Media vs Police

There is a portion in our Constitution entirely devoted to the rights and privileges of citizens called the “Bill of Rights” ensuring protection of their life, liberty and property (Article III). This is an essential part of a democratic country’s charter that serves to limit the Government’s exercise of its tremendous powers and thus prevent tyranny and oppression. Once more the effectiveness of these “Bill of Rights” is under severe test in the latest case of popular, hard hitting broadcast journalist, Ted Failon.

The violent death of Ted’s wife is undoubtedly a police matter. The Quezon City Police Department (QCPD) is indeed legally bound to explore all angles and determine whether it is a case of suicide or foul play. It may not be reprehensible or wrong for the police to consider every body present in the place where it happened immediately before or after the incident including Ted himself as suspects.

But obviously in Ted’s case, the QCPD has gone overboard. The responding police team clearly deviated from the SOP they observe in other police cases. The manner they pick up the house-helps and relatives keeping watch on a dying victim and dragging them out of the hospital like common criminals despite lack of charges yet, certainly do not happen in a decent and humane society supposed to be governed by the rule of law. Neither is there anything decent or humane in the rough treatment Ted and his family got from the policemen who callously disregarded their anguish and distress in the midst of tragedy as they anxiously looked after their loved one fighting for her life. Undeniably, the policemen committed serious violations of human rights. In fact six of them have already been preventively suspended.

There is however a more dangerous and alarming aspect in this case that bears watching because it strikes at the very core of one of the more vital and important institutions in a democratic and free society. It is not only about the human rights of Ted and family. It is the apparent attempt to curtail press freedom or the right of media people like Ted Failon to speak without prior restraint or fear of subsequent punishment. In this case, all acts and signs point to an attempt to cow him into silence by ruthlessly using the awesome powers of the government through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Obviously the Radio-TV programs of Ted Failon and his partner Korina Sanchez have high degree of credibility because they mince no words in publicly pointing out wrongdoings and shenanigans once they get their facts straight. They are courageous enough to denounce anybody and any anomaly in and out of government because they do so only after ascertaining the truth and gathering enough proof to back up their expose. They have been doing this since their “Hoy Gising” days in ABS-CBN where my son Jopet and I also used to appear regularly. Their hard hitting and fearless stance must have incurred the ire of the police and even some VIPs in the government resulting in this on-going and prolonged ordeal of Ted over the tragic death of his wife.

The initial report supposedly coming from the police that Ted shot his wife inside their car apparently raise doubts on what really happened thereby placing on Ted the burden of proving that it was a suicide. At the same time it gives the government enough reason to conduct further inquiry on whether it was suicide or foul play despite the existence of enough evidence showing it was a suicide. First the QCPD set up the angle of foul play. Now it is the NBI that is prolonging the agony of Ted by still pursuing that angle. Having lost his beloved wife so tragically and still being burdened with the task of showing that he has nothing to do with it must really be agonizing ordeal for Ted. But I am sure he will not give in to the pressure. For he knows it is a big blow against press freedom.

Fortunately in the case of Ted media coverage was extensive enough to record the substantial portions of the story that gives us the big picture. Media has indeed played its role properly and to the hilt by depicting “police brutality” and intentional inanity. The extraordinary attention given by media to the tragedy somehow enabled the public to get a glimpse of some abuses of law enforcers that have heretofore been part of rumors and loose talks only.

But media should be vigilant not only with respect to cases involving media personality. Many other cases of human rights violations deserve the same attention. On December 5, 2008, a more gruesome incident happened somewhere in Paranaque involving men in uniform. The poor widow and mother of the victims Lilian de Vera seem to have been left alone to pursue the case and fight for justice to lessen her pain and misery and to live in peace the remaining years of her life. On that fateful night, she had just made her first Friday panata and was on the way to meet her husband and young daughter when she learned that they have been killed by the police themselves who are supposed to protect innocent civilians. This is what Lilian wrote:

“My husband’s face was unrecognizable because he was shot in the head at close range while he was kneeling with his head bowed down. My daughter’s young body was riddled with bullets, one hit her head, blowing her brains out…all from too powerful guns and ammunitions fired by the “men in uniform’ on two innocent and defenseless persons.

The men in uniform were allegedly on a mission to take some gang of robbers victimizing people at large. The police shot the Crosswind van my husband and daughter was riding. Based on some witnesses’ narration, the police sprayed bullets into the van despite the lack of provocation or shots coming from the van. In his last efforts to save their lives, my husband grabbed my bloodied daughter and shielded her with his body while trying to run away from the police and get cover from a parked jeepney. My husband and daughter were defenseless. How can you mistake a child for a robber? How can you shoot someone who was already kneeling with head bowed, an indication of helplessness?”