STUDY GUIDE FOR THE POST WAR PERIOD

DOG EATERS
by Randy David

INTRODUCTION

“Dog Eaters” is an informal essay written by Randy David on August 18, 1996. The
essay shed light on the unfairness and unjust treatment of journalism and its elements
such as the camera, the journalist himself, and the broader Philippine television context, in
exposing sensitive topics without caution. As such, the journalism of today fails to become
neutral. Randy David expressed his sentiments and grievous concerns about what
journalism has turned out to be, how cameras and televisions have abused their privileges,
and why Philippine journalism has become insensitive. And finally, the essay not only
showed Randy and his family’s reaction but also depicted the harsh reality and insensitivity
of Philippine journalism towards its viewers.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

 Determine the past and current reality of journalism in the Philippines;
 Differentiate the journalistic approach of Philippines and Thailand, and
 Reflect on the significance of unbiased journalism and judgment calls.
.
LEARNING CONTENTS

Dog Eaters
by Randy David

ABS-CBN’s The Inside Story showed an episode on Filipino dog eaters last
Tuesday which left me wondering exactly why watching it became for my family such an
offensive experience. My children, typically liberal and modern, are not normally
squeamish about these things. But this time they were screaming.

The camera shows a light brown native dog, not more than a year old, wagging its
tail – its half-open mouth a picture of trustful playfulness. A group of young men, who do not
look desperately starved, begin to surround the dog. One of them winds its leash tightly
around a post. The dog continues to wag its tail while it scans the faces of the men.

Suddenly, a man, carrying what looks like a metal bar, steps into the foreground and
begins hitting the dog on the head. The dog struggles to get out of the leash, while the
man, sensing his prey might get away, continues to pound its face with his weapon. The

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dog escapes, but its dash to freedom is quickly cut short by the same group of men. Then
the narrator calmly intones that the dog had been somebody’s pet, but that the owner had
given it or sold it to the dog eaters.

The next scene shows the animal, now lifelessly hanging by its hind legs, being
singed by one of the men with a blow torch. The camera closes up on the light brown fur
as it is slowly scorched.

At this point, my children were totally distraught. One of them grabbed the remote
control and said “Enough!”. I think I saw Ms. Nita Lichauco, a crusader for animal welfare,
speaking. I am sure whatever she said was used by the producers of the show to draw
public condemnation for dog eating and its attendant cruelty to an animal that most of the
world regards as a pet.

The Inside Story and its multi-awarded host Loren Legarda have usually taken a
politically correct stand on many sensitive issues. They will likely justify this episode as an
attempt precisely to jolt the viewing public into taking note of this common savagery and
examining it in the light of higher values.
Not too long ago, a documentary shown on cable television featured the trade on dog meat
in Thailand. It is a valid and attractive subject – one that never fails to persuade western
viewers about the general meanness of life in the Orient. But, it is a subject that is
approached with great care precisely because of the heightened danger of offending the
sensibilities of viewers.

That documentary showed dogs in crowded cages, some of them still wearing tags
identifying them as some family’s pet. The camera quickly pans this sordid scene and
stays with some of the dogs just long enough to show their owners’ tags. There are no
clips of the actual slaughter, no blood, no faces of gleeful or hungry men going after their
prey. Perhaps the most potentially offensive shot was that of flesh being dried in the sun.
But the camera never dwells on gore. It zeroes in instead on the speech of the men who
engage in it as an occupation.

But Loren’s show was something else. It showed the brutalization of an animal in
such a manner that one is tempted to ask whether the man behind the camera was
enjoying it or whether the journalist who accompanied him ever felt any compulsion at any
point to intervene on behalf of the dog. Or, could the entire scene have been staged
precisely so that it could be filmed?

Situations like these involve judgment calls – decisions that require of the reporter of
human events the exercise of utmost discernment. The camera, in this sense, is not the
neutral eye that it is often thought to be. It chooses what to see and how to see. The
relationship between the camera and the viewer therefore is essentially one of trust.

The viewer is defenseless before a predatory camera that is mounted upon the base
of his unexamined drives and passions. A responsible camera protects its viewer: it allows
for the play of his reason. It sensitizes him to the meanness of everyday life to which we all
contribute in unsuspecting ways; but it doesn’t numb him.

