DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The publicized family feud surrounding two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo has drawn reactions on media’s coverage on this matter.
One issue was how women are portrayed in a bad light, as observed by Jeanette Laurel-Ampog, executive director of the non-governmental organization Talikala who posted this commentary on her Facebook account:
“Naa ra ko na-realize aning morag circus na nalambigit ang atong Olympian Gold Medalist. Morag ang dautan puro babae no, Nanay ug GF niya. Siya lalaki wala siyay sala. Nya, ang nagkomentaryo kay mga babae pod nga kasagaran naga blame sa Nanay. Naa pod nga GF ang sad-an. Pangit ang imahe nga ginahulagway sa media ug soc media, mga nawo’g kwarta ang babae.
Kanus a kaya maundang nga ma-blame ang babae? Kanus a kaya nga makita ang contribution sa Nanay ug GF sa mga kadaugan sa mga kalalakin-an?”
(I realized something from this circus surrounding our Olympian gold medalist. It seems it’s the women who are cast as the bad characters, both his mother and his girlfriend. The man doesn’t get any blame here. Instead, most of the comments that even come from women blame either his mother or his girlfriend. Media and social media portray women in a bad light as if they are all after the money.
When will we stop blaming women? When will we see how much mothers and lovers contribute to the success of men?)
Yulo’s strong performances in the men’s gymnastic floor exercise and vault in the Paris 2024 Olympics earned him two gold medals, and adulation from the Philippines and the rest of the world.
His rare feat as only the second Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal next to weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, however, was overshadowed when Facebook and media began playing out the rift between him and his mother, Angelica, over management of his funds and her disapproval of his girlfriend, the Australia-based Chloe San Jose.
Both social media and media publicized stories, videos, and interviews, prompting calls to media for restraint and respect on the family’s privacy.
Journalism professor Danilo Arao from the University of the Philippines Diliman said in an interview with BBC that:
“Let us not dilute the outstanding achievements in the 2024 Paris Olympics by reporting on trivial matters that do not carry news values and do not shape public opinion… Reporting on family feuds or personal problems of private individuals promotes an “unacceptable culture of voyeurism and rumour-mongering.”
Writer Raul Dancel also wrote on this matter on his Facebook, raising the question: “Why don’t we elevate how we look at this unfortunate family feud into a discussion of the state of Philippine sports?”
Dancel points out the lack of government programs to support athletes who face pressure “to part with their already meager income to support their families while also clinging on to their dream of sporting glory.”
Bulatlat reports how the government is slashing its budget for sports development in 2025 to a mere P725 million compared to this year’s P1.156 billion allocation for the preparation of the Olympics. (davaotoday.com)
Carlos Yulo, Media, philippines
