Skewering Puno

The scheduled article will be delayed one day to bring in this perspective before the esteemed Senate starts mucking around in things.

Wow, what a dust up over ex-Under Secretary Puno, eh? The flurry of news articles and commentary has been astounding, motivated in large part by the passion for Jesse Robredo and the sense that someone has been messing with his legacy.

As rumors and reports and accusations were flying about, I happened to read a transcript of the "60 Minutes" interview with the Navy Seal who has written a book ("No Easy Day") about the Osama bin Laden raid and killing. The author described the organized chaos of the raid that emerged after one of the two US assault helicopters crashed into the bin Laden compound.

The original plan had to be abandoned on the fly. The Seal described it as akin to a pick-up basketball game where people read what others are doing and react. They had rehearsed as many as 100 times for the raid, using different scenarios. But the episode was fast, unpredictable, and furious as they crashed in and through the house, shooting first and asking questions later. A lot of time was spent trying to figure out if the one dead guy was indeed bin Laden because his beard was not grey and he looked fairly young. Then they had only 10 minutes to grab all the material in the house, computer files, written documents, bin Laden in a body bag, and scram to the pick-up helicopters.

They told the demolition guy to start laying charges. He started putting them all around the house.

"Not the house! The helicopter!!"

Oops. So the demolition guy stopped work on the house mighty quick and set charges to blow up the crashed helicopter, which had a lot of top-secret gear aboard.

They blew up the crashed machine, got aboard the pick-up choppers and headed for the safety of the Afghan boarder, taking off 10 minutes later than planned. That 10 minutes meant the surviving attack helicopter did not have enough fuel  to make it out, so it had to stop in a remote area to get fuel transferred from another chopper.

Man, that book is flying off the shelves, and will for some time.

But what is my point here?

My point is that those in the media, and those who read the media, don't deal with the unexpected very well. They jump to conclusions. Run at the mouth. Run wild-eyed speculation as news headlines. Start rendering people guilty. It is a pickup basketball game and everyone is fouling like hell. Jungle rules, as we called it out in the streets. It is disorganized chaos, not organized chaos.

In the Puno case, President Aquino has been called out and criticized. On hearsay and rumor and circumstantial information and words taken out of context. And Puno himself, of course.

Crucified.

Skewered.

No mercy.

The facts are starkly clear if you believe what was printed. Puno raided the Robredo condo to get rid of information that would prove he benefitted from a gun purchase contract and so the President fired him.

Well, excuse me if I think that is all a little premature.

I think it is a little unreasonable to declare guilt before trial. No. No. A lot unreasonable.

The Robredo crash created a chaotic situation. And the media ran about much like extremist Muslims after hearing about a movie some fool made that was blasphemous.

The President was not in his office with his staff surrounding him when the flare-up blew up. He was in the field, where he needed to be. Looking for Robredo. Which, incidentally, is going to be the title I hang on the next presidential election campaign, because that is what the nation should do. Look for someone with the values of Robredo, and his dedication to good work.

• "Looking for Robredo", campaign 2016.

But I digress. The president was moving left and the media mob was moving right. And backward and forward and zig-zagging. It was a very sloppy pick-up game. One horridly botched military attack.

Here is a collection of headlines I've pulled together, a glimpse of the chaotic shouting that went on:

• Lockdown or raid? Puno, police visit to Robredo condo raises questions, TV-5 Online, 9/7

• Puno tried to search Robredo condo, office , Philstar, 9/8

• Robredo opened probe into Puno’s P600-M ammo project, Inquirer, 9/9

• Aquino asks PNP chief to replace Puno, Inquirer, 9/9

• Lawmakers to put Puno in hot seat on gun deal and 'visit' to Robredo condo, GMA News, 9/10

• Events contradict Aquino claim on Puno, Rappler, 9/10

• Enrile defends Puno on Robredo office lockdown, Inquirer, 9/11

• Rico Puno resigns, Philstar 9/11

• Aquino eyes ‘nice, quiet’ job for Puno, Inquirer, 9/12

• Bishops urge Aquino not to give Rico Puno another gov’t post, Inquirer, 9/12

• Puno did nothing wrong – Aquino, Manila Times, 9/13

• PNP Chief Staying, Won't Replace Puno, Rappler, 9/13

• 'Puno not yet off the hook' Philstar, 9/13

• Puno: Too hot to handle, Inquirer 9/13

How many of those headlines are factual, and how many are sensational? For those that were factual, how many were prejudicial? Out of context?

How many twitter-style readers took the headlines as the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

• Puno raided Robredo's condo
• Puno was being investigated by Robredo
• Puno was on the way out with the PNP Chief tapped to replace him
• Puno will be investigated by the Senate
• Puno should not be given another government job
• Puno is too hot to handle

Talk about a guy lynched before trial.

Big stories on partial pieces of information.

News reporting in the chaos of battle.

Editors breathing heavy.

A Senate panel yanked together in three days and to Hell with the RH Bill and women's health.

These Senate clowns are also magicians. They got Sotto to disappear.

What in the Hell is a Senate panel doing mucking about in this? Senator Santiago has lost it, caught up in the emotion, the sensationalism, the glory of the moment. Man, if she wants the Ombudsman's job, just apply for it. Don't put the nation on hold because the headlines were juicy.

The only thing we are missing in this outta control mob scene is Nicole.