Media Played Up Brawl Story, Says Bishop

NAGA CITY-In a fiery homily before thousands gathered at the Peñafrancia Basilica Minore grounds Saturday evening, Daet Bishop Gilbert Garcera said television reports had sensationalized the story of the man who hit a priest during the Mass after the traslacion procession Friday last week.

Bishop Garcera said all that had happened during the festivities had their own stories but he said it was unfortunate that only the story of the man who hit a priest was reported by the media.

"Was the story of the man in black who hit a priest the only story? Was the fiesta all about the priest hit?" he asked.

He said he wondered why the other "good" things that happened throughout the festivities were not reported.

Instead, according to him, the media focused on an "otherwise insignificant" event that "created a negative image of the Bikolanos."

He said he was saddened that amid other efforts done by the local Church to prepare for and celebrate the tercentenary of the devotion to the Our Lady of Peñafrancia, only the brawl seemed to have been given importance.

"The story was sensationalized in international, national and, local media."

He said it was regrettable that one of the most orderly processions of the image of Mary was reported as if it only ended in trouble.

"In fact, the story about a man who hit a priest was insignificant compared to stories of faith."

During the Mass held after the procession on Friday, droves of voyadores (men who carry the platforms of the images) forced their way up to the pulpit, where the image of the Our Lady of Peñafrancia was placed, resulting in a mad dash that saw several voyadores slipping and falling down the platform.

One of the men was Jay Aureus, who was identified to be the man who hit a priest.

Police said Aureus already had apologized to Msgr. Romulo Vergara, Rector of Peñafrancia Basilica Minore. But Aureus was still obliged to issue a public apology, the police added.

The incident was reported in the prime time news program of the country's two largest television networks-ABS-CBN and GMA, which both have stations in the city. It was also reported in Yahoo news.

Footages of the incident, as reported by the television networks, are already circulating in video sharing website YouTube.

In one video, one user commented, "This is the fault of the organizer who did not provide enough security especially to the priest. As priest they are not supposed to lift their hands against anyone. Losing temper is not a good alibi."

Another user said, "This is so LAME and so unfair. Ang dapat na hinighlight dito is yung voyadores na nanuntok and not the priest who pushed him... (What should have been highlighted was the voyador who hit the priest...) Let us not forget that these priests are human too, capable of being hurt and getting pissed... I believed the priest was pushed to the limit..."

Bishop Garcera also called on the city government to help in preserving the Marian faith and devotion of the Bikolanos, and slammed the city government's launching of Viva Naga, Viva Bicolandia Festival.

Church-based groups had recently also said they were "dismayed and disappointed" by the festival.

In an open letter to Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, published in this newspaper, the Council of the Laity of the Archdiocese of Caceres said "Viva Naga, Viva Bicolandia" included activities that, "on moral grounds," should be banned within the fiesta week.

But Viva Naga, Viva Bicolandia Festival marketing committee head Florencio Tam-Mongoso, who is also the manager of the city government's public employment office, said the previous agreement between the local church and the city government only covers activities held in Plaza Quezon.

"Although it is considering the issues raised by the local Church, the city government cannot ban any activity that does not violate existing city ordinance or national law. We are in a free country."

Earlier this year, a Tricentenary Executive Committee consisting of city officials had a series of dialogues with invited representatives of the Archdiocese to discuss and determine the activities to be allowed during the week of Peñafrancia novenario.

The joint agreement which resulted from the dialogue stated that street parties, pageants, beer plazas previously allowed by the City government were detrimental to the devotion and were to be banned.