NEWSFLASH: Filipino News Stories as Mirrors of Filipino

Values

Mark Pol M. Castro

MAELLT II
Ateneo de Manila University

Abstract:

Disaster reporting entails multi-layered responsibilities to the reading public. Thus, it

must be done carefully to give the public accurate updates. The Filipino newspapers are

one in providing precautionary advisories before the disaster, on the dot news stories

during disaster, and description of the aftermath. To describe the disaster-stricken areas,

the Filipino news stories use coined words through Tagalog affixation, figures of

speech, tabloid jargons, English words transliterated into Filipino orthography, and

words for approximation. They also include sentences relevant to the Filipino values

and traits. These elements do not only provide vivid picture of the effects of the

disasters but also reflect some Filipino values such as resourcefulness, creativity,

adaptability, religious, hopeful, bayanihan, and hardworking. They also reveal some of

the negative traits of the Filipinos like colonial mentality, reliance on luck, and

gossiping.

NEWSFLASH: Filipino News Stories as Mirrors of Filipino Values

1
Introduction

The Philippines is located in a major “typhoon belt”, thus typhoons visit the

country with reliable frequency. Typhoons are frequent, regular, and predictable. On

the average, 19 typhoons occur in the Philippine Area of Responsibility every year and

of these, an average of nine (9) actually cross the country (Punongbayan & Tayag,

1999). This can be one of the reasons why the Philippines ranked third most disaster-

prone country after Tonga and Vanuatu according to the World Disaster Report 2012,

released in Brussels on October 11, 2012 (Quismundo, 2012).

Besides being located in a major typhoon belt, other reasons that explain why

the Philippines is such a disaster-prone country include having the warmest ocean

temperatures in the world (according to atmospheric scientist Colin Price of Israel’s Tel

Aviv University), people living on low-lying coastal islands, deforestation, and

underdevelopment issues (Vergara, 2013).

Wingard and Brandlin (2013) listed the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,

typhoons, cyclones and other natural disasters that hit the country for the past decade

leaving thousands death toll and infrastructure- and-economic-related problems: Bohol

Earthquake, October 2013 ( 222 people died, 976 were injured, 73, 000 houses were

damaged); Typhoon Bopha, November – December 2012 (600 fatalities, $ 1billion cost

of damage); Pantukan Landslide, January 2012 ( 25 people were killed); Tropical

Storm Washi, December 2011( 1, 080 people died); Typhoon Fengshen, June 2008

( 557 people died, 99600 affected families, Php 3.3 billion cost of damage); Cyclone

Durian, November 2006 ( 2000 people died, $130 million damage cost); Guinsaugon

Landslide, February 2006 ( 500 homes were wiped out); and Tropical Depression

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Winnie, November 2004 (842 people were killed, 751 went missing, Php 679 million

cost of damage).

During a disaster or public safety emergency, the general public seek their

information via the news media that are usually in place to cover such events (Plance,

2012). Traditionally, the radio, television, and print are the different forms used to

inform the public of the risks, preventive measures, and the aftermath of the disaster,

either natural or man-made. Today, the general public rely not only on the traditional

forms of media but also on the social media which is the newest addition in the loop.

But among these forms, print media remains the most reliable because of its mobility

and economic advantage since it doesn’t require electricity nor internet connection for

subscription (Nair, 2010).

In the Philippines, the newspapers (broadsheets and tabloids) and the magazines

are the most popular forms of print media. Published in the country’s official languages

– English and Filipino, the newspapers and the magazines both aim to provide updates

on the onslaught brought by disasters.

The Study

In this study, I will analyze news stories taken from Filipino newspapers to

answer the following questions:

1. How do Filipino newspapers describe the disaster-stricken areas?

2. What are the Filipino values/traits reflected by the news stories in the

Filipino newspapers?

NCCA: The Philippine Newspapers

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 According to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), there

are a total of 14 “national” daily broadsheets and 19 tabloids published in Metro

Manila. The combined circulation of these newspapers is estimated to be only about 7

million, including pass on readership, in a country of almost 75 million.

Of the 14 broadsheets, only two are in Filipino – Kabayan and Numero Uno.

Among the newspapers with biggest claimed daily circulation are Manila Bulletin (280,

000 on weekdays and 300, 000 on Sundays), Philippine Daily Inquirer (260, 000 and

280, 000 respectively) and Philippine Star (271, 687), while Abante and People’s

Journal are the most popular tabloids with a claimed circulation of 417, 6000 and 382,

000 respectively.

