Prayers, not Pessimism

She may have made the wrong choice in going to Sulu, but Ces Drilon, and her cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, assistant cameraman Angelo Valderama and Professor Octavio Dinampo need our prayers.

Ces was born to be a journalist and we cannot fault her for pursuing exclusives which may put her and her team’s life at risk. I have worked with her for a few times in Mindanao and I have seen how dedicated she is to her work. Maybe the only mistake she did was to pursue stories that would matter.

Different folks, different strokes. For some journalists like me, I would not have done what Ces did. But that thinking does not make Ces’ decisions wrong. We are all guided by the same basic goals as journalists and one of them is to work on stories that are worth-telling. Maybe Ces and Prof. Dinampo thought that the story they are working on would create a positive impact on the long-delayed peace process in Mindanao.

I am not justifying what Ces did. I myself doubt that I would have pursued whatever she is pursuing in Sulu given the risks at stake. But then again, for now let us just pray that the abductors would soon release Ces, Jimmy, Angel and Professor Dinampo unharmed.

(Photo by Neil Arambala taken in Iligan City during the Fr. Bossi coverage.)