Election 2010: Our Dangerous Life

Television giant ABS-CBN gave viewers more things to reflect on as it aired the 80’s mini-series, A Dangerous Life.  For those who remember, the mini-series was HBO and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation effort to dramatize the final days of the Marcos regime as well as EDSA 1 — which catapulted Corazon Aquino into the presidency and restored democracy in the Philippines.

The telecast of the six-hour mini-series is a treat, especially to those who were too young to remember EDSA 1 — or don’t appreciate its significance in our nation’s life.  Still, one cannot help but be suspicious about the timing of the telecast, given that we are just a month away from the elections.  Sure, Noynoy Aquino was not part of the mini-series.  But who will not remember Noynoy when you are faced with six hours of Cory, who was portrayed very well by Laurice Guillen?

We are left to wonder if Noynoy’s camp paid airtime to show the mini-series.  And if they did, surely they can and will argue that there is no violation of the omnibus election code, since he is not part of the film.  Only Imelda Marcos (played by Tessie Tomas) is running this year, and I don’t think her portrayal in the mini-series will affect her chances of winning in the Marcoses’ home province, Ilocos Norte.

Buying airtime is nothing new in the industry.  Just recently, Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s camp paid the network to replay her life story, which was originally featured on Maalaala Mo Kaya around six years ago.

If Noynoy’s camp indeed paid for the telecast of A Dangerous Life, this means he was soft-selling himself during the Holy Week break.  And this is something, of course, that will not sit well with many voters.  Just a look at Facebook on Good Friday and Black Saturday already revealed negative reactions from netizens about the showing of the mini-series.

If the airing of the mini-series was purely a network decision, that is another thing.  Many now suspect that the Lopez-owned network is showing its true colors — yellow, to be precise.  Is the showing of the mini-series proof that ABS-CBN is indeed pro-Noynoy?

If the network did show it because Noynoy paid for it, the question still is, why did the network agree to it, given all the implications especially for its news division?  I hope the division’s objectivity and credibility will not be affected.

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Regardless of what really happened behind the scenes, I trust that we will all vote wisely.  Remember, it is Noynoy who is running and not Cory. And we will decide who to vote for based on integrity and performance — and not just based on a mini-series.

The Aquino factor aside, the mini-series is something to think about now, given worries of election failure in May.  When one thinks about it, what happened in 1986 was a failure of elections.  There were fears of a bloody civil war as accurately shown in the mini-series.  But thankfully, People Power prevailed.

With a failure of elections, the fear is that either President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is extending her stay. Or worse, a military will junta taking over.  Talk about options!

The behavior of Marcos and Imelda during their last days of power as shown is something to be worried about now as the Arroyo administration is its in last few months.  The mini series showed Marcos just doing anything and everything to stay in power.  It showed Marcos as a leader who was not even thinking very clearly anymore because of a rabid lust to stay on.  The fear of not a small number is that Arroyo is not very far from this line of thought, especially when the Palace itself is afraid of election failure and a junta taking over. We hope that this fear is unfounded, and hope that Arroyo will still have enough sense and delicadeza to think of what is good for the country, and what history will remember her and her family for.

Now, if only Manny Villar had a mini-series about him swimming in a sea of trash…