There are also five Chinese broadsheets, all published in Binondo, Manila’s

Chinatown. These include Universal Daily News, China Times, World News, United

Daily News, and Chinese Commercial News.

On the other hand, 408 provincial publications are now in circulation. Of this

number, 30 are daily publications, 292 come out weekly, and the rest are either monthly

or quarterly publications.

The 1Philippine Press Institute (PPI), however, acknowledges 64 legitimate

members and only 24 are found in the media directory of the Presidential

Communications Operations Office.

Although our so-called national dailies are still Manila-centric in terms of

content, there are now serious efforts to feature more diverse stories from the regions

beyond the traditional natural and man-made calamities. Sections or pages are devoted

to human interest from various regions of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

If our pages have improved in terms of their contents and appearances, this can

be partly attributed to [the] continuing efforts towards professionalism in the industry.

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These efforts can come from professional organizations and the academe. The PPI

conducts about a dozen training courses each year on various aspects of newspaper

publication – editorial, management, and ethics.

______________________________________________________________________________________________
1
The Philippine Press Institute (PPI), considered as the oldest professional media association in
the country, is a non-stock, non-profit private organization duly registered with the Securities
and Exchange Commission whose principal mandate is to defend press freedom and promote
ethical standards for the professional development of the Filipino journalist.
The common complaints against the press are sensationalism, lack of follow-up

stories, and the quality of newspaper coverage of specific sectors – women, children,

cultural communities among others.

To cope with the advent of new information technology, most of our national

dailies have integrated computers in their operations. Some are now automated – from

news sourcing and gathering, editing, layout and design to production. Most of the

daily newspapers are also on-line, reaching even people who would not normally read

the printed page.

Disaster Reporting

Media have always been concerned with events and stories which have human

impact. Natural disasters in some sense have the most impact as they destroy a large

volume of human and material elements. Media provide the latest information and

updates on the catastrophe and ongoing occurrences. Reporters are interested in

collecting data and information about damage, destruction and casualties even when no

one is yet clear about the situation in the early stages of the disaster ( Iqbal, Ali, &

Khursheed, 2014).

During disaster, reporters not only head towards the scenes themselves but also

rely on gathering information from the victims, survivors, rescue workers, relief

activists and government officials. Thus media make the best use of the opportunity to

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sell themselves as organs of information when disaster strikes (Iqbal, Ali, &

Khursheed, 2014).

As soon as a big disaster hits, media suspend regular programming and start

broadcasting “disaster marathons”. To respond to the increased interest of people for

information about the natural hazards in the wake of natural disaster, media often go to

their resource files and disseminate background information about natural disasters to

cover the time and space allocated for disaster news stories. Such background

information helps create awareness among the people about causes, impacts and

aftermaths of a natural disaster. However, in many disasters, the media remained

focused on the single story event and tend to favour the dramatic components of the

disaster if they are available to “pump up ratings” and to be critical of governments

(Ali, 2013)

In most disasters, reporters, photojournalists and news crews act as the first

responders and witnesses when they arrive to capture havoc created by a disaster.

Sometimes, they have to face questions whether to help injured victims, evacuate the

affected and remove dead bodies before the rescue teams and government functionaries

reach there (Ali, 2013)

But while engaged in both reporting and public service, the media sometimes

present oversimplified and distorted characterization of the human responses to the

disasters. Updated reporting and images of chaos may be immediately useful to the

affected public in the wake of a natural disaster, but media overemphasizes destruction

and devastation. Media often portrays these communities as helpless waiting for

external aid and support, unable to cope and deserving of charity. News reports and

media stories that depict victims and survivors as dazed and confused can create an

environment of public misunderstanding (Ali, 2013). After all, the media can have a

6
huge impact on the way that a disaster and the risk issues involved are defined and

perceived by the public as well as the authorities (Plance, 2012)

Despite the motif of the information transfer, the fact that numerous audiences

relying on media for updates, these news stories made them realizing the pains and

agonies of the victims and survivors of the natural disasters and thinking of the ways

and means how to help the disaster affectees and contribute for relief activities. But in

reality, media may exert pressure rather than save or rescue victims and survivors,

because they are there to gather firsthand and exclusive disaster information as a

commodity to sell in the open market of audience. This kind of stereotypical portrayal

of victims deforms the image of disaster-stricken community in the eyes of domestic

and international audience and can generate negative attitudes among the other

stakeholders. Thus, the role of media as watchdog during natural hazards and disasters

must be constantly monitored as it thoroughly affects public opinion and leaves a

lasting impact on the responses of the international community, foreign aid agencies,

and relief activities in toto (Ali, 2013).

