Journalists Close Ranks vs Presidential Spouse
Reporters from 14
countries also condemn libel threats
"The record number of
cases Mr. Arroyo has filed highlight how the powerful in this benighted
land regularly abuse libel laws to curtail the democratic right of the
press to delve into the truth behind matters of public interest and the
people's right to know."
BY BULATLAT
Rather than creating
a scare, the 43 libel cases filed by the husband of President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo against several journalists are galvanizing the press
together. With pen as their sword and with strong words of protest, at
least 369 Filipino journalists took a common stand over the weekend to
condemn the rising threat of “libel suit harassment” against reporters.
Joined by 44
colleagues from 14 countries and 21 local and international media
organizations, the journalists also asked Jose Miguel Arroyo “to cease and
desist from exploiting libel as a tool to cow the media.”
The journalists also called on Congress to immediately repeal
the law on libel and strike it off the book of criminal statutes.
Signing a joint statement against the presidential spouse last
Oct. 1 were, among others, Prof. Luis Teodoro, Jose Lacaba, Lorna
Kalaw-Tirol, novelist-journalist Ninotchka Rosca, Jose Pavia of the
Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and Adrian Cristobal; editors and
columnists of the country's broadsheets, newsmagazines, online
publications and leading staffs of major broadcast networks.
Also signing were Carlos Conde, former NUJP secretary general;
Ermin Garcia, Jr., publisher of Sunday Punch; the editors and
correspondents of independent and non-commercial online publications
Bulatlat, Northern Dispatch, Pinoy Weekly newspaper, Davao Today, Gitnang
Luson News Service and others.
Foreign journalists
and groups who supported the statement came from the United States,
Canada, Japan, India, China (Hong Kong), Taiwan, Malaysia, Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Colombia, New Zealand, Australia and some European countries.
Among them are the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) chairman
Christopher Warren and secretary general Aidan White; Alan Kennedy,
president of the Media Alliance of Australia; Serenade Lai Wan Woo,
president of the Hong Kong Journalists Association; Tien Hsi Ju, president
of the Association of Taiwan Journalists; and Edwin Mercurio of the
Philippine Press Club-Ontario.
Publishers, editors, columnists and reporters of community papers in
Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao also joined the rising chorus against the
Mr. Arroyo’s "wanton disregard for press freedom."
Decriminalization of
libel
The joint media
statement, spearheaded by the National Union of Journalists of the
Philippines (NUJP), called for the decriminalization of libel, saying it
has been predominantly used by public officials to intimidate an
independent press.
Among the Philippine organizations that signed the petition are the Center
for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Bandillo ng Palawan, the Sorsogon
Organization of News writers, Announcers and Reporters (SONAR), the Negros
alternative media group Cobra-Ans, Manila Chinese Press Club (MCPC),
Alyansa ng mga Filipinong Mamamahayag (AFIMA), Media Advocates for
Reproductive Health and