Fretful assertions

When I saw broadcast journalist Cheche Lazaro on television posting bail at the Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 47 last week, my heart sunk. I also felt the same way two weeks ago when Ted Failon and Jun Lozada were easily arrested. I remembered how my father was arrested in that fateful hour, two hours after midnight in September 1972 to signal the imposition of martial law by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos. He was silenced for half of his lifetime until the dictator fell in 1986.

Is GMA treading the very same path Marcos took during his 21 years in office? The conditions we are going through nowadays seem to create that impression and feeling. I hope I am wrong. I hope this is only a nightmare. If GMA has no intentions of bringing the country to this state, then she should make drastic changes in the way her people in government work.

Going back to the issue on Cheche, the public is always given a choice to form their beliefs from the news they read. We have a choice whether or not to watch programs and listen to radio commentators. The government, on the other hand, has little choice. They have to serve the citizenry. The government needs to elevate itself and rise above all these bickering and innuendos whether written by the press or coming from the general public. Why don’t officials just do their work? Stop manipulating, exploiting, abusing people – your power is nothing without that sincere, honest and industrious approach to good governance.

By the way, public servants cannot be soft skinned – balat sibuyas as they say it in the vernacular. Didn’t they make that choice in the first place?

Cheche Lazaro who has been a broadcast journalist for 22 years knows her work and has been very professional about it. Even international organizations for that matter recognize her reputable persona. They often invite her to host or moderate conferences. In fact, when former British Prime Minister Tony Blair came, Cheche awed the audience with her exceptional skills equaling that of Barbara Walters and Ted Koppel. That’s how good she is.

Why is it so easy for the PNP group (in the case of Ted Failon), Mike Defensor (who filed the perjury case against Lozada) and Ella Valencerina (who filed the wiretapping charge against Lazaro), to have that warrant of arrest issued? Why is it that in the case of ordinary people, it takes a long time to get a warrant even when all the facts and information call for it? Cheche was just trying to help resolve the ‘poor’ teachers’ fate – in her ‘Perwisyong Benepisyo’ Report (Probe TV show). Her intention was to air the problem of the retired public school teachers who did not get their benefits from GSIS. Now, if no one writes or talks about issues such as this, then what will happen to the story and the lives affected by it?

Come to think of it, this is not even Cheche Lazaro’s problem. She just did what she was supposed to do as a journalist – to express the sentiments or problems of people who are not heard. Cheche’s stance, reactions and answers to questions on the issue has clearly shown how professional she is. She is not one who can be called an abusive journalist.

I am sure this case is aggravating for Ms. Lazaro but I’m glad it happened. There is a reason for such – and I hope in time, people will realize how important the role of a journalist is especially in this country where torture, violence, politically motivated deaths, senseless killings, unlawful arrests and rampant violation of human rights happen and are left unsolved.

I do not understand why the GSIS vice president had to go to the extent of filing a case against Cheche Lazaro. Why can’t she direct all her energies instead toward resolving the problem of the public school teachers? Everyone seems to be filing petty cases against each other. We fight to save ourselves and our egos and have forgotten to save our own people. Think about it. In this case, the fight should not be about Cheche Lazaro, it should be a fight to elevate the lives of the public school teachers – the real victims who are once again overshadowed by the case filed against Lazaro.

We are living in an age characterized by violent conflicts among opposing political, economic and moral forces. When we analyze and trace their causes, we realize that the eventual fate of nations is determined not on the battlefield but in the classrooms. Every nation is, to a considerable extent, made in the classroom. Education is necessarily bound up with the life of the nation. Let us take heed of the lamentations of our teachers. Let us not take them for granted, for it is in their hands that great leaders are formed to one day lead the nation toward greatness and prosperity.

A friend sent me this amusing story and I want to share it with you: “The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a politician decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, ‘What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?’ He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: ‘Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.’ To emphasize his point he said to another guest: ‘You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?’ Bonnie, who had a reputation for her work ethics, honesty and frankness replied, ‘You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...) ‘Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?’ (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) ‘’I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn’t everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in Math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the Philippines. I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.’(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) ‘Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make as a Politician?’ His jaw dropped, he went silent.