Meanwhile, reporting is not just done during the wake of any disaster, but even

its aftermath. The reporter strives not only to assess the loss of lives and property, but

also to determine if the damage could have been prevented and who is to blame

(Vasterman, Yzermans, & Dirkzwager, 2005).

After a disaster or a risk event occurs, a variety of social actors, including the

media, are involved in a struggle to define what happened and why, and what can be

expected in the future. The goal is frame the problem, propagate a specific problem

definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and problem-solving

recommendations (Vasterman, Yzermans, & Dirkzwager, 2005).

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 One of the toughest things that reporter has to do is to interview the families

of victims. At no other time does the public’s right to know seem to come into direct

conflict with people’s right to privacy. Professionals realize that if they handle the

interviews with a great deal of sensitivity they can offer survivors an opportunity to

grieve openly and to eulogize a loved one (Scanlon & McCullum, 1999).

After the disaster, the media chase photos of the victims, call all possible

sources for information, and flock to the scene or the community that is focus of the

response. They also jam the phone lines with calls to any agency or anyone who might

have information. In addition to heading to the scene, journalists try to find persons in

their own community or coverage area who are related to those involved (Scanlon &

McCullum, 1999).

In mass death situations, however, complete control of the media is very

difficult. This is partly because of the numbers involved and partly because in a real

disaster where there is widespread destruction, there is no ‘site’ and no place to

establish a perimeter. Most important, control is difficult because the media activity is

diffused: media far from the scene localize the story by finding a nearby survivor,

relative or friend. Even if control measures are effective at the scene it is difficult to

impossible for official agencies to control media activity away from the scene. As

journalists try to find a local angle to such stories they will track down the relatives and

friends of the dead wherever they may located (Scanlon & McCullum, 1999).

In any case, disaster reporting, when the disaster is of high magnitude is very

difficult (Iqbal, Ali, & Khursheed, 2014). It is this fact that acknowledges the role of

media as the best equipped and powerful stakeholder to enter into disaster-stricken

8
regions to dig out facts from all available sources such as victims, survivors, and any

accessible staff and management in doing their professional tasks (Ali, 2013).

The role of media is changing yet remaining basically the same – get the

message out to the public concerning the disaster or crisis at hand (Plance, 2012).

During the onslaught of the disaster, what is of utmost importance is to keep the

morale of the people high, to create self-confidence in them, to prevent panic and to

maintain order by assuring and making available the necessary help readily and

quickly. The media can help, in any ways in ensuring these conditions (Nair, 2010).

Disaster-Stricken Areas and the Filipino Newspapers

Having a country prone to natural disasters, the Filipino newspapers in

general will never run out of subject to write about – from the number of houses

devoured by mud during landslide, list of infrastructures brought down by

unprecedented earthquakes to the death tolls caused by super typhoons. Like the other

forms of media, the Filipino newspapers are loaded with stories related to disasters –

natural or man-made. This is to keep the reading public updated with the different

aspects of the said phenomenon such as affected areas, casualties, immediate needs,

and other relevant advisories.

In this study, I have reviewed Filipino news stories as to how they describe the

disaster-stricken areas. And here are the uncovered contents of such stories written in

the Filipino language.

Na-stranded Mag-landfall Nag-su-supply

Nag-island hopping Ma-contact Nag-landfall
Nag-expect Nag-o-operate

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 To describe the disaster stricken areas, the Filipino news stories coined words

through the use of Tagalog affixation (MacFarlan, 2001: 148).

