The Information Gap is the very foundation of the Wealth Gap that is pushing our country closer to a social explosion. Our democracy malfunctions mainly because of the Information Gap as many Filipinos do not know their power as a voter and their duties and responsibilities as a powerful voter.
How many times have we heard foreigners comment that how come Filipinos have the knack for electing the worst possible leaders? The Information Gap is responsible for that. You don’t have to be a voter with a college degree to know who among the candidates for public office are crooked and who are honest. In many mature democracies where they do not suffer from an Information Gap, non-college degree holders can discern good candidates from rotten ones.
Philippine media will have to shoulder much of the blame for the Information Gap. During election campaigns, two types of media failures are responsible for the election of the least desirable candidates. These are:
1. Prostituted reporting and commentaries, as in the case of those who accept inducements to promote or demolish a candidate. This is either a case of fabricating a mythical glory in order to promote a client’s candidacy or a case of spreading a clear canard in order to demolish a client’s rival. Bad faith is present in both cases.
2. Ill-informed and erroneously analyzed reporting and commentaries where a case of good faith rides on wrong information and deductions.
A good example of how these two types of media failures operate is the discussion on 2010 presidential race dominant brand Noynoy Aquino’s position regarding the RH (Reproductive Health) Bill. Both media factors acting in good and bad faith are eroding Noynoy Aquino for all the wrong reasons.
The media prostitutes are peddling the falsehood that Noynoy is pro-abortion, anti-life, anti-Catholic Church because he allegedly signed the RH Bill. They maliciously manipulate this to subliminally erode the popular perception that Noynoy is good - versus his rivals who are largely perceived as lesser evils. The misinformed media factors who are acting in good faith but on the wrong information tend to unwittingly support the goals of the media prostitutes.
Just how right or how wrong are they?
Sister Remy Centeno, a Catholic nun (Daughter of Charity), is quite close to the family of Cory Aquino and she was one of those who were invited to deliver a eulogy during the wake of President Cory. Sister Remy recently shared her insights to this RH Bill issue being used against Noynoy which Fr. Vicente Marasigan, SJ, provided your Chair Wrecker. We’ve subsequently confirmed it directly with her.
Per Sister Remy, she directly asked Noynoy last October 11 about his stand on the RH Bill. Sister Remy quoted Noynoy’s reply - “Sister, I am against abortion. I am against euthanasia. I am against the use of artificial contraceptives but I am pro-couple’s choice.”
Sister Remy further stated: “Noynoy DID NOT SIGN THE RH BILL. Since he is the Chair of the Senate Health Committee, his staff presumed that he signed the bill and so the article in the internet came out. But he did not sign the bill. He is pro-couple’s choice. I believe that not even God will dictate to the couples what to do. He gave us FREE WILL.”
“I think the fact that God has given us a FREE WILL is his (Noynoy’s) strongest reason for pro-couple’s choice. Not even God will dictate to them what to do and not to do. If they want to go to hell, well, that’s their choice,” Sister Remy added.
Asked if Noynoy withdrew his signature from the RH Bill, Sister Remy said: “NO, because he did not sign it in the first place. But the media do not know this. This is not published anywhere.”
So, who will you now believe - media prostitutes who are being paid to spread lies in order to demolish Noynoy or a nun of the Roman Catholic Church who has a mastery of what are anti Roman Catholic positions and what are not and had bothered to clarify the RH Bill issue directly with Noynoy?
Another anti Noynoy canard that is being peddled is the myth of “Kamag-anak Inc” (Relatives Incorporated) that was used to erode President Cory during her incumbency. If someone brings up the topic with you, just ask:
1. How come nobody ever delivered a privilege speech in Congress or the Senate about any incident of stealing or corruption involving President Cory’s family during that time unlike the exposes we have been seeing during subsequent presidencies?
2. How come not a single Cory Aquino family member was ever implicated in any specific corruption scandal during that time unlike the BW Stock manipulation and jueteng scandals during the Estrada regime, the PEA-Amari and Centennial Expo scandals during the Ramos regime and the Telecom, Jose Pidal, ZTE, Northrail, World Bank projects and other scandals during the Arroyo regime?
3. How come there had been no specific corruption cases that were raised and filed in the proper court?
The family of President Cory was never known to be the murdering, vindictive type so what prevented them from exposing and filing a single corruption case if ever they had such a case?
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Chair Wrecker e-mail and website: macesposo@yahoo.com and www.chairwrecker.com