At that time, when Madonna's "Like a Virgin" was topping the charts and Michael Jackson was still black (no racist slur intended), I had a simple concept of life: wake-up, eat, play, sleep. A naïve girl that I was, I thought the world was as perfect as the make-believe world's I created for Barbie and Ken: always a happy ending.

But I guess that's not at all surprising. I was only three years and two months old when the country had its first woman President. How was I supposed to know? It is only know that I realize how life back then was no way near that of Barbie and Ken. It is only now that I realize how risky it was to be alive at that time. How I wish I was old enough to give a damn.

I had no idea that the days of the Aquino administration was even darker than the martial law time. That is, until I saw Orapronobis. I am no cineaste, but cliché as it may sound, I know a good film when I see one. And Orapronobis is one of the few films that I may not be able to forget in a long time.

Orapronobis is the only film that gave me a clear picture of the post-martial law Philippines. With the kind of attack that Lino Brocka gave the material, I got his message loud and clear: violence does not solve anything. The film most definitely invoked in me a sense of disgust over the fact that nothing was done to prevent the useless sacrifices of life during the Aquino administration.

Being a journalism student with a background of what the press is and the role it plays in the society, I believe the aspect of the film I can most expound on is the way the media handled events as portrayed in the film.

Specifically, the film touched on the issue of media reportage of human rights violations during the Aquino administration. The way the film showed it, the media mishandled information regarding the events that took place.

The issue of human rights violations is such a sensitive and crucial area of reportage. Weighty consequences are posed on any person who gets involved in this crime. Thus, for the press, an institution which has a constitutionally protected job of telling the truth to the public at all times, it is imperative that all sides of the issue (or whatever issue for that matter) is substantially covered.

This brings me to my point: the press' dependence on official sources. As shown in the film, reporters who covered the events (such as the alleged "encounter" between suspected rebels and civilian operatives) solely depended on statements from the government officials.

As Vergel Santos wrote in his article "A Freedom Wasted on the Free," published in the April-June 2000issue of the Philippine Journalism Review, "…conflict is an especially sensitive security and political issue that government deserves a certain discretion as to what to disclose, what not to disclose."

Being on the Aquino administration's payroll, government officials who give out information to the press about any event is not likely to supply information that is detrimental to the interests of the government. This "official source syndrome," as called by John Hulteng in his book The Messenger's Motives: Ethical Problems of the News Media (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1985), causes reporters to miss news beyond the information supplied by these sources.

"To the extent that you are reliant upon institutional sources for news, you are reliant upon a self-serving source which in every case will attempt to put the best face on the news, to interpret information for you in the light of its own interests," said New York Times reporter Tom Wicker, as quoted by Hulteng in the same book.

"To the extent that you are reliant upon institutional sources for news, you are reliant upon a self-serving source which in every case will attempt to put the best face on the news, to interpret information for you in the light of its own interests," said New York Times reporter Tom Wicker, as quoted by Hulteng in the same book.

Wicker's point is a truism in the Philippine press today. It seems with the pressure of meeting deadlines, reporters rely on official sources or press releases to accomplish their stories. This (mal)practice has grave implications on the compliance with the journalistic principles of fairness and accuracy.

As I have been taught by my journalism professors, any news report should be complete and fair. Thus, a report that is based only on one source would not satisfy these minimum requirements. If a reporter aims to be objective (I mean in a journalistic sense), all possible sides must be comprehensively covered, in order that the reporter does not "marginalize" any party concerned. Time pressure must not be an excuse for a half-baked report.

Secondly, the issue of inaccuracy is dragged by this problem. Since there is only one source, the reporter has no chance to verify his facts. And with such an important and risky subject as human rights, where lives of people may be at stake, there should be no room for such inadequacies. This brings into focus the issue of who really is the master of the Philippine press.

The Americans brought with them the liberal-capitalist model of the press when it conquered the Philippines. This system provides that the press shall be privately owned, while it is operating in a public sphere. The press is viewed as watchdogs of the government, providing check and balance. Being such, the press is permitted considerable space in terms of data gathering and reporting. There are laws that work to the journalist's advantage, and there are some that limit journalistic freedom.

In the manner of reporting, journalists become torn among their three lovers: the media organization for which they work, the government which needs the press to protect their interests, and the people who use the media as an information source which help them make decisions and form opinions.

Yet to journalists who owe their power to the people, the answer to this question should come at a snap of a finger: the public. Information, in my opinion, is a necessity. And journalists are the ones who equip the readers with the information they would need to make their own opinions- something that is vital in a democratic set-up. Thus, journalists should always be on their toes in their search for true and accurate information at all times, even beyond the call of their duty. As Santos said, "…the media cannot hope to be served by simply standing and waiting, neither can it hope to be given by simply asking- they will have to seek to find."

I can say that Orapronobis has not only awakened my senses about the gruesome past of my country, it has also taught me valuable lessons about the craft I am hoping to practice and excel in in the future. Now that I am old enough to understand events beyond my playthings, I am not hoping for a Barbie-Ken kind of life. My only hope is for truth to always be revealed, though it may hurt.