NUJP Launches Petition vs Anti-Terror
Bills
Says bills violate press freedom, civil liberties
The anti-terrorism bills
pending in Congress pose threats not only to press freedom, but also to
all other democratic rights. This is the position expressed in a petition
recently launched by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
(NUJP).
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Bulatlat
The National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) launched March 19 a nationwide
petition against the anti-terrorism bills pending in Congress. According
to the media group, the anti-terrorism bills pose grave threats not only
to press freedom but also to other civil liberties.
NUJP launched the
petition in a press conference at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City, while the
NUJP-Davao did its launch of the petition simultaneous with its election
of officers. Other city and provincial chapters are set to do their own
launchings of the petition soon.
NUJP decided to
oppose the anti-terrorism bills following a recent proposal by Lt. Gen.
Edilberto Adan, deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP), that provisions sanctioning journalists and media
outfits that interview “known terrorists or terrorist organizations” be
included in the anti-terrorism bills.
Adan, in a March 4
press interview, had denounced journalists and media organizations “who
allow known terrorists or terrorist organizations to use their facilities
to air anti-people, anti-state sentiments and incite the people to rebel
against their government.”
A day after Adan’s
press interview, Malacañang through Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye issued a
statement supporting his proposal and saying that media personalities and
agencies interviewing “terrorists” could be violating anti-sedition laws.
“We cannot save
democracy by killing it,” the NUJP petition states.
“The proposed
anti-terrorism bill, which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has certified
as an urgent legislative measure, underscores the perils faced by
democracy from its purported saviors.
“The anti-terrorism
bill, simply put, seeks to ‘protect’ Filipinos from the scourge of
terrorism by stripping them of their Constitutional rights.”
The NUJP also said
that the gagging of media was a step toward the suppression of other
democratic rights. “A free press aids in strengthening democracy, by
providing information on important public concerns,” the NUJP stated. “A
free press helps ensure that all other basic rights are respected. A free
press is part of a people’s arsenal for redress when they face assaults on
their civil liberties.”
The NUJP also
expressed apprehension that the government’s “dangerously vague”
definition of “terrorism” which, the media group said, contains potential
for abuse by a government “that seeks to expand coverage of the term to
include even those engaged in legitimate dissent.”
The NUJP further said
that media should not be blamed for conflicts that it described as rooted
in injustice.
“We reject the
suggestion that the coverage of the roots and consequence of injustice
helps breed terrorism,” the NUJP stated. “We reiterate that a free press
plays an important role in efforts to resolve festering conflicts that
have fanned the flames of terrorism.”
The petition, which
aims to gather signatures from journalists, will be presented to Congress
when it resumes session after the Holy Week. It follows up on an earlier
statement by the NUJP condemning the Adan proposal, and is the latest in a
series of snowballing efforts by various media groups concerned with press
freedom. Bulatlat
Full Text of the NUJP Petition Against the
Anti-Terrorism Bills
NUJP Primer on the Anti-Terrorism Bills
Related Articles:
Never Again!
By the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
News Media Told not to Interview 'Terrorist Groups'
By Reporters Without Borders
No to AFP Terror Plot on Press Freedom!
By the Alumni of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines
No to State Terror Against Media and the People
By the Independent Media
Center-Quezon City
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