In the course of our journey as journalists, we have witnessed heels and heroes changed the course of history, as in the Marcos years and in the redeeming people Power EDSA revolution of 1986.
We rubbed elbows with rogues and criminals; clinked champagne glasses with the high and the mighty or shared “tagays “ of cheap gin and liquor in the squalid squatter areas of “ka-kosas or ka-lugars “ (street lingo for gang mates) of dreaded sigue-sigues, bahala na gang (BNG’s) , BCJs or Batang City Jail . All of the above people have something in common: they are newsmakers whether good or bad.
They also wield power. When there’s power, there is clout or leverage and authority. But then, power when in the hands of the wrong person, can be intoxicating and it can be abused….misused to oppress, insult or harass.
There is this newspaper publisher who has wrongly misused the power of the media to attack his colleagues. He wanted to silence this group of community journalists from criticizing his good friend who is a government official, a member of the diplomatic circle but whose language seems “undiplomatic “.
This publisher, Mr.Eddie Lee dedicated a whole page of his newspaper to flaunt his power and to muzzle the community media.
Mr. Lee has insulted the Philippine Press Club of Ontario (PPCO) and all of its members (who by the way are his friends and colleagues) saying they have no “clout “.
“Does anybody in the PPCO, or the whole PPCO itself or any individual, honestly say they possess the necessary muscle or clout to move the government officials to act on the workers’ abuses as (Dale) Brazao and the (Toronto) Star did? Personally, I don not think so, the PPCO itself could not even convince other Filipino-Canadian publications to join it“ said Lee.
On the other hand, this government official, the labour attaché Frank Luna had even described a certain PPCO official as a “moron “for his comments.
He was referring to Mr. Mon Datol, a PPCO director and publisher of the Philippine Courier.
We will not dignify with an answer to their tirades against us nor stoop to their level. All we can say is that indeed, the PPCO has no “clout“ as Mr. Eddie Lee claims.
I don’t know what this publisher meant about having clout. Does it mean paying homage and going on a regular pilgrimages to the Philippine embassy in Ottawa or at the Labour attaché’s office your idea of power and clout? If that’s the case, we say Amen.
But let me disabuse your minds Eddie and Frank. Here is one comment from a reader Mr. Joe Rivera of Scarborough that although he did not name the subject, it was very clear that he was referring to Eddie Lee’s attack on the PPCO.
“The tendency to put ourselves down in relations to others magnifies our timidity that we would rather be bystander in any social action and simply waits for beneficial consequences to trickle to our side. ……Sometimes, this could also explain why people of other culture have considered us indolent.
Consider, for example, this point of view of a publisher of a Filipino community newspaper in Toronto. He said that Filipino journalists in Toronto are out of order in complaining against the award given by the Philippine Labour Attache to a Toronto mainstream reporter for his series of articles, which he said prompted the governments of Ottawa and Toronto to adopt changes in the law that regulates the employment of live-in caregivers.
The Filipino Press Association (referring to the PPCO) criticized the Philippine labour attaché for glossing over the initiatives of advocates of nanny reforms whom it claimed should have received the award instead. Also slighted by their non-recognition, they made known their bad feelings for the labour attaché’s snub.
This PUBLISHER used his own community newspaper in its January 2010 issue to DERIDE the complaints of the Filipino Press Association, whose members are also his colleagues and friends. In his condescending opinion, he wrote that there is no one from the Filipino association or any Individual or group in the Filipino community with the wherewithal which the Canadian reporter possessed that could possibly stir up action in the higher levels of government. And that included him too. “
He continued “Although the newspaper’s masthead contains a line that it has been in continuous publication for 35 years, the same newspaper has accomplished nothing—repeat—nothing in terms of exerting even a slight influence on government official when they deliberate on laws and policies that may affect Filipino temporary workers or Filipino-Canadians, whom the Philippine Labour Attache deems by legal niceties as foreigners. At least, the persistent advocacy of another Filipino Community newspaper has influenced the Toronto coroner’s decision and recommendations regarding the police handling of the Jeffrey Reodica case and produced studies and reports on the deprofessionalization on Filipino immigrants.”
Rivera also said that “this publisher” instead of rallying with other Filipino groups and finding strength in a united stand, he chose to believe that the public and government bureaucrats would not be swayed by an inconsequential ethnic reporter like him.“
Rivera also recounted that “sometime in the early 1990s. The same newspaper publisher was approached by an advocacy group to support the community’s protest against racial discrimination of Filipino youths at the Scarborough Town Centre, he declined, saying he did not want to be involved in controversial issues. No wonder that after 35 years in news publishing, he still walks away from the heat“.
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The PPCO of which this writer represents, is a grouping of journalists, media practitioners within the Ontario area and is composed of several publications, radio programs and television and other broadcast entities.
Mr. Eddie Lee, publisher of Atin Ito is not a member of the PPCO but has been attending our foray and other events.. We consider him as a colleague because he is also in the media business.
But we don’t know if he is really a journalist or a Public relations consultant
for the Labour Attaché’s office .
As an organization of media practitioners, we don’t solicit members to join us but rather set standards as to who should be a member based on our own criteria. As of the moment, there are pending applications from a newly formed community newspaper, the Visayan Herald whose editor and photographer have submitted their applications.
And we don’t usually trumpet whatever modest contributions we may have, big or small for the community.
But at the PPCO, we are proud that many of our members have made some pioneering steps and advocacy in many issues and concerns affecting the community. We have the likes of Faye Arellano, Hermie and Mila Garcia, Mon Datol , Jess Cabrias, Ace and Gie Alvarez, Jojo Taduran, Rolly Cabrera, Paul de la Cruz, Ricky Caluen, Larry Torres, Ariel Ramos, Noel Perada, Tony Sicat, the St. Jamestown News people of Romy Zetazate, Dindo Orbeso and Manny Papa, Joy Sarmiento and Eva Agpaoa and many others.