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 The dog eaters episode is only the latest expression of what I feel is becoming an
accepted trend on Philippine television: the visual feasting on the deviant, the esoteric, the
physically and mentally disfigured, the deranged, and the anthropologically-strange. That is
why we are among the remaining countries in the world that still feature in the early evening
news burnt and mangled human bodies, headless corpses, psychopaths in the grip of their
personal demons, sociopaths numbed by drugs.

Over the past week, television has tried to diagnose what ails Jonathan Galora, a
young man who beheaded his own mother, repeatedly stabbed his own sister, and
chopped the household’s cat and dog. It is one family’s tragedy that is difficult to
comprehend. Jonathan has sought refuge in the inaccessible layers of his psyche, where,
mercifully, television cannot reach him.

But his family has been unable to protect him from the peering eye of the camera.
Television just would not let him be even in his solitary cell at the Valenzuela jail. It surveys
his distant and angry eyes, and records its own concept of what a madman is like. Is this
journalism?

.
AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND

 Randolph "Randy" S. David is a Filipino

journalist, television broadcaster, and
sociologist born on January 8, 1946.
 He is an Emeritus Professor of Sociology at
the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
 He presently writes a weekly newspaper
column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and
serves on the board of advisors for ABS-CBN
Corporation.
 He also launched his long-awaited second
career as a journalist, first on television with
the talk show "Truth Forum" in 1986, then
with "Public Life with Randy David" until
1995, when he began writing a weekly column for the Inquirer, also titled "Public
Life."

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 ANALYSIS OF THE ESSAY

Setting

Date Written Source

 August 18, 1996  Randy David Page

Philippine Media During the 1990s

 Following the dictatorship, a new constitution was drafted, and press

freedom was granted protection under Article IV of the Bill of Rights.
 The newspaper industry experienced a surge in response to the public's desire
for news. In the 1990s, television and radio had the biggest audience reach;
newspapers still set the agenda, and both TV and radio took their cues from
them.
 ABS-CBN, the largest media outlet, was reopened and led the way in
transforming its news model to one akin to the infotainment style used in the
United States, with coverage of crime, sex, and the occult.
 The difference between the "elite" and "mass market" has also divided news
content. Broadsheets are generally in English and contain news about politics
and business, while television and tabloid news are in Filipino and contain
news about crime and entertainment.

The Inside Story (TV program)

 July 10, 1990–November 3, 1998
 It airs every Tuesday.
 It was a 60-minute news
magazine program produced by
ABS-CBN.
 Loren Legarda hosted it at first,
followed by Julius Babao, Cathy
Yang, and Mari Kaimo.
 Legarda departed the network
after running for senator as a
Lakas-NUCD-UMDP candidate
and winning with nearly 14 million
votes.

Other Important Analysis

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 Type  Dog Eaters is an example of an
informal essay because the
author's writing style is personal
and describes his experience
viewing documentaries and news.
It felt as if the author was speaking
with his readers face-to-face.

Form and Structure  It follows an inductive format,

with the primary or general notion
generalized in the final section and
supporting details found in the first
paragraphs.

Mode and Tone  The tone and form of the essay are
harsh, upsetting, and alarming.

Themes 1. Comparison between the

Philippines and Thailand’s
Documentary Approach to Dog Meat

Randy David made a significant point

in comparing the Philippines and
Thailand’s creative making of a
documentary centered on the dog trade.
In Thailand, the trading of dog meat was
a valid and acceptable subject. The
footage showed dogs in cramped cages,
some of which still had tags identifying
them as family pets. The camera travels
fast through this heinous scene, briefly
focusing on some of the dogs to reveal
their owners' tags. There is no footage of
the actual slaughter, no blood, and no
images of delighted or hungry men
pursuing their target. Perhaps the most
potentially disgusting image was one of
flesh being dried in the sun.

Whereas in the Philippines, Loren

Legarda’s “The Inside Story”’ showed so

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 much brutality and cruelty towards
animals that viewers could discern that
the man behind the camera was enjoying
the sight of gruesome action.

2. Camera’s cruelty

The footage went like this:

A light brown local dog, no more than

a year old, wagging its tail with its half-
open mouth is an image of trustful fun. A
bunch of young males, who don't appear
to be starving, encircle the dog. One of
them wraps its leash tightly around a
pole. The dog continues to wag its tail
while scanning the men's faces.

