SEN. Ralph Recto, taking the cudgels up for complaining broadcast media outlets, asked the Supreme Court to relax restrictions it imposed in allowing live coverage of the Ampatuan massacre trial.

“It’s unimplementable. It just can’t be done,” Recto said, citing the “nature of the news business.”

In a statement, Recto said the Court’s decision allowing conditional live media coverage of the Ampatuan Massacre trial is not likely to be executed smoothly. “We are glad that they’ve allowed it but it should be allowed totally,” he added.

For instance, Recto noted at least two conditions: barring running commentaries, as well as commercial breaks during the trial proceedings.

“The Supreme Court would infringe on the television networks’ business side if commercial breaks would be banned during the live coverage,” he said. “You can’t interfere with the enterprise side of the TV business. You can’t stop advertising load, which is the bread and butter of the industry.”

Recto added that without running commentaries from studio guests or experts to convert to layman’s perspective the legal fireworks inside the courtroom, “the trial coverage would be like watching a telenovela in Korean subtitles.”

He said: “The TV networks are already doing invaluable public service by beaming the trial to millions of households, the least that they could expect as patriotic dividend is to permit them to do some business, while helping the general public to get some sense of what’s happening inside the courtroom.”

Apart from banning commercials and commentaries, only a Court-assigned video camera would be used inside the makeshift courtroom at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, while live feed would be distributed to media.

Petitioners earlier argued that live media coverage would reduce the cost of the victims’ kin to view the trials, by watching it on television instead of spending for fare to physically witness the hearing.

Relatives of the 57 victims summarily executed in Maguindanao allegedly by henchmen of the powerful Ampatuan clan owing to a local political rivalry have admitted facing financial constraints in attending the weekly hearings in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

Various media organizations, in their petition, also cited freedom of the press, right to information, right to a fair and public trial, right to assembly and to petition the government for redress of grievances, right of free access to courts and freedom of association.

At least 197 suspects, including members of the Ampatuan clan, were charged for the massacre of 57 persons in Maguindanao province on November 23, 2009.

It will be recalled that the victims were on in a convoy that included media personnel on their way to Shariff Aguak town to file the certificate of candidacy of Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu for Maguindanao governor when the group was blocked at a checkpoint manned by local policemen loyal to the Ampatuan clan.