The Ayala rally last February 22 was my first rally. It was everything I thought a rally would be. Streamers, banners, and placards were everywhere. Speakers were on stage giving speeches. People were clapping and chanting. The protesters from different groups were estimated to number around 10,000. The media was also there in full force; cameras were set up atop trucks and makeshift stages, reporters were doing live reports, and directors were telling the protesters to move their banners for the cameras.
Wait.
The call from someone in the media which was relayed through one of the speakers on stage stopped me in my tracks. Right there and then was a simple example of how media somehow influences events. That one was pretty simple; it was only so the cameramen could get a good shot of the stage. But the way the protesters quickly acceded to the request amused me. This was all a game.
The media is a very powerful force in this country. It can make or break anything –careers, causes, lives. It had been instrumental in the fall of two presidents in the past, being an integral part of two “People Power” revolts. In the current crisis spawned by the NBN-ZTE scandal, the media is once again at the front covering and reporting every single move of the parties involved.
And, as before, it has also become a battleground of images.
The protesters granted the media’s request in order to further their cause. By being very visible, by showing the world their numbers and their resolve, by being on the good side of the media, they would come closer to fulfilling their objectives.
When Jun Lozada came out from hiding with his expose the media was there. Live coverage was given to the man who had just recently “escaped” from his “kidnappers” and had sought refuge at La Salle Greenhills among nuns and priests. He dropped a bombshell which rocked the Arroyo administration to its core, and he lit off a spark which, most recently, led to mass protests here in Manila and other points around the country.
His first appearance at the Senate was covered live by the two major networks. Every word was broadcast to every person watching and listening. He came across as a penitent sinner, one who could no longer tolerate the corruption he had once been part of. When he cried, time seemed to stop –for us at home at least. Here was someone who was putting it all out on the line, someone who, in ANC and GMA-7’s full color, was telling us all about the darkness behind the presidency.
The Senate hearings continued, always covered by the media –live on ANC and Studio 23 and reported later during the primetime newscasts. Former and current government officials tried to discredit Lozada and his story. They poked holes in his claim that he had been kidnapped by the PSG and the PNP. They tried mightily to destroy his credibility, but to the people watching at home, Lozada became the underdog. He became a hero who bravely went against the powerful and the evil.
This image was further reinforced by the ANC special Harapan: The Jun Lozada Expose. Lozada was supposed to appear opposite former COMELEC chair Benjamin Abalos in a one-on-one debate. What happened only served to strengthen his underdog image, as wave after wave of government officials attacked his testimony. Lozada, via remote link-up from La Salle, dressed in a white undershirt, again outnumbered, parried their questions and fought back.
The administration appeared as an angry mob, the “dark side” which “Jedi” Lozada had turned away from. Its leader, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was branded as “evil”.
The formerly obscure CEO of the Philippine Forest Corporation was now a celebrity, a “hero” for many, thanks largely to media coverage.
I saw him once during his visit to Malcolm Hall a few short weeks ago. He looked simple enough. He seemed sincere enough. He was consistent in everything he said or did.
But there was something... ...off.
I can't quite place it yet. There's something about Lozada that bothers me. Nearly everyone was quick to embrace him the moment he appeared at the Senate and started to talk. It was the same at Malcolm Hall. Nearly everyone there believed in him and in what he said.
The problem there is that he hasn't shown a single shred of evidence which would corroborate his stories. He tells good stories, but stories they shall remain unless he gives up the goods.
Papers! Numbers! Prices! Receipts! Photographs! ANYTHING! Nothing.
And people believe him just the same.
One other thing that bothers me is that he's just a bit too good in front of the cameras. Naturally charismatic or artificially practiced?
And he cries a lot.
A LOT.
Come on man, you don't need to cry so we would believe you, just show us some proof!
Yes, I find it annoying. I find HIM annoying. I want to know the truth as much as everyone else, but you can't get the truth from just the stories of one man.
He could be making it all up for all we know!
But is anyone even trying to get him to show some proof? The Senate seems content to just let him talk and talk during the hearings. His supporters demand for truth and accountability from everyone else except their dear hero. It was as if his confession that he was right in the middle of the scandal and that he had his own share of corruption made him the one true arbiter of truth, the one man in this madhouse of a country who cannot tell a lie.
