Behind the scenes at Bangus Festival
Posted on May 5, 2006 - Filed Under General |
THE Pangasinan media circle is still abuzz with that run-in between a staff of the Sunday Punch, a provincial newsweekly and City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim last week when the mayor displayed some temper on the "belittling" of his pet summer spectacle project, Bangus Festival, particularythe grand street party called Bangus sa Lansangan (formerly called Kalutan ed Dagupan).
Punch publisher Ermin F. Garcia, Jr., a former publisher of the Manila Times and former executive director of the Philippine Press Institute spewed an equal amount of flame in his column directed at the mayor after learning of the incident. Ermin practically told BSL his paper is not in the latter's pocket to be berated, much less threatened, that way.
"Such threats only work beautifully and effectively for "media practitioners" in the politicos' pockets. No, they won't ever fear losing their worthless lives but it will mean losing valued perks and allowances they can ill afford (to)," the fighting Ermin wrote.
"Boy, that would be like a death sentence. Nakakatakot talaga," he added, referring to some reporters' real dread of being out of the graces (and grease money) of some elected officials. It was an obvious dig at local journalists who have become out and out drummer boys of local elected officials, especially congressmen and mayors, sometimes even straddling opposite camps in a bid to earn double.
The mayor, who was once a publisher of Sun.Star Pangasinan along with some local business partners until the provincial daily closed down, however later reportedly admitted to another staff of the paper that he didn't mean the outburst and as is his typical self, stressed to other reporters he is inclined to give newsmen a chance to correct their mistakes.
All in a day's work, all in a day's work, gentlemen of the press and of politics.
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