A Day in the Life

"I read the news today, oh boy..."

Living up to my standards as an irresponsible citizen, I refuse to monitor the news these days. I maintain my belief that newspapers contain biased reports, that journalists tend to focus on the sensational and downplay the truly important events. I don't watch TV at all. Not only because I have no access for any network in my apartment, I simply just don't give a damn. Apart from my 30-second look at all the headlines of major dailies and tabloids alike on my way to the hospital every morning, I practically don't have any idea what goes on with the rest of the world.

Last Sunday, I was able to get a copy of a major daily c/o Jollibee breakfast meal. Irresponsible as I am, I stuffed the paper in my backpack and forgot about it. Last night, after my hospital duties, I finally got the chance to scan through the paper. It was mostly about Monday's SONA, ads about GMA's achievements, political ambitions of some traditional politicians, petty crimes, murders, floods, Vicki Belo, Tito, Vic and Joey, Manny Villar, etc.

You see these news aren't new. They're old stories, ran again and again. They're disgusting, reviling in fact. What we need to read are stories that matter, achievements of the countless souls around town trying to make a difference in their own little ways. Everybody knows the government is corrupt. Everybody knows GMA and all those other politicians are trying to put on a good face, to convince people that they are capable and trustworthy. A newspaper is nothing but a paper with stories that aren't really new.

Irresponsible citizens like me read them and discard them. An old newspaper is good enough for wrapping dog manure, or to serve as absorbents for the leaking windowsill, nothing else.

Last night, however, was a different story. Way into the last section of that Sunday paper I was reading on a Monday night, I was stunned into silence. I saw a familiar name and a familiar face.

Why of all papers in the world I picked this one. Why of all days it had to be that day. Too bad, just when I started to care about the news, newspapers are making me sad once again.