Months after the Mamasapano encounter, the Filipino people seems relaxed contrary to the tirade of unsolicited comments that circulated the social media. These remarks stirred emotions among Filipinos and created an environment where everyone is cynical, undecided of what to believe and unsure of what to do next. Apparently, this incident will be cited by some as to belonging to yesterday, chosen to be buried to the innermost of our minds because of the uncertainty of the situation, especially of the stand of the persons that headed this operation.
We can ask ourselves; What did we learn from this incident? Is it true that some just took advantage of the mis-encounter, massacre or whatever we call it to have something to blame the presidency? To showoff our beliefs and convictions but never really understand the context of the incident? Did we over reacted?
According to an article posted by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility last March, the plethora of unconfirmed details and opinions projected as established facts muddled the Mamasapano story to such an extent that much of the public was left confused, disoriented, and misinformed. Moreso, the reportage fueled the long-standing prejudice and antagonism that many Filipinos hold against Moros.
The talk about the Mamasapano encounter, as shown by the reaction of the public, is not a matter of finding who should be accountable for but a show of the strongest and mightiest of will, something to boost our egos.
The Philippine media, concealing the intention of someone’s business, has the sole responsibility of what and how to feed the public’s hunger for facts and information. They can maneuver and mold what can be instilled into our minds. That’s the power of media; that’s the power of their keyboard and mouse.
Based on a comprehensive rundown of the different media outlet activities by the CMFR, it can be seen that only minority of them has done what is expected of them. Only a few provided their insights relevant to each and every caring Filipino. The rest of the reports were founded by careless remarks and observations. Well, maybe some of us have missed the power of Google nowadays. No one can blame us, though. It’s easier to believe in hearsay than to do some serious research and really look into the matter, eh?
The Fallen 44 and other native casualties barely reported by the media should be brought justice. Should the culprits be imprisoned and made to suffer? Well, the damage’s has been done.
I say that we should learn from this. Learn, as in use your education, your conviction. As a civilian and observing public, we can do nothing about the situation for sure. But we can influence others. We all have the resources. We just have to know how to properly use it.
If we simply wait for the results of the investigations done by different agencies and institutions, we could have save a lot of energy voicing out our intuitions and meddling with minds not suitable for educated judgment. After a long battle of words and speeches, the effects are now showing off. Investors have run. Our country’s been tagged as home for rebels. We never really wanted this, did we? We simply have to move on.
It’s easy to react but we should know the limits. It is not about blaming anyone but the moral courage to accept accountability in the pursuit of Justice. After all, we do not just represent ourselves. We are citizens of this country. We are Filipinos. Move on Philippines.
