Rape allegation
The apt Cebuano word is “gisumsoman.” The story began with a post on social media about a lawyer-broadcaster who allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl. It was shocking, to say the least. But a dash of mystery was added to it with the non-identification of the broadcaster-lawyer. The media community in Cebu is small, and only few lawyers are also media practitioners there. Then details of the story began to filter in hours after, so too the clues as to the lawyer’s identity.
What is good in this one unlike, say, the bomb scare in Lapu-Lapu City days ago, local media outlets and their social media adjuncts are taking the lead at least in the dissemination of the information. At least it was fair to both the alleged victim and the alleged suspect. No names were mentioned especially because no complaint has been filed yet. It showcased how journalists operate.
Okay, I am not really sure about broadcast because I rarely listen to radio commentary programs these days. One, television is preferred both in my home and in the office. Two, most of the radio commentary programs I like are in stations whose signals could not be caught by my monitor. Third, the age of Duterte has increased my craving for music to mitigate the impact of current developments on my psyche.
But I read on Facebook a former TV/radio reporter chiding those who commented on the issue in radio stations other than the one the concerned lawyer-broadcaster is working with. His beef was that commentators of other radio stations are critical of the lawyer-broadcaster because the radio station the latter is working with is number one in the ratings. So there must have been more pro and con noise on radio on the issue than what I anticipated.
That noise is not comparable with the one on social media, of course. The media-initiated information dissemination effort on the issue could only go so far. Reportage is difference from opinion making and on social media it’s a no-holds barred setup. It took only a few hours before the name of the lawyer-broadcaster was finally mentioned by some netizens.
My initial reaction to the report was to get additional information from our reporter who was covering the story. I wanted to know if the accusation is believable. I say that if the girl and her family stand their ground, the said lawyer-broadcaster would be in some trouble. This has the potential to break wide open and the lawyer-broadcaster’s reputation will surely take a hit. As for guilt, that is up to the prosecutors or the court to decide.
But I want justice to prevail on this one. Like what I told a friend, it the rape incident didn’t happen, then all these would be unfair to the lawyer-broadcaster. But if the girl was really raped, then the worst thing to happen is when the lawyer-broadcaster would go scot-free via manipulation. As it is, however, I say the standing of the girl and her family is weak because of lack of resources.
As for the claim that the rape accusation is an assault on media, I say it is laughable. Media work has nothing to do with this issue.