I used to live in the Philippines, and I can tell you: stupid, silly shit where people die, often involving the police, is a daily occurrence.
This is a very, very crowded country, with 110 million people, most of them living in poverty. Silliness is a fact of life.
So why is this very specific incident, one among thousands that happen every year, suddenly so important to the Western media?
Hundreds attended the funeral on Sunday of a woman and her son shot dead by an off-duty policeman in the Philippines, a week after a video of the incident went viral on social media, sparking public outrage over police brutality.
Members of the public joined as relatives and friends in Tarlac province, north of Manila, paid their final respects to Sonya Gregorio, 52, and her 25-year old son Frank Gregorio, who were shot in the head after a row over noise.
The shooting, which was recorded on a mobile phone by a member of the Gregorio family, triggered accusations from critics and human rights activists that President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs had created a culture of police impunity.
Policeman Jonel Nuezca was seen in the video engaged in a heated argument with the Gregorios over the use of a homemade noise-making device typically used to celebrate New Year, before he shot the mother and her son.
Nuezca surrendered to police on the night of the incident and faces two counts of murder. The government has promised a thorough investigation.
Previously, the only incidents that got international attention were the incidents involving international people. Like, some American soldier killed a tranny prostitute, and that got big media. That’s reasonable enough.
But this?
Why is Reuters following up on this daily?
We can only imagine that there is some purpose behind this. Who knows what it is. But the media is planning on ratcheting up some kind of a thing, as they are wont to do.