Personification:
1. Binayo ng flashflood at landslide (pounded by flashflood and landslide)
2. Hagupitin ni Pablo (shattered by Pablo)
3. Mawasak ng bagyo ang kanilang bahay (distraught by typhoon)
4. Bayuhin ang bansa (pounded the country)
5. Winasak ng pang-24 na bagyo (distraught by the 24th typhoon)

Hyperbole:
1. Nabalot din sa kadiliman ang maraming lugar sa Bicol (Most parts of
Bicol were deprived of light.)
2. Bugbog sarado ang maraming bahagi ng bansa (Most parts of the
country were heavily bruised.)
3. Nalibing nang buhay (Buried alive)

The Filipino news stories about disaster stricken areas also contain figures of

speech such as personification and hyperbole. The Filipino news stories associate

human characteristics to natural disasters such as flood and typhoon. They likewise use

overly exaggerated words to describe the onslaught.

dokumento (document) populasyon (population)

narekober (recovered)
insidente (incident)
ahensiya (agency)
benepisyaryo (beneficiary)
petisyon (petition)
epektibo (effective)
imprastraktura (infrastructure)
lokasyon (location)
ikinategorya (categorized)
kinansela (canceled)
idineklara (declared)
otoridad (authority)
inookupa (occupied)
inisyal (initial)
istruktura (structure)
agrikultura (agriculture)

Another set of vocabulary found are the English words transliterated into

Tagalog

orthography (MacFarlan, 2001: 146).

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 binayo/bayuhin (pounded) mawasak/winasak (devastated)
hagupitin (stroke with a whip) bugbog-sarado (brutally bruised)
rumagasa (roared) utas (died)

Besides borrowed words from English, some tabloid jargons are also present in
the said type of news story.

Mahigit kalahating milyong mamamayan ang apektado ng mga patuloy na pag

-ulan.
(Almost half a million people were already affected by the continuous rainfall.)

Sa ngayon ay umaabot na sa halos 4,000 ang apektadong pamilya dahil sa mga

pagbaha.
(Today, almost 4, 000 families were already affected by flood.)

Ayon sa ulat, nawalan ng kuryente ang ilang bayan sa Bohol.

(According to the report, some parts of Bohol experienced brownout.)

Bugbog-sarado ang maraming bahagi ng bansa.

(Most parts of the country were greatly devastated).

Halos 10 milyong katao ang naapektuhan ng bagyong Yolanda.

(Almost 10 million people were already affected by the typhoon Yolanda.)

Binaha ang ilang parte ng Metro Manila matapos ang matinding buhos ng ulan.
(Some parts of Metro Manila were flooded due to the heavy downpour of rain.)

The Filipino words written in bold letters are used for approximation, and these

are dominantly found in the news stories about the disaster-stricken areas.

Nababahala naman ang National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
sa pinsala sa mga simbahan sa Bohol na karamihan ay mahigit 100 taon na.
(The National Commission for Culture and the Arts is worried about the
century-old Catholic churches in Bohol which were severely damaged.) -
Religious

Nalibing nang buhay ang tatlong miyembro ng isang pamilya habang

masuwerteng nakaligtas ang anak ng isa pang mag-asawa sa landslide.
(The three family members were all buried alive and only one luckily survived
the landslide.) – Reliance on Fortune

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 Umaasa ang opisyal na may natitira pang buhay sa mga natabunang biktima.
(The government officials remained hopeful on the possibility of finding
people who are still alive.) - Hopeful

Sa kasalukuyan, nagtutulong-tulong ang puwersa ng PNP, AFP, at iba pang

malaking mining operators sa rescue operation.
(At present, the men in uniform and some mining operators are working
together for the rescue operation.) – Cooperation/Bayanihan

Inihayag din ng opisyal na karamihan umano sa mga biktima ay mga dayo

lamang na nagtungo sa nabanggit na lugar para maghukay ng ginto.
(According to the government officials, most of the victims came from other
places just to mine gold.) - Hardworking

Finally, the Filipino news stories about disaster-stricken areas contain sentences

with cultural values.

Reflected Filipino Values and Traits

The Filipino news stories about the disaster-stricken areas do not only give updates

to the reading public, but also reflect some of the Filipino values as explained below:

1. Word coinage through Tagalog affixation.

This coinage tells of the resourcefulness of the Filipino people which is very

evident especially during hard times. The Filipino people are known for their ingenuity.

They can come up with brilliant ideas despite of poverty or lack of financial resources.

Filipinos are likewise good at recycling trash and turn them into ingenious products as

enshrined in their notable belief: MAY PERA SA BASURA. (There’s gold in trash)

(Abrugar, 2014).

2. The Use of Figures of Speech

Like the figures of speech, the Filipino people are known for their creativity. Who

else on earth can write song about the country’s geography, can use coconut husk for

costume, and put up rice land on mountains? Only the Filipinos can. Conversely, the

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Filipino creativity continues to make waves in the global market today from arts to

sciences.

