The main banner (Outrage over Agra rising) which continues to compile all the negative opinion against the Sec. of Justice resolution to absolve two Ampatuan clan members on their participation in the Ampatuan massacre now links President Arroyo with the issue. The news is accompanied by a photo of a protester holding a placard tagging Arroyo (and Agra) "coddler" of the Ampatuans. The news is purely a one-sided opinion piece which surprisingly highlights the opinions of very lucky politicians to have such coverage such as Erap Estrada (and Jinggoy) and Loren Legarda, among others. So while this report is negative to Agra and by extension to PGMA, it gives positive space to former President and convicted plunderer Erap Estrada.
Meanwhile, another story under the same banner (DoJ chief: Palace silent, it means approval), although the title is negative to President Arroyo, surprisingly balances the front page for Agra. The news feature Agra's side and the reaction of former DoJ Sec. Raul Gonzales siding with Agra. I still judge this news as somehow negative to the Arroyo administration albeit slightly.
The other news given prominence in today's front page is on the Ampatuan clan's choice for the national elections (For Villar on Thursday, Aquino on Tuesday). The title of the report itself renders incredibility to the development. The first few sentences obviously is meant to neutralize any possible negative effect of Ampatuan's endorsement to Sen. Noynoy Aquino:
Is sporting orange baller IDs (rubber bracelets) or wearing a yellow T-shirt and flashing the Laban sign an indication of one’s choice of a presidential candidate?
It usually is.
Of course, the last sentence quoted obviously means the writer thinks in this case that the news on Ampatuan's Aquino endorsement is not necessarily true or honest. I leave to the readers the probable reasons why the news report itself banners its writers' opinion.
The news report makes sure that the readers know that Ampatuan is endorsing Villar earlier, with supposed stated proof referring to an ABS-CBN video news coverage, before it relayed the story of the Aquino endorsement. As we read on, the news feature reactions from the LP, mainly that of Sen. Aquino saying that this must be a joke, reminding us that in 2007, he got just 13 votes from Maguindanao.
Aquino treated as a joke a report that the Ampatuan clan had declared its support for his candidacy.
“No, thank you” was Aquino’s reply to reporters seeking his reaction to Andal Jr.’s press conference.
Aquino said he had not talked to Andal Jr. “I am not running after their endorsement.”
The LP standard-bearer said that he was a victim of cheating in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in 2007 when he ran for a Senate seat. Andal Jr.’s brother, Zaldy, is the suspended ARMM governor and one of the accused in the massacre, who along with Maguindanao Vice Gov. Akmad Ampatuan, was cleared last week by acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra.
“Sen. (Francis) Escudero and I were laughing about it. He told me not to look at the (Maguindanao election returns) because I’d just feel bad. But I told him at least I got 13 votes and he (Escudero) only got 12,” Aquino said.
The report though did not verify what Aquino said. It also did not check how much Villar got in Maguindanao when he last got elected as senator, which should have completed the line of thought.
Obviously, Sen. Aquino is favored by this report giving his side and effectively neutralizing the possibility of a bad effect of an Ampatuan endorsement while the news is very negative to the Arroyo administration and somehow negative to Villar's camp.
While the recent news about defection to the LP by Joey Salceda highlights the LP's take on the "maverick", the recent defection to NP by some Lakas politicians are treated with ridicule from today's political news (Solon turns Teodoro green to Villar orange in a snap) rendering Villar's show of strength ineffectual.
He made it as easy as changing campaign baller IDs.
Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona took his oath before Sen. Manuel Villar on Monday afternoon only hours after he attended a meeting of Lakas-Kampi-CMD lawmakers presenting a show of force for Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr.
“He was there with us to pledge support for Teodoro,” the ruling party’s secretary general Raymundo Roquero said over the phone, expressing disbelief at Madrona’s turnaround. “It’s his problem to explain himself to his constituents.”
This news report shows the defections from Teodoro's Lakas to Villar's NP, from the point of view of Lakas. The news report did not carry any reactions coming from the NP except for the following:
Villar’s camp issued a press statement confirming Madrona’s presence at the oath-taking, as did reelectionist Mayor Nanette Tansingco of San Fernando town.
and
Villar declined to comment on the governors’ show of support for Teodoro, and only said he was grateful that a number of Cebu leaders, notably Representatives Eduardo Gullas (first district) and Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (6th district), had bolted the ruling party and endorsed his candidacy.
I do not see this news as positive for Villar nor for Teodoro. While some may say the news show Villar's strengthening force, it is basically neutralized by how "snap" easy those forces are. While Teodoro's side is given prominence in the news report, the premise is on his party's sinking boat. So I say this news report ranges from being very negative to slightly positive to both of them. In the end, I say it stays on the negative territory.
In another front page news, there is generally positive treatment of Mar Roxas' mother Judy Araneta-Roxas (Moms Judy A, Baby A know best for Mar, Citoy), which has no reference in anyway to Sen. Aquino except in reminding us that Sen. Roxas gave way to the former. I say this news is positive for Mar Roxas but not necessarily much for Aquino.
Another big news today is the SC ruling allowing President Arroyo to name the CJ (It’s final: High court rules Arroyo may appoint new CJ). What is striking in this news report (similar to when the first ruling on the same was reported) is more space given to the dissenting opinion of some of the judges. Another striking part of the news report is how Sen. Aquino is receiving lucky breaks of having the chance to air his opinion while his competitors are not as lucky.
Commenting on the high court’s decision, Liberal Party standard-bearer Benigno Aquino III said it seemed “like the [tribunal] did not even reconsider its [March 17] decision.”
“But the time will come when we will put all of these in the correct way because ultimately, sovereignty resides in the people,” Aquino said.
While the news is quite negative in character for the supreme court as a whole, it is quite positive for Sen. Noynoy Aquino.
The other front page news, Melo: We’re 100 percent on target and ‘Fastest election’ held in 1914 in Benguet town are basically positive for the COMELEC and generally neutral (even trivial), respectively.
So who's camp is today's Inquirer front page going for? I say it hands-down goes for Aquino while Estrada on a lesser value benefits as well.
So my score goes:
Aquino: 6, Estrada: 1, All the rest: 0
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