Citizen journalism: A homegrown tradition in ABS-CBN

MANILA, Philippines - During my growing up years in the early ’80s, news and late-night documentary programs dominated my TV viewing habit. I followed the afternoon public service program Hoy Gising! anchored by Ted Failon and Korina Sanchez. I particularly liked their “Horror Roll, Honor Roll” segment where my hometown, Marikina, became a staple story.

My childhood had become synonymous to dealing with waist-deep floodwaters during the rainy season. Frustrated at how the local government was handling the problem, I thought at one point of reporting to Hoy Gising! by mail about our perennially flooded street in Barangay Parang.

I couldn’t remember why I chickened out. Maybe I just got afraid. Maybe I just didn’t realize the potential outcome of reporting our sorry condition.

During those Hoy Gising! days, the concept of “citizen journalism” was unheard of. But the show was exactly what citizen journalism is all about, only back then citizens were using snail mails or telephone calls to lodge their complaints.

Now, citizen journalism has taken on a new form with citizens using cell phones or emails to report about wrongdoing or irregularity.

 In 2007, I started doing stories for Bayan Mo I-Patrol Mo, a campaign ABS-CBN launched as an offshoot of its Citizen Patrol segment on TV Patrol.

 I wouldn’t forget the first story I did for this campaign. It was possibly the simplest story I have done but it made a huge impact on ordinary people’s lives. It was from a text message of a friend about the construction of a ‘loading and unloading’ zone for provincial buses in the middle of Guadalupe Bridge in Edsa. Imagine, passengers from the provinces with their “bayongs” and bags getting off their buses in the middle of Edsa, having to play “patintero” with speeding buses and cars.

A day after the story came out, the almost-finished structure was dismantled. A government official admitted they didn’t want to push through with the project since it was obviously crazy. But it was proposed by an influential governor and apparently had the go-signal from Malacañang. Fortunately, no one had to die in the middle of Edsa for the governor to realize how wrong he was.

In the runup to the 2010 elections, Bayan Mo I-Patrol Mo was re-born as Boto Mo I-Patrol Mo Ako: Ang Simula, and I continued doing stories for TV Patrol. Like the loading and unloading zone story, there were other stories where the power of citizen journalists, whom we now call “Boto Patrollers,” prevailed.

 A Boto Patroller reported about a health officer in Marikina whose credentials were printed in leaflets inserted in health booklets as if it were already campaign season. The health officer claimed it was her friends who inserted those leaflets. She later said she would ask her friends to stop.                  

 In Tagaytay City, a group of youth volunteers complained against the seeming bias of an election officer in giving out registration forms. They sent ABS-CBN a cell phone video showing the election officer apparently making a scene and raising her voice. In that same video, a man was seen taking hold of his gun as if readying to use it.

 A Boto Patroller from Angono, Rizal also helped raise awareness about the voter’s ID. Prior to that story, most voters thought a voter’s ID is necessary to vote. The Commission on Elections clarified that any valid ID will do.

 But there are also frustrating stories where government officials are obviously just paying lip service, giving television news “sound bites” but deep inside are not really planning to address the problem.

ABS-CBN has done countless stories about cheap political gimmicks, like notebooks covered with photos of a possible candidate in Mindanao being distributed middle of the school year. Equally frustrating are stories about tarpaulins around the city months before campaign season officially starts. Despite our stories, it seems notebooks will be distributed and those tarpaulins will be there to stay until May 2010.

But I am still keeping my fingers crossed, hoping citizen journalism and mainstream reporting can work hand-in-hand to achieve honest and peaceful elections next year.

 On one hand, citizen journalists have access to stories ordinary reporters like me may not have. On the other hand, mainstream reporters can simply call officials, make them talk about and, hopefully, act on a specific problem.

Now, if I can only bring back time, will I snail mail to Hoy Gising! that report about the constant flooding in our Marikina neighborhood? Yes, because, who knows, I could have helped my ever-flooded community — something which Boto Patrollers these days can easily do with just a few clicks on their cell phones.