Babe's Eye View article

During my Christmas childhood days, I remember some Swedish singer named Jorgi Jorgenson who had a funny song with the lyrics that go:

"Oh, I yust go nuts at Christmas

On that yolly holiday,

I'll go in the red, like a knucklehead

Cause I squander all my pay.

Oh, I yust go nuts at Christmas,

Shopping sure drives me berserk,

On the day before, I rush in da store,

Like a nervous nelly yerk."

During those days, Christmas was a lot of fun. Walking down to church at dawn for the misa de gallo was not a problem, having puto bumbong or bibingka sa galapong with steaming mugs of hot chocolate or salabat along the way. The weather was pleasant, no climate change yet at that time, with less people, the Filipino population just a little over 30 million then.

But nowadays, if you walk to church, you can get killed either way—by a holdupper or the pollution. And shopping in this country can really be a mess. All the malls are always filled with people who come from all over, converging in one place. It's enough to rnake anyone berserk with all those long lines contributing to all the chaos.

In about a week's time, we're going to have more people coming in the metropolis—balikbayans from abroad, people from the provinces who will all be flocking to shopping malls, going around the city to do their holiday merry making. They say all roads lead to Rome, but in this case, it's like all roads lead to hell. It's not that these people are not welcome. But certainly, this metropolis already overpopulated with 13 million people will have more people during the holidays, causing 24-hour traffic gridlocks.

Just the other day, I saw six buses parked outside a shopping mall along Paseo de Roxas. Now tell me, really, at this time of the year when there are so many cars on the road, how can traffic policemen allow these large buses to park on the street? Then the other day, there was an ati-atihan in the middle of the day right in the middle of Makati with the traffic already chaotic as it is. Again, I ask, what for? And why now?

Christmas can be a lot of fun for Filipinos especially for children in the provinces since they get to wear their nicest clothes and visit godparents, anticipating gifts or cash. The children are some of the best reasons why Christmas is one of the happiest times of the year, particularly in a country like the Philippines where families are very closely knit.

Some people good-naturedly complain about too many godchildren coming to kiss their hand, some of them not remembering anymore whether they do have that many godchildren. The fact is, when you grow older, there's more and more godchildren to worry about, and you can't even remember most of them.

But me, I don't mind being a godfather to children, but with the hellish traffic that is caused mostly by these large buses, very often you want to be the godfather of the Michael Corleone type and just put an end to all of these irritating buses.

So every year, the chaos and frenzy during Christmas gets worse. The smart ones simply leave and stay away from Metro Manila at this time with all the pollution and traffic simply multiplying each year. It's like what the lyrics of the song says—people literally "go nuts" at Christmas. But the thing is, it's not funny anymore.

Going beyond the Trillanes case, perhaps it's the perfect time of the year during Christmas when the Philippine National Police and the media can take one step backward and be objective and look at what happened recently. No one disputes that media has the right—and the obligation—to give the public relevant and accurate information about issues of national interest. On the other hand, the PNP has a duty to enforce the law and protect the state against those that threaten its security.

The Manila Pen caper of Trillanes is like a Pandora's Box that has opened so many questions regarding the role of the media, and to what extent they can carry on their responsibility without infringing on the duties of the police. Both must find a happy medium and examine how they can work best to become part of nation building. I can understand why at this point, the establishment just wants everyone to move on and sustain the country's economic momentum.

The fact is, this dilemma is not new to the Philippines or even to GMA's administration. The 1989 coup during the time of Cory Aquino gave rise to questions regarding the role of the media in crisis situations. It's a difficult balancing act given regulatory restrictions on coverage since government will want to protect people—media included—from physical danger. Of course, any administration will do everything it can to thwart efforts to overthrow it.

In its report, the Davide Commission quoted a portion of the "Agenda for the remaining 21 months of the Aquino administration" which says, "The resolution of the dilemma faced by media in crisis reporting lies more in the media itself rather than government regulations." In other words, it is media that should prescribe self regulation, especially for their own safety now and in the future.