3. English words transliterated into Tagalog orthography

Sadly, this exactly defines one of the negative traits of the Filipino people which is

colonial mentality. They bring in the influence of the foreign culture even to the

smallest aspect of their lives believing that Western culture remains the superior over

their own.

4. The use of vulgar words (tabloid jargons)

The use of vulgar words according to Paulo Cuento from the Manila Bulletin is

mainly to reach even the most humble class: the masses. This only shows giving equal

opportunity to all types of social classes in terms of getting updates during disaster.

Considering this credo, the use of vulgar words, then, depicts the adaptability of the

Filipino people who can easily adapt to any culture and mingle with any kind of people

all over the world. (Abrugar, 2014).

5. The use of words for approximation

Unfortunately, the use of words for approximation illustrates how Filipinos tell

stories. They either crop these stories up or even exaggerate them. This is labeled as

gossiping. It may be a cliché but be told again, gossiping has been part of the Filipino

values and will always be. To add to this, this social phenomenon occurs not only in the

neighborhood but also in the workplaces. Filipinos love to talk about other people with

uncertain details.

6. Inclusion of sentences with cultural values relevance

Besides diverse types of vocabulary words, the Filipino news stories about the

disaster-stricken areas also contain sentences showing Filipino values.

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 (1)Nababahala naman ang National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) sa pinsala sa
mga simbahan sa Bohol na karamihan ay mahigit 100 taon na.
(The National Commission for Culture and the Arts is worried about the century-old Catholic
churches in Bohol which were severely damaged.)

Sentence (1) speaks of how the Filipino people value Christianity. Being the

largest Catholic country in Asia, the Philippines takes pride of its religious nationals

who celebrate masses, perform religious acts during Holy Week, and continuously

enrich Catholicism.

(2) Nalibing nang buhay ang tatlong miyembro ng isang pamilya habang masuwerteng
nakaligtas ang anak ng isa pang mag-asawa sa landslide.
(The three family members were all buried alive and only one luckily survived the landslide.)

Sentence (2) tells one of the distinct Filipino traits which is reliance on luck.

The lottery outlets nationwide are always mobbed by the Filipino people believing that

their good fortune lies on luck. Even during exams, the Filipino students rely more on

luck so with getting out of poverty, they still rely on luck.

(3)Umaasa ang opisyal na may natitira pang buhay sa mga natabunang biktima.
(The government officials remained hopeful on the possibility of finding people who are still

alive.)

Sentence (3) shows the unwavering hope of the Filipino people who remain

hopeful even during difficult times. When everything seems a failure, the Filipino

people never get tired of trying and never lose hope. From being devastated by any

disaster or pressed by poverty, the Filipino people are still steadfast and strong.

(4)Sa kasalukuyan, nagtutulong-tulong ang puwersa ng PNP, AFP, at iba pang malaking mining
operators sa rescue operation.

14
 (At present, the men in uniform and some mining operators are working together for the

rescue operation.)

Sentence (4) exhibits the best Filipino value which is bayanihan/cooperation.

This maybe is the best Filipino trait among many. They make heavy work light through

their unconditional cooperation.

(5)Inihayag din ng opisyal na karamihan umano sa mga biktima ay mga dayo lamang na
nagtungo sa nabanggit na lugar para maghukay ng ginto.
(According to the government officials, most of the victims came from other places just to
mine gold.)

Sentence (5) confirms the most admired Filipino trait which is hardworking.

Filipinos over the years have proven time and again that they are a people with an

industrious attitude (Gregorio & Defensor, 2011).

Conclusion

The Filipino newspapers used diverse types of vocabulary words to describe the

disaster stricken areas. These words are classified as borrowed, coined, figurative, and

vulgar. This shows how the Filipino language is greatly influenced by the different

cultures as a result of colonization. The Filipino news stories about the disaster stricken

areas also contain tabloid jargons to appeal even to the readers belonging to the lowest

class of the social strata.

Finally, these news stories do not only give updates but also reflect some Filipino

values and traits.

Acknowledgements

National Commission for Culture and the Arts. http://www.ncca.gov.ph

Presidential Communications Operations Office. http://www.pcoo.gov.ph

Philippine Press Institute. http://www.philpressinstitute.com

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Balita Online. http://www.balita.com

Remate. http://www.remate.ph

Bandera, Inquirer. http:// www.bandera.inquirer.net/

Pang-Masa. http://www.philstar.com/pang-masa

Pinoy Parazzi. http:// www.pinoyparazzi.com

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