By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

I AM not saddened about the reactions of some Patrima colleagues on the current controversy over jueteng payola. In a way, I expected and understood their positions. I can only hope they understand mine.

Frankly though, up till this moment, I wonder if they do, this despite some reaching out that a few of them did to me last week; I wish to tell them all I appreciate their gesture of still recognizing me as an elder in this trade worth talking to.

One texted a kilometric message to me (which, when I showed to a media colleague quite familiar with her “style” surprisingly said it didn’t sound like her but somebody else in their “circle” who did the messaging, shades of spy thrillers!) justifying her economic status and claiming she would willingly give it to the “others” if indeed she was receiving money from the jueteng operators. Another called me up flatly denying the whole thing and still another came to visit personally to sense me out and the circumstances behind my belief that some mediamen are indeed on the take while swearing he had dissuaded a “bagman” from operating in their turf.

To think that I never (take that with a Sam Milby-esque studied pose) named anyone or mentioned their number in my column posts here but merely commented on the tabloid’s publication.

Makes me wonder if I’m getting undeserved attention, am I, mare Minnie?

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Without meaning to stoke further the growing atmosphere of enmity and suspicion in the local media (so many innocent bystanders are now being dragged into the controversy with some former associates of the “group” now even complaining they’re being given the cold shoulder and arched eyebrows treatment whenever they’re around them) as a result of that damning expose by that tabloid two weeks back, I believe no one needs to be so rattled if he or she firmly believes there’s not an iota of truth in the allegations against him or her.

As a veteran newsman put it, sounding Shakesperian while downing his beer, “they doth protesteth too much.”

Just for the record, my reactions in this corner to the payola issue is spontaneous, no one absolutely influences, much more, goads me to pen my thoughts, however strong they may appear to be. I have not talked to any of the present ‘combatants’ before my previous columns. As I told one of those ‘tagged’ earlier last week, my pieces are the result of my own reflections, no outside factor or consideration..

My overriding concern is simply on how the local Press as a group can be badly damaged by allegations, proven or not, of wholesale bribery. I do have a stake here since everyone in the local media community knows that I was among the organizers of the Patrima as an “alternative group” to somehow belie the general impression of a corrupt and abusive Media in our midst. For a moment I thought I and like-minded media elders were succeeding in creating a new image for the club.

Pardon my naivete, Jun V., Ermin, and yes, even the now plain citizen BSL who once told me, referring to my hopes of creating a model, moral press group, “That’s tough, but I will try to help you.”

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IF the officers of a faction of the Pangasinan PNP Press Corps are now finding themselves hard put fending off pointed insinuations against them, they have only themselves to blame. If it’s true, as some colleagues claim, that the payola issue has been going on since the first such police press corps was organized, the former fund stewards or “bagmen” must have been better at handling illicit operations. (Smooth and easy does it, boys and girls).

It stands to reason they made “everybody happy.” Well, almost everybody at least.

Most of all, they did not bring attention to themselves, especially to any abrupt change in their lifestyles. Nobody, alas, remembered to remind this present crop of “operators” to “moderate their greed.”

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One can only wonder how the Department of Environment and Natural Resources really goes about doing its job of preserving and conserving natural resources and protecting the public domain.

All too often, its functionaries are painted as having given, one way or the other, some imprimatur on a less-than-defensible project or application concerning the environment or natural resources that, on close analysis, actually negates or cripples the agency’s own mandate.

In the current public issue on foreshorelands and their being inherently inalienable – at least until the DENR Secretary rules otherwise and grants the “lawful” permit or concession to an applicant – it is clear that the issuance of foreshore lease agreements or any such accommodation is at the root of the current problem on beach squatting.

Coupled with a less-than-caring attitude of some local government officials, such tacit action of the DENR fieldmen can quite easily open the doors to even more questionable imprimaturs or approvals down the line – engineering, assessor, treasurer, administrator, electric company etc.—which offices would only be too glad to tag the DENR “paper” as basis for their own approvals and deflect any blame from them later.

The whole problem would not have happened were the DENR local people a little more circumspect – okay, in plain language, careful — about giving out any such borderline approval that is always open to (mis)interpretation by the parties concerned as proof of ownership, authority or some such conferments – which it is not.

It is always dangerous to be issuing “temporary” or “conditional” approvals in the matter of occupancy of public lands, especially foreshorelands, any two-bit lawyer will tell you. Why? It’s always open to abuse, is why.

It’s either you issue them outright and clear approval or you don’t issue anything at all – anything, that is, that partakes of the nature of a blessing, however temporary.

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SAID AND DONE: Let this corner be among those congratulating a good and friendly Indian, Ashok Vashandani of Dagupan City who was among the individuals engaged in civic works honored by the by Philippine National Police during its 17th anniversary recently. Ashok, a familiar figure in the city, always extends a ready hand to socio-civic projects one would think Santa was a countryman of Mahatma Ghandi. And he can quote passages from the Good Book to send to friends with such ease and warmth you’d think he was a reincarnated disciple of Christ…With the seeming frenzy by which Governor Spines now pours his efforts to have the Lingayen airport upgraded and with the calm confidence exuded by the Guicos for an eventual commercial flight capability for their private airfield in Binalonan, looks like Alaminos City’s Hernani Braganza would have a lot of catching up to do to win his own airport dream. Let’s see if it will be a case of he who laughs last laughs the loudest…The new management (Team Energy) of the Sual Coal-fired Power Plant is planning to open its doors to more media inter-action as a matter of public relations unlike the previous management that was uh, well, cloistered. Kudos to its top bosses and local managers!.