How editors and newsmen from 120 countries applauded the STAR editorial in Edinburgh

This is unabashedly a "Good Morning, Ourselves" report.

We received feedback yesterday on the panel speech delivered by our STAR Columnist Babe Romualdez, who spoke on "Dying to Tell the Story", at the International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress and 55th General Assembly.

The Congress, which was attended by about 900 editors, columnists, publishers, radio-television media, as well as media-owners from 120 countries around the globe, broke out in applause when Mr. Romualdez – in the course of his address – read out, for the record, the Philippine STAR Editorial published last week on the murder of Filipino journalists with impunity – while the government did too little to curb these assassinations.

To refresh your memory, I’m reproducing the Editorial herein, entitled, "NO END TO THE KILLINGS":

Another day, another murdered journalist. The Philippines seems determined to maintain the "distinction" of being the most "murderous" place in the world for members of the mass media. Yesterday Fernando Batul, a broadcaster of dyPR, the Palawan station of Radio Mindanao Network, was driving to the station when he was ambushed by two men on a motorcycle. Batul died of multiple gunshot wounds.

A former vice mayor of Palawan’s capital Puerto Princesa City, Batul had been critical of the city government, particularly its contracts for the deployment of workers to Taiwan. He also reportedly incurred the ire of city officials for interviewing local communist rebels. Two hand grenades were reportedly left in his house last month with a warning to stop his criticisms. City officials were quick to deny any involvement in his murder, even dangling a reward of P500,000 for the killers’ arrest.

Only last week, the International Federation of Journalists had warned that the security situation for members of the mass media in the Philippines had "gone from bad to worse." Media groups have counted nearly 80 journalists killed in the Philippines since 1986 following the restoration of democracy. That figure has made the country the second most dangerous place in the world after Iraq for journalists.

Media groups have been pointing out that the killings will stop only if the government gets serious about solving the murders and arresting the masterminds. Many of the cases since 1986 remain unsolved. In several of the cases, blame is focused on local political kingpins, military and police officials, rebel groups and even influential gambling lords, drug dealers and smugglers. When the mastermind controls the criminal justice system in a particular area, it is easy to get away with murder. In the rare cases when national attention is focused on a murder, fall guys can be produced by the mastermind.

Will the murders ever stop? This has been said often enough in recent months: there will be no end to the killings until the government sends a strong message that murderers will be caught and punished.

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Indeed, it’s not only the murder of journalists which we ought to worry about. Too many persons are being slain, right and left, in this land where the value of a human life has come to cost only a few bullets, plus a little gasoline from motorcycle-riding hit-men, or thugs who shoot from ambush.

The insolent daytime murder of former New People’s Army Commander "Nognog" in real life (or death) Sotero Llamas, for instance, was carried out in a heavily populated area by the usual motorcycle-riding killers. The once-widely-feared Llamas was riddled in his car like a sitting duck – was he weaponless because he had turned politician and peace consultant? Not likely. On the other hand, how can even a former rebel experienced in the use of guns retaliate in his own defense when his assassins strike out of nowhere?

This is why it is ridiculous, as our friend Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez recently suggested, that journalists be permitted to carry firearms so they could "protect" themselves when attacked by would-be murderers.

Can you imagine anyone untrained in gun-handling defending himself (or herself) from experienced professionals? The prospective victim would have only seconds in which to draw and shoot, and, if any "mark" manages to clear his weapon, the inexperienced journalist would only spray the neighborhood with wildly-fired bullets – probably killing or wounding innocent passersby and bystanders.

The proliferation of guns in any society is an invitation to bloodshed and violent mayhem.

As for Llamas, the former terror of Bicol and Quezon province, the rumor is now going about that the military might have murdered him. Why the military? In truth, they may have been active, quite possibly in killing militants and activists. Yet Ka Nognog had more than enough enemies among his own revolutionary comrades, with a dozen homicidal reasons. For example, when he was a "Red fighter", did his unit contribute to filling the mass graves of "comrades" buried by the score between Sta. Elena and Daet, Camarines Norte? Or was Llamas "offed" because the NPA considered him a traitor to their cause?

Just asking.

