sitting President, joining in the fray in the middle of its program where he was not even invited.

It would be recalled, Estrada who himself is a late night owl, called up from the Palace to personally refute claims made by former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Perfecto Yasay. Estrada vehemently denied Yasay’s disclosures that he supposedly called up the SEC chief at his office to intercede in behalf of former Presidential crony businessman Dante Tan on the alleged "insider trading" by the BW Resources.

Yasay, who as one of the panelists during that night’s "Debate" episode received a presidential tonque-lashing in typical Estrada language in Tagalog that "lightning would strike at liars" like the SEC chief.

For all his faults and shortcomings, Estrada’s outbursts clearly demonstrated the more forthright manner on how the former President handled his problems with media. No underhanded tactics nor collateral damage to the rest of the members of the Philippine press except for the particular offending party.

At the end of the TV program on this issue on Mrs.Arroyo’s tirades on "bad boy" media, all of us came to the same conclusion that government and the free press, in a democratic country like ours, cannot afford to have peaceful co-existence nor cancel each other out.

By the way, the results of the text survey that caps every "Debate" program showed 13 percent said it is media which is more stubborn and error-prone as against 87 percent saying it is the government of President Arroyo. Need I say more?