This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 41, November
20-26, 2005
Journalists View Anti-Terror
Bills as Threat The
pending anti-terrorism bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives are
normally seen as a “leftist concern” given that those who have expressed
opposition to them are identified with militant organizations. At a recent
roundtable discussion, however, journalists analyzed the controversial bills and
concluded they threaten press freedom and civil liberties in general.
BY
JHONG DELA CRUZ More than just the concern
of left-leaning groups, the pending anti-terrorism bills in the Senate and the
House of Representatives should also be a cause of worry for those who value the
protection of people’s rights. In a roundtable discussion
last November 19 at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon
City, journalists concluded that there is much to know and oppose about the
planned law especially given what broadcast journalist Julius Babao went
through. Babao was accused by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, citing a military intelligence report, of
helping bail out Dawud Santos, an alleged member of the Rajah Solaiman Movement.
ABS-CBN, his home station, later issued a statement belying the allegations and
criticizing the President for the baseless accusation. He admitted in an interview
with Bulatlat that at the start, he was unaware of the consequences of
the imposition of an anti-terrorism law. “To be honest nagulat
din ako sa nilalaman ng panukalang batas. Nakakatakot din pala,”
(To be honest, I was surprised by the contents
of the bill. There is indeed reason to be afraid.) he said, adding that false
accusations related to terrorist acts could implicate media practitioners who do
their duty. Sacrificial lamb? The President further
criticized the media during a conference of the Kapisanan ng Brodkaster sa
Pilipinas (KBP, Association of Broadcasters in the Philippines) last Nov. 10 in
Baguio City. She said that the media should shed its “bad boy image” and instead
focus on her administration’s accomplishments. National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) Secretary-General Carlos Conde said that
the Julius Babao case was a way to fast-track the passage of the anti-terrorism
bills. Conde said that Babao was used as a sacrificial lamb to ensure passage of
the bills. The House version is now at the second reading of the Committee on
Justice. Conde said that if the law
were passed, “Arroyo will use it to address a lot of her political troubles.” He
stressed that the anti-terrorism bill is aimed to suppress opponents of the
Arroyo administration. Vague bill Human rights lawyer Neri
Colmenares said that there is no need for the proposed bill since the crimes
highlighted in the bill are already being covered by existing Philippine laws. Colmenares added that the
bill vaguely defines terrorism as “a premeditated, actual use of violence or
force against persons, or force or by any other means of destruction perpetrated
against properties, environment, with the intention of creating or sowing a
state of danger, panic, fear or chaos to the general public, group of persons or
a segment thereof, or of coercing or intimidating the government to do or
abstain from doing an act.” The past two people’s
uprising at EDSA in 1986 and 2001 that ousted two Philippine presidents, can
therefore be considered acts of terrorism, he said. Likewise, jeepney strikes,
rallies and even verbal threats which sometimes happen among quarreling
neighbors fall could now be punishable under the proposed law. The journalists’ coverage
of activities by perceived enemies of the state could result in a lifetime
imprisonment and a P10-million ($183,183.73, based on an exchange rate of P54.59
per US dollar) fine as vague concepts of “facilitating, contributing to and
promoting” terrorism are included in sections 6 and 7 of the proposed House
bill. Maintaining links with
suspected terrorists and reporting about false terrorist acts are similarly
sanctioned in the bill. “The bill will give birth
to a kind of media that serve as mouthpiece of the state,” Colmenares said.
“Those who fail to disclose acts of terrorism shall suffer a penalty of six
years imprisonment, a provision that shall disrupt work routines of media
practitioners as they are required to report first, not to their editors, but to
the police.” Broader Conde pointed out the media
has the tendency to narrow down the implications of the proposed law to the
sector. Rene Dilan, photographer of
the Manila Times, was arrested by the military and police and was
detained while covering an attack at the Globe Telecommunications office in
Tarlac last October 2. Ricardo Uy, a Bicol-based journalist, was killed last
Nov. 18, making him the seventh journalist to be killed this year. Brazen acts of violence
against media is a part of prevailing abuses against human rights in the country
today, Conde said adding that the proposed anti-terrorism bill will impact
ordinary citizens. Babao said that only a
handful from the broadcast industry may be aware of the repercussions of the
proposed measure. “Kapag sinuri mo, doon mo makikita na hindi lamang sa media
ito makakaapekto kundi pati sa mga ordinaryong tao.” (If you analyze it, you
would see that it does not only affect media but also ordinary people.) Conde said, “Most media
practitioners shun it because they see it only as an issue of left-leaning
organizations or those from the opposition.” Thus, media education is
needed to augment support to oppose the planned law, he said. The roundtable discussion
was organized by the NUJP which vowed to help broaden the opposition to the
proposed anti-terrorism bills. Bulatlat © 2005 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Bulatlat