Truth Telling and other Perils in “Democratic” Philippines 207 Although not all owners intervene in the daily operations of their newspaper or broadcast network, editors and other decision makers are nevertheless well aware of owner interests, and therefore, of their probable preferences in the coverage of an event or issue that's likely to have an impact on the business and/or political concerns of media owners. Equally relevant, however, is the commercial aspect of media operations, an ingredient that together with the business and political interests of owners has also gone into editors' on the job decisions. But of particular relevance to the media is the issue of credibility. In the Philippine setting, credibility tends to be the consequence of media accessibility. Television has the highest credibility, according to Pulse Asia, as a consequence of its 96 percent reach, while that of print has been declining together with the fall in newspaper circulations. However, this is only part of the picture. Government television is nowhere in the ratings, which is probably just as well, its reporting, particularly during elections, being biased and awed. The system of media ownership has made the public service that the media are supposed to be, privately-driven and functioning for the defense and enhancement of private interests, in which the bottom line of protability rules. This imperative has often been at the root of such media problems as bias and lack of fairness, sensationalism and the drive for exclusives at the expense of verication, all of which have at times put journalists in danger. (In one instance, a broadcaster's search for an exclusive in behalf of boosting her network's ratings, for example, led to her being kidnapped by the kidnap for ransom Abu Sayyaf Group.) On the other hand, the broadcast organizations' focus on exclusivity has also led to airing stories which were later found to be false. In the August 23, 2010 hostage-taking incident, the same competitive environment led to one error after another which contributed to the bloody outcome (eight hostages were killed) of the incident. Unresolved issues Armed rebellions have always been part of the Philippine landscape not only after Philippine independence was restored in 1946, but for most of the previous 300 years of Spanish and the 50 years of United States occupation. The Muslim resistance to both Spanish and American conquest was not only prolonged, but was never defeated, despite the worst efforts of the Spanish conquistadores and of the US occupation forces. On the other hand, in what have since become the Christian areas of the Philippines, the 300 years of Spanish occupation was characterized by an average of one rebellion each year, culminating in the Revolution of 1896. The issues that drove the Moro resistance as well as the Philippine Revolution—the