Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume 3, Number 14 May 11 - 17, 2003 Quezon City, Philippines |
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Hazardous Trade In Albay, a popular radio broadcaster was gunned down last April 28, several weeks after he ignored an “invitation” from the military. In Pagadian City, the killer ― a policeman ― of a newspaper editor/broadcaster remains at large despite positive identification by witnesses. And just a few days ago, two journalists in Cagayan de Oro City were arrested and spent several hours behind bars because of a libel case filed by the mayor and apparent shortcuts in court proceedings. BY
ROWENA CARRANZA May 3 was World Press Freedom Day. Many individuals and groups, including international media groups, describe the Philippine press as among “freest” in Asia, giving the impression that the country is some sort of a reporters’ paradise. The truth is, to practice journalism here is to usually receive starvation pay, be exploited with a five-story daily quota, face constant pressure from powers-that-be (local or national level or both), and, worst, suffer harassment, if not actually get killed. Not the best place to be a journalistA
study by Communication Arts graduates of Miriam College shows that from 1986
(the year the Marcos dictatorship was toppled and democracy formally returned in
the country) to 2002, a total of 69 journalists were killed. Two more have been
killed since the study was made, bringing the total to 71.
Of the 69, the slaying of 39 journalists was categorized as job-related, 22 with unknown motives, and eight as non-work related. Twenty-nine of the killings took place in Mindanao, which the Reporters San Frontiers, an international media monitoring group, called one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Thirty-nine percent of the victims were reporters, correspondents or broadcasters; 22 percent editors and publishers; 18 percent commentators; the rest were columnists, photojournalists and media workers. Ninety-two
percent of the cases remain unsolved to this day. Only three cases saw the
killers being convicted. In
its 2003 annual report, the Reporters Sans Frontiers noted that in 2002, three
journalists were murdered and at least three others kidnapped. It reported that
Muslim rebels and the criminal gang Abu Sayyaf have held at least 27 reporters
hostage since 2000. Thus,
it said, “The Philippines, and in particular Mindanao island, remains one of
the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.” Most recent caseThe
most recent case of killing occurred in Albay, a province south of Manila and
eight hours away by bus. Broadcaster Jun Villanueva Jr., 54, was coming home
from work and was only 200 meters away from his house when two unidentified men
shot him several times. He sustained 11 gunshot wounds that damaged many of his
internal organs and ended his life. Villanueva
was known as “Mr. Public Service” and had been a journalist for more than 20
years. He was instrumental in the negotiations for release of a New People’s
Army (NPA) captive two years ago. At the time of his death, he was working at
the DZGB-AM, a local radio station in Legaspi City. Villanueva
read in his program earlier an invitation from the 22nd Infantry
Battalion of the Philippine Army based in Ligao City to report to its
headquarters. Villanueva ignored the invitation. Shameful impunityThe
murder of Edgar Damalerio of Pagadian City on May 13, 2002 is an example of how
the killers, coddled by government and military officials, enjoy shameful
impunity. Two
unidentified men fired at Damalerio, 33, at point blank range, killing him
instantly. The killers escape and the police who came to the murder scene
cleaned up the place without taking any photos and allegedly pressured the
forensic surgeon not to carry out a post mortem. Apparently
to appease the indignant media and public, the police arrested a local gangster
and charged him with the journalist’s murder. Two
witnesses however pointed at a police officer, Guillermo Wapili, a subordinate
of the Pagadian police chief, Asuri Hawani, who had been a frequent recipient of
Damalerio’s criticisms. The
main witness to the killing was later murdered while two other witnesses fear
for their lives. The wife of one of them was also the target of an unsuccessful
kidnapping. Filing
libel cases to exact revenge In
the hands of vengeful and corrupt officials, the libel law has also become a
weapon against press freedom. In
Cagayan de Oro, two journalists were arrested and detained on May 7 in
connection with a libel suit filed by Mayor Jennifer Tan of Tangub City. Herbie
Gomez, Gold Star Daily editor, Manila Times correspondent and Bulatlat.com
contibutor, together with Joey Nacalaban of Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro earned the
ire of Tan after they published an article criticizing local government
officials who went on an all-expense paid trip to Germany courtesy of a company
that has a controversial power project in Misamis Oriental. Gold
Star Daily publisher Ernesto Chu however said that the controversial story never
stated that Tan was part of the delegation to Germany. Journalists
in Mindanao condemned the incident, calling it “a classic case of harassment
and repression of the media.” The
National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP)-Davao City chapter
expressed alarm not only over the detention of two journalists but over the
libel cases being filed with seeming impunity against members of the Cagayan de
Oro media. Another
journalist in the province, Jonas Bustamante of DxCO, is facing 52 counts of
libel filed by acting city police director Antonio Montalba and his men.
According to Cagayan de Oro Mayor Vicente Emano, “It is only right to
discipline broadcasters who won’t watch their mouths.” NUJP-Davao
said the filing of libel cases was meant to “instill fear in the hearts of
journalists so that they won’t be able to perform their duty to report and
criticize official actions.” “How can a law that puts journalists behind bars serve the interest of press freedom, let alone the public?” Another way of killing press freedomAside
from the killing of journalists, there are other threats to freedom of the
press. There are for example several pending anti-terror bills in the House and
Senate. These bills have provisions that violate the Bill of Rights, which
mandates that “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of
expression, or of the press…” and that the “right of the people to
information on matters of public concern shall be recognized.” The
bills contain dangerous provisions that will doubtless have chilling effects on
press freedom if passed into law. They include the provisions authorizing
government agencies to intercept communications; prohibiting the communication
of a report on terrorism cases to any person or the media; and imposing a
penalty of not less than P500,000 for reporting of false information. The Senate
bill also defines a terrorist act as one “causing or attempting or threatening
to cause destruction” – a definition that the police or courts can apply to
almost any form of public expression. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
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