What’s the KBP doing?

Another radioman was killed in Davao on Sunday. The gunman sneaked up on Aldion Layao, 34, and shot him inside his vehicle. Was it only yesterday that this column had noted that TV and print journalists die of natural causes, while radio people get gunned down in this country?

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However, in the case of the Davao radioman, he appears to be leading a double life, because he was at the same time a politician. Layao was an elected barangay captain and now doubts have come up about the motive for his killing as not related to his media work at all. The Police Chief of his place was quoted as saying that the shooting could have been caused by something related to his performance as a barangay head. In fact, his wife was also reported as saying that could be the case.

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So many times in the past, the media community has made a great hue and cry over the killing of a comrade in arms. The media community lament over the threat to press freedom, and the suppression of the truth, but how many of such killings really had to do with the practice of their craft as journalists? In some cases, rumors have come out that the shooting of this or that mediaman had been due to a love triangle or a controversy over property. Unfortunately some of those who cry wolf often get believed. What is worrying is that time may come when people will be skeptical whenever a media killing is reported. By the way, what is the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas doing about these frequent attacks on broadcast practitioners?

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Bad news for politicians, especially senators and congressmen. The President has reportedly decided to be more strict in the releases of their annual windfalls, known as the pork barrel. The report said President Aquino is worried that the money will be used to build the political stock of those planning to run for reelection. For those who are “graduating” and cannot run for office again, this means a loss of a fat nest egg.

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Apparently, however, the President is not entirely against giving out the pork, but wants to make sure that the funds go to proper projects that will truly benefit their districts. This is probably because, having been both a congressman and a senator himself, he knows what goes on after his colleagues get their pork money. Oh, there are projects for show, yes, but it is generally believed that these are being implemented by contractors who are willing to give fat kickbacks to the pork holders.

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Urging Congress to pass a law that would require such largesse to be subject to auditing will be futile because who is the member who will lead such a move that will be of great disadvantage to them? And so, the most that could be done to protect the money of the people is to restrict the releases of the pork, and to closely monitor how and where it is spent. But is this possible? Maybe under a President who does not care about having a continued hold on power.

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Speaking of presidents, today, the former one, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, her husband, the chairman of the Commission on Election during her time, Benjamin Abalos, and former Secretary Leandro Mendoza of the Department of Transportation and Communication, will be arraigned at the Sandiganbayan for graft charges involving the infamous NBN-ZTE deal they supposedly tried to cook up in China in 2007. I wonder, though, how this case will prosper, since the deal had been exposed before it was consummated.

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The tragedy of the supposedly unsinkable Titanic is soon to mark the 100th year since it happened, and the people involved, like the families of both victims and survivors are trying to evoke memories that had been re-awakened by the filming of that movie grosser years ago. Now a cruise has been organized that will trace the path of the Titanic, and another production of the movie “Titanic” is being put out, this time in 3-D form. I am sure it will be just as big a hit as the first one, and producers will continue to squeeze every dollar they can make from it. This shows that we are not the only people who celebrate tragedies or setbacks, others like to do it, too.*

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