Good stories are better news

We all must admit — the first three years of this administration projected a very good image worldwide — with the Philippines hailed as the “new darling” of global investors due to its anti-corruption drive and the impressive GDP growth rate of over 6 percent at a time when the economy of other nations was collapsing because of the global financial crisis. Credit ratings agencies such as Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s issued upgrades, citing the reform initiatives of the Aquino administration, generating heightened interest from foreign investors.

But this past year, we have been getting hit by bad publicity judging from the kind of issues that have become fodder for news. The pork scandal broke with three senators implicated in the scam by Janet Lim Napoles. The Supreme Court declared the government’s Disbursement Acceleration Program as unconstitutional — prompting a virtual war between the Executive and Judicial branches with the president taking an adversarial stance and wanting to clip the powers of the SC — driving fears among international observers that democratic institutions are again being undermined.

A few days ago, people witnessed the boorish behavior of legislators who could not even display mutual courtesy, bent as they are in trading accusations of lying, with the vice president being accused of corruption and now, Senate President Franklin Drilon also accused of plunder for allegedly inflating the building cost of a convention center. A couple of weeks ago the country’s top cop was also hounded by corruption allegations with suspicions that bribes were being given in the guise of “donations.”

Going by the comments on social media, people seem to think government — from top officials down to the bottom — have been infected by the “eh bolsa” and the “eh bolahan” virus, with Netizens pointing to the beleaguered Camarines Norte governor displaying all the symptoms when he went on TV crying because his wife “disappeared” — then pleading for forgiveness when it became apparent that his wife left as incriminating photos of the governor and his alleged mistress started circulating on the web. Naturally, the murder of transgender Jeffrey Laude, also known as Jennifer, allegedly by US Marine Joseph Pemberton has added to the negative stories about the country with our justice system being put to the test.

We’re not surprised that some businessmen who were so gung ho about doing business in the Philippines are now having second thoughts, their anxiety fed not only by the swirling shadow of corruption scandals but other discouraging news like the interminable traffic gridlocks, the impending power crisis and the revival of the Abu Sayyaf with their kidnapping activities expected to be more prevalent after authorities turned a blind eye in allowing payment of P250 million for the release of the German couple.

After news of the kidnapping ransom came out and a US travel advisory was issued, my American classmate from Forest Hills high school in New York called me — expressing second thoughts about coming to visit.

Sadly, the negative news coming out lately is the culprit. One of our biggest problems is our tendency to sensationalize stories that really do not need to be sensationalized. For instance, many were appalled at the publication of the gruesome photos of Jennifer Laude, convinced that the “publicity hungry” lawyers were driven less by concern for the deceased than the need for theatrical antics.

Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez — our best PR man ever, who worked hard to promote the Philippines — must be scratching his head in frustration. The country recently bagged the Destination of the Year Award at the prestigious 25th TTG Travel Awards 2014 held in Thailand — yet it did not get as much local and international mileage as the “worst airport in the world” news.

I recently met with Winston Co, president of Emperador Distillers Inc., who complained to me about all the bad news. Emperador brandy is the number one selling brandy in the world, having sold 33 million cases in 2013. I have known both Andrew Tan and Winston Co for over 30 years and have seen how both of them turned Megaworld into one of the biggest property developers in the Philippines. Andrew is now one of the richest individuals in the country, having since diversified into the brandy and restaurant business.

Andrew Tan’s Emperador recently bought Whyte and Mackay, the fifth biggest manufacturer of whisky in the world, for $726 million (over P30 billion). Whyte and Mackay is the maker of the popular Scottish single malt whisky brand Jura. Wall Street Journal described Whyte and Mackay as a “prized asset,” and the acquisition gave the local company a bigger footprint in the global market with its network of 50 countries. According to Winston, they are set to explore markets in China and other parts of Asia where the brand has yet to establish a strong presence. Last year, Emperador also acquired Spanish brandy company Bodega San Bruno, with close to P6 billion invested in Spain to buy more prime vineyards and new production facilities such as distillery and bottling plants.

Surely, this is the kind of good news we should be reading more of — because it underscores the global potential of the Philippines — with local conglomerates buying up global brands — something our friend Manny Pangilinan has also been doing, investing in companies like Europe’s leading Internet specialist Rocket Internet AG.

Unfortunately, a lot of media still subscribe to the idea that good news is no news, since the negative seems to get more attention. But we should really try to bring out more of the good stories. After all, when all is said and done — people still like hearing the good news.

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