His image does help him a lot.
***
Feel free to agree or disagree. Post your comments below. Hahaha.
Wait.
The call from someone in the media which was relayed through one of the speakers on stage stopped me in my tracks. Right there and then was a simple example of how media somehow influences events. That one was pretty simple; it was only so the cameramen could get a good shot of the stage. But the way the protesters quickly acceded to the request amused me. This was all a game.
The media is a very powerful force in this country. It can make or break anything –careers, causes, lives. It had been instrumental in the fall of two presidents in the past, being an integral part of two “People Power” revolts. In the current crisis spawned by the NBN-ZTE scandal, the media is once again at the front covering and reporting every single move of the parties involved.
And, as before, it has also become a battleground of images.
The protesters granted the media’s request in order to further their cause. By being very visible, by showing the world their numbers and their resolve, by being on the good side of the media, they would come closer to fulfilling their objectives.
When Jun Lozada came out from hiding with his expose the media was there. Live coverage was given to the man who had just recently “escaped” from his “kidnappers” and had sought refuge at La Salle Greenhills among nuns and priests. He dropped a bombshell which rocked the Arroyo administration to its core, and he lit off a spark which, most recently, led to mass protests here in Manila and other points around the country.
His first appearance at the Senate was covered live by the two major networks. Every word was broadcast to every person watching and listening. He came across as a penitent sinner, one who could no longer tolerate the corruption he had once been part of. When he cried, time seemed to stop –for us at home at least. Here was someone who was putting it all out on the line, someone who, in ANC and GMA-7’s full color, was telling us all about the darkness behind the presidency.
The Senate hearings continued, always covered by the media –live on ANC and Studio 23 and reported later during the primetime newscasts. Former and current government officials tried to discredit Lozada and his story. They poked holes in his claim that he had been kidnapped by the PSG and the PNP. They tried mightily to destroy his credibility, but to the people watching at home, Lozada became the underdog. He became a hero who bravely went against the powerful and the evil.
This image was further reinforced by the ANC special Harapan: The Jun Lozada Expose. Lozada was supposed to appear opposite former COMELEC chair Benjamin Abalos in a one-on-one debate. What happened only served to strengthen his underdog image, as wave after wave of government officials attacked his testimony. Lozada, via remote link-up from La Salle, dressed in a white undershirt, again outnumbered, parried their questions and fought back.
The administration appeared as an angry mob, the “dark side” which “Jedi” Lozada had turned away from. Its leader, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was branded as “evil”.
The formerly obscure CEO of the Philippine Forest Corporation was now a celebrity, a “hero” for many, thanks largely to media coverage.
I saw him once during his visit to Malcolm Hall a few short weeks ago. He looked simple enough. He seemed sincere enough. He was consistent in everything he said or did.
But there was something... ...off.
I can't quite place it yet. There's something about Lozada that bothers me. Nearly everyone was quick to embrace him the moment he appeared at the Senate and started to talk. It was the same at Malcolm Hall. Nearly everyone there believed in him and in what he said.
The problem there is that he hasn't shown a single shred of evidence which would corroborate his stories. He tells good stories, but stories they shall remain unless he gives up the goods.
Papers! Numbers! Prices! Receipts! Photographs! ANYTHING! Nothing.
And people believe him just the same.
One other thing that bothers me is that he's just a bit too good in front of the cameras. Naturally charismatic or artificially practiced?
And he cries a lot.
A LOT.
Come on man, you don't need to cry so we would believe you, just show us some proof!
Yes, I find it annoying. I find HIM annoying. I want to know the truth as much as everyone else, but you can't get the truth from just the stories of one man.
He could be making it all up for all we know!
But is anyone even trying to get him to show some proof? The Senate seems content to just let him talk and talk during the hearings. His supporters demand for truth and accountability from everyone else except their dear hero. It was as if his confession that he was right in the middle of the scandal and that he had his own share of corruption made him the one true arbiter of truth, the one man in this madhouse of a country who cannot tell a lie.
His image does help him a lot.
***
Feel free to agree or disagree. Post your comments below. Hahaha.
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