Suddenly, a man steps into the

foreground, holding what appears to be a
metal bar, and starts beating the dog on
the head. The dog attempts to free itself
from the leash, but the man continues to
pound his prey's face with his weapon,
fearing it may flee.

The next scene shows the animal,

now lifelessly dangling on its rear legs,
being singed by one of the men with a
blow torch. The camera focuses on the
light brown fur as it gently burns.

3. Judgement calls’ urgency

For Randy David, situations like the

documentary require journalists to take a
step back and realize what reality they
are in. In this sense, they must step away

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 from the camera and see if it is still
neutral or becoming cruel. Because,
truthfully, a camera chooses what to see
and how to see it. Therefore, a camera
and viewers’ relationship is essentially
built on trust.

4. Defenseless viewers

The viewer is powerless in front of a

predatory camera built on the foundation
of his unexamined desires and passions.
Hence, a responsible camera must
protect its viewers by allowing them to
exercise reason and logic.

5. Allusion to Philippine television

The documentary depicted how

Philippine television works. They feed on
people’s egoistic desires, translate their
weakness and curiosity, and arouse
these triggers by showing brutal, cruel,
and mangled reality. Regardless of
whether this content might trigger
viewers’ sensitivity, Philippine television
will still push through the limits to obtain
high ratings.

Mentioned Personalities 1. Loren Legarda- is a Filipina politician,

environmentalist, cultural worker, and
former journalist who has been serving as
a senator and the incumbent president
pro tempore of the Senate of the
Philippines since 2022.

2. Ms. Nita Lichauco- is the mother of

animal care in the Philippines. She was

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 the founder and president of the
Philippine Animal Welfare Society and
aggressively advocated for animal care
and rights, which resulted in the passage
of Republic Act 8485, often known as the
Animal Welfare Act of 1998.

3. Mr. Jonathan Galora- is a young man

who beheaded his own mother, stabbed
his own sister multiple times, and
chopped the household's cat and dog. He
stayed at the Valenzuela jail.

LEARNING ACTIVITY

Part I. Let’s Ponder!

Directions. Answer the following questions.

1. How did Randy David approached his essay? What is his tone?

2. How was journalism displayed in the essay?

3. To what extent can media be allowed in exposing reality?

4. When should media censorship be enacted? What situations quality?

5. What was the central message of the essay? How does it relate to today’s journalism?

Part II. Paint me a Picture!

Directions. Create a short informational video (not less than 3 minutes, but not
exceeding 10 minutes) tackling the reality of Philippine journalism. You may refer to
several sources online, both digital and print.

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Rubrics:

INFORMATIONAL VIDEO: PH JOURNALISM OF TODAY

Grade Excellent Good Satisfactory Insufficient Points

Points Awarded 3 points 2 points 1 points 0 points

The video offers a The video offers an The video fails to The video does not
Content and concise summary of adequate adequately summarize the /3
Messages the findings and summary of the summarize the findings or
highlights the key findings and some findings or highlights of the
points of the topic. of the highlights of highlights of the topic.
the topic. topic.

The video The video The relevance of The video fails to

Relevance demonstrates the adequately the issue to a demonstrate the /3
relevance of the demonstrates the wide audience relevance of the
issue to a wide the relevance of the is not clear. issue to a wide
audience. issue to a wide the audience.
the audience.
The video has The video offers The video offers The video offers
Educational educational value to some educational moderate no /3
Value both the presenter’s value to both the educational value educational value.
peers and a wider, presenter’s peers to both the
general audience. and a wider, presenter’s peers
general and a wider,
audience. general audience.

REFERENCES

Prof. Randy S. David. (n.d.). PRRM. https://www.prrm.org/prof-randy-s-david.html

Randy David, PUBLIC LIVES. (2019, March 26). Dog eaters.

http://www.randydavid.com/1996/08/dog-eaters/

Karunungan, R. (2020, September 30). The history of Philippine media. Renee Karunungan.

https://reneekarunungan.com/2020/02/19/the-history-of-philippine-media/

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 Submitted by:

Kenneth Royce Ibuan

BSEd English II-1

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