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While we continue to quarrel over Cha-cha, or how to oust GMA (a dreary old campaign), or seeing the Palace and our Senators and Congressmen lamely trying to "justify" the giveaway P7.1 billion pork barrel (a gift to themselves by our local porkers), nobody’s worrying about the oil and fuel crisis.

When we consider that the cost of gasoline and diesel is escalating weekly at the corner gas pump, the casting about for a solution, such as alternative fuel (ethanol, etc.) and alternative sources of energy like solar power, windmills, geothermal — nuclear? etc. ought to be a top priority.

What the public can’t understand – and this is true in the United States, as well, where $3 for a gallon of gas may even soar to $6 a gallon within the decade – is WHY the Big Oil giants in the US and Europe continue to rake it in, without returning some of their huge profits into providing cheaper oil and gas to the consumer.

To cite just one of them. Exxon Mobil Corp. reported a record $36 billion profit in 2005 – and, without a grimace of repentance, awarded its just-retired Chairman and Chief Executive, Lee Raymond (who retired last January) a compensation package of $69.7 million and a lump-sum pension payout of $98.4 million. Sanamagan. I’m in the wrong business.

The question is: What will the new Exxon CEO and Chairman Rex Tillerson do about this nasty situation? Will we have more of the same? Anyway, Exxon has been recording the lushest earnings in its history, as Business Week magazine (May 15th issue) says: ". . . notching up $8.4 billion in its latest quarterly report."

Combining the forecast 2006 earnings of BP (British Petroleum); Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Total, ConocoPhillips, and Exxon Mobil, the magazine estimates roughly $135 billion, "a sum greater than the gross domestic product of the Czech Republic or Israel." These companies, moreover, wield huge political clout in their home countries, "have spotty environmental records" (sez Business Week), "and staunchly defend outrageous prices at the gasoline pump."

But here’s the really bad news: The world consumes oil at more than two times the rate of discovery of new supply. Efficiency hasn’t offset rising demand, too. Then there’s the worrisome "rising demand from China and India" – the two emerging industrial giants.

Quick, buy a bicycle! On second thought, no – don’t do it. The way they drive, the buses would immediately run your bike down, and flatten you on the pavement.

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THE ROVING EYE . . . I watched an excellent program hosted by ANC/ABS-CBN’s Tina Monzon Palma the other night in which the PHIVOLCS director and a disaster and relief expert said that we could expect a big earthquake – but couldn’t say when. Tina asked a pertinent question: "Must we fear the coming of such an earthquake?" I don’t believe we should live in fear. All we can do is prepare ourselves, and the general public, on what to do during a quake, and after the earthquake and its aftershocks. We’ve experienced terrible quakes before, more than 7.2 in magnitude. Remember the one which devastated Baguio and caused the total collapse of the Grand Hyatt Hotel there, as well as buildings and smaller hotels like The Nevada Inn? I recall the one here in Manila which started slowly, but in seconds built up in intensity. I first noticed it because I was in the lanai, overlooking the garden, speaking on the phone to another newsman who had rang me up from abroad. When I saw the water in the swimming pool sloshing over onto the garden, like coffee being rocked out of a shaking cup, I realized a quake was in progress. "Sorry," I told my caller, "gotta hang up now – I think we’re in the midst of an earthquake." . . . Another terrible quake occurred in Manila years earlier. We were then in the editorial offices of The Manila Times in the TVT building on Florentino Torres street, just off Plaza Santa Cruz. Not far away, in Binondo (as I recall), an entire apartment building had collapsed on itself. I remember our Publisher, the late Joaquin "Chino" Roces, calling us out to rush over to the Ruby Tower to help dig any possible survivors out of the debris and rubble. It was a useless endeavor, but we all persisted till our hands and fingers bled – working frantically as the groans of buried victims grew fainter. We were digging fruitlessly enough with our bare hands and a few borrowed crowbars – that’s how primitive things were at the time. Our "rescue" teams today are only slightly better equipped, sad to say. When mudslides, landslides, and killer floods occur in distant provinces, we don’t have enough helicopters to rush people to and from the scenes of disaster – much less choppers with night-flying capability. The ancient Romans had a saying about war: "Si vis pacem, pare bellum." (If you wish for Peace, prepare for War). We must prepare for earthquakes and other disasters long before anything happens, not wring our hands in helplessness and despair when something does happen.