Photo by Jack Fellows. Too Close for Comfort. Used here for educational, non-commercial purposes, thru the free service by blog-use of image provided by and from www.allposters.com .
This came out in thousands of copies in a broadsheet. It’s too late. Let’s hope it can be prevented from happening again. We all know what a drone is — an unmanned aircraft guided by remote control; we all know that the U.S. military uses drones to take aerial photos in war-torn areas; we all know that there are American soldiers in Mindanao apparently not conducting drills but actual operations; there are plenty of days to discuss all the criminal provisions violated by the captors of Ces Oreña-Drilon and her team, the Revised Penal Code, special laws, books, volumes, a library, truckload; plenty of days to discuss treaties and constitutional provisions violated by foreign military operations without treaties; plenty of days for that, those can wait; until the ABS-CBN news team and the prof are safe back home. To the Crisis Management Committee: Does it have to be spelled it out? I know that you cannot vet the media but you can at least hold twice a day briefings in order to contextualize all pieces of information that are coming out and to anticipate disinformation.
This is the kind of information, whether true or not, whether verified or not, that would cause communication lines to be cut off. While ARMM Police Supt. Goltiao had denied in a morning interview with Vice President Noli de Castro over DZMM that communication lines had been cut off; “emissary” Sulu Mayor Isnaji Alvarez had earlier “disclosed” (see broadsheets) that he had not been able to contact the cellphones, do you wonder now why?
Cellphones.
A Manila Times correspondent reported (it’s too late now, it’s been published in thousands of copies, this small blog is so puny that i can quote it):
Quote “Although the Abu Sayyaf cut off the communication lines, the US military continued to assist local authorities in tracking down the hostages and their captors. American soldiers helping Filipino security forces fight terrorism were said to be using electronic surveillance and unmanned aerial vehicles to trace the location of the hostages.” Closed-quote.
In the first place, if true, all troop movements, if any, should be under the command of the crisis committee. In the second place, all information on troop movements, if any, should be under the control of the crisis committee. In the third place, the crisis committee should anticipate all kinds of information or disinformation going around.
(i know…our friends in the media will say that there is some good to reporting it because at least the crisis committee would know what it doesn’t know; i just hope we are conscious of the possible cost.)
And to the correspondent/ reporter: PLEASE PO, KAPAG TROOP MOVEMENTS AT SURVEILLANCE, AT MAY HOSTAGES, MAG-IINGAT TAYO SA PAGRI-REPORT, KAHIT SA ESKWELAHAN TINUTURO YAN, DIYOS KO. BAKA PWEDENG I-EMBARGO MUNA NATIN NG ILANG ARAW, KAHIT ILANG ARAW LANG, LALO NA KUNG HINDI FIRST-HAND, YUNG MGA GANUONG IMPORMASYON AT I-REPORT NATIN KAPAG LIGTAS NA PARA MAIMBESTIGA NANG MABUTI. (ayan na, naiinis na naman ako, sorry po, i should probably be more detached and ignore all these, there’s nothing i can do.)
(i have plenty of days to discuss the criminal provisions, the constitutional provisions violated; i know, we should document all these and not forget to investigate, after the news team is safe back home ).
Ang kulit ko: To the crisis committee: all troop movements in the area while the crisis is on-going should be under your command. All kinds of disinformation should be anticipated.
marichulambino.com 