Media walk out on CHR Commissioner's press conference: ABS-CBN

Coco Quisumbing (Video grab from ABS-CBN Television)

MANILA, Philippines - Some media people covering the press conference yesterday of Commissioner Coco Quisumbing of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) walked out after she scolded them for not following her instructions.

The press conference was called by CHR to address the issue of the torture scandal involving Manila policemen.

"If you're not in my line of sight, I'm not going to talk to you. If you're not going to listen to me and position yourselves as I ask you to, I'm just gonna walk out the door," Quisumbing said.

She wanted the press people to sit in the order she wanted them to in one place so she will only look at them in one direction.

"Do you hear me?" she asked. The press mumbled, "Yes ma'm."

"Ano?" she asked. The press answered again, "Yes, ma'm."

"I don't hear all of you," she said.

Quisumbing then singled out some media people. "Hindi ka nga puwede diyan. Bawal diyan. Everyone should be on the same side para hindi ako paganun-ganun! I'm sorry. Mainit ang ulo ko ngayon!" she said.

Spotting someone, she said, "Ikaw naka-green shirt. Hindi kita kilala. I'm not going to answer any of your questions. Sinabi ko na sa inyo, diyan kayo. Gaano kahirap ba 'yan? Lady with the white undershirt, you should be nicer to the people you interview. Be polite and answer her, OK?"

Quisumbing, who used to be a journalist, said she just wants the media to get good video footage.

"I'm not doing this for me. These are not kaartehan! If I'm facing that way, maganda ba ang shot niyo? I could have sat up there. Pangit ang inyong shot! Pinag-isipan ko ang trabaho niyo," she explained.

As some reporters left, Quisumbing asked, "Sino'ng umalis?"

In spite of what happened, the rest of the media stayed to finish their duty to cover the CHR's stand on the torture scandal.

Last month, President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said Cabinet members will undergo a media seminar so they can deal with the media well. This was announced after two Cabinet members, Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro and Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, figured in some misunderstandings with the media.

Secretary Luistro accused the media of muddling the issue of sex education when he was asked for his comment about the topic, while Lacierda made the Malacañang press corps wait for hours for a scheduled press conference.(Report from ABS-CBN News)


Link: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/08/21/10/media-walk-out-chr-commissioners-presscon