The mundane world of business

Well its another day in that wonderful world of the business reporter.

Aside from the torrent of PR requests trumpeting everything from toothpaste to virgin coconut oil, one also has to sort through the maze of figures and equally frustrating double-speak of analysts and would be economists jockeying, no begging, for a chance to say their piece.

First stop: The Newsbreak office. Apparently there's a not so subtle attempt to intimidate media organizations to "toe the line". But that's been harped upon resoundly over the past weeks since 1017 hit the fan. Editor in Chief Maritess Vitug says government may not really be serious in getting their hands wet with the proverbial blood of the free press. But then there's no reason not to try their hand at scaring us. I asked her if it's simply a case of media creating its own monster in the closet. She told me in the chilling aftermath of the Tribune raid, journalist's brains were going into virtual overload from paranoia.

But amid all the indignation over 1017 and the PNP instigated raid on the Tribune office, there hasn't really been a far-reaching attempt to muzzle the free press. Yeah...yeah, the National Telecommunication Comission may have rattled its saber against the broadcasting denizens but its basically all bark. Wire-tapped phones aside, nothing's really changed in the working conditions.

Not to sound too optimistic, but I feel we can still crucify anybody we want. But then again maybe I'm just naive and time and Gloria may still prove me wrong.

By the way, in another chapter of the anti-gloria conspiracy story, we received a counter-intelligence briefing in camp Aguinaldo by a certain colonel from ISAFP who menacingly made it clear he didn't want to be put on camera. But he gave the briefing anyway and we listened. The AFP has apparently cracked the entire conspiracy against president arroyo.

You can read the entire story in Newsbreaks latest issue. But not included in the Newsbreak story were the names of Danding Cojuangco, Ping Lacson, Peping Cojuangco and some multi-national companies who contributed directly or indirectly to the plan to oust GMA. The multi-national companies, in the spirit of paying revolutionary taxes to the communist insurgency, apparently paid insurance money to the coupistas (that's a new word coined) so that their billion pesos operations would remain untouched during the transition period (read: during the mini-civil war that will erupt).

The good Colonel or whatever his rank was since he didn't wear a uniform, admitted the money trail would be difficult to prove in court. Hence probably the spirit and very essence of 1017 and its menacing residual effect...if the government can't catch the coupistas...then maybe government can scare them to death..