When media crosses the border to politics

”Klasmit” Boyet Cortes, Cebu gubernatorial candidate (Independent). (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

(CONCLUSION)

For Cebu Provincial Board Member Julian Daan, the other half of the comedy duo “Teban ug Goliat,” a radio show staple that has brought laughter to listeners for more than three decades, there is no conflict of interest when one wants to serve the public simultaneously through media and public office.

Daan does not find it necessary to give up one for the other, explaining that both aim to serve the same public, albeit through different means such as promoting socio-cultural awareness through his shows while also promoting socio-cultural awareness through his office.

Cebu Catholic Television Network (CCTN) station manager Malou Ouano Inocando-Tabar, who is running for Cebu City councilor under Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), agrees with Daan.

“It’s really all in the understanding of where you stand as an elected official and as a journalist. There won’t be conflict (of interest) if you understand when to back out,” she says.

Tabar says that as a field reporter before, she never covered any assignment involving the Cebu City Hall because of her ties with her aunt, Cebu City Councilor Lea Ouano-Japson and her alliance to BO-PK.

“It was a voluntary thing. I never accepted work (assignments) wherein there might be a possible bias,” she says.

Asked if she would relinquish her post as station manager if she wins, Tabar was adamant that she would not. It is not against the law to be a journalist and a public official at the same time, she says.

Meanwhile, 36-year-old Garry Lao, a veteran reporter of The Freeman who is also running for Cebu City councilor under BO-PK, never imagined that he would one day become a public official.

Unlike Tabar, Lao’s family never dabbled in politics, but he always wanted to contribute to the community through journalism.

This started to change in 2007, when Lao ran for office to see if he could create change as a barangay councilor of Tejero.

Three terms later, Lao now feels ready to take on a bigger area that will demand more of his time and eventually his resignation from the newspaper should he win a seat in the Cebu City Council.

“I would want to be able to dedicate myself fully when I invest in something this big. If I do win, I’m going to give up my position (in The Freeman). If this job needs me to quit my job as a reporter, I would not think twice,” Lao says as he believes that there is always the possibility that journalists would use the information medium to push for his or her own political agenda.

As a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, Lao understands that these sectors need a lot of help in bringing their concerns to the government, which is what he wants to address.

TABAR (LEFT) AND LAO (RIGHT)

“I am running for the small sectors, to fill in the gaps of service that are supposed to be given to the LGBT, women, children, and especially teens,” he says.

For Boyet “Klasmit” Cortes, host of the top-rated TV show “Let’s Do Business”, Cebu has all the capabilities, manpower, and resources to be a world-class city but it is just a matter of tapping into and maximizing opportunities.

“Let us make Cebu a truly world-class destination through actions — by deeds and by acts,” says Cortes.

MEDIA BACKGROUND:  DOES IT MAKE OR BREAK POLITICAL DREAMS?

UP Cebu Political Science Professor Phoebe Zoe Sanchez believes that a media background can be an advantage when it comes to politics as this gives the person a more intimate opportunity to interact and deal with the public before running for office.

“It may be advantageous because he has the ability to articulate and ventilate on issues.. there is nothing illegal with being a politician by virtue of this advantage,” she says.

However, Sanchez believes that a politician’s connection to, and background and involvement in the media industry should not be exploited for personal advantage.

“He cannot use his media program to demand for sponsors or pay from corporations because that becomes double compensation and therefore a basis of corruption. He must provide for funding for his own program,” says Sanchez.

For USJ-R Political Science instructor Erma Cayas, media experience is a plus when one is running for public office but with it comes the possibility of abuse.

Cayas refers to the likelihood that a politician with media background could exert influence over media connections when it comes to how he or she wants to be portrayed to the public, especially in relation to the discharge of public functions.

Seeing how thin the line is between personal and public interest especially when power comes into play, Cayas believes that the best course of action to take when a media person wants to enter politics is to give up his or her career in the media.

This, Cayas says, is the ultimate sacrifice where one can show devotion to public service while also earning the trust of constituents.

“If maka-decide gyud siya nga modagan, mag-focus siya sa public service (If the person decides to run, the focus should now be on public service),” Cayas says.

THE QUEER MIX OF
MEDIA AND POLITICS
Cebu News Cooperative and Cebu Federation for Beat Journalists (CFBJ) president Elias Baquero reveals that many media men have already run for public office and that in 2010 alone, seven media practitioners won in the local elections out of fifteen media personalities who ran that year.
Baquero says that it is no longer unnatural for press people to want to enter politics. However, he emphasizes that they must abide by their respective media company’s Code of Ethics.
Most of the media outlets in Cebu require their journalists to file a leave of absence or to tender their resignation when they file their Certificate of Candidacy (COC).
“For me, media practitioners running for any elective position must resign or take a leave of absence,” Baquero says. “Otherwise, they can be misconstrued of having undue advantage,” he adds.

TO EACH HIS OWN
There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to media persons who enter the political arena.
While some may prefer giving up one career for the other, others don’t see anything wrong with serving the public simultaneously through media and public office.
The possible conflict of interest is likewise subjective and dependent on each of the candidate’s views. But one thing is certain — a media background is an added boost for anyone’s political aspirations.
Prior exposure to the public through media could have already won for the candidate hundreds or even thousands of followers that can very well translate into votes come election day.
On Monday, May 9, by the time the sun sets, the electorate would have already spoken and the fate of the country will be sealed for the next six years.
As part of the bulwark of democracy, whatever their take, their style, or their approach to achieve their political aspirations, media personalities-turned-politicians must always bear at heart their media experience to be able to become better leaders and better listeners to the voice of the masses.
They must keep in mind that they are there to safeguard public interest in a position given with utmost public trust. /with reports from Correspondent Juli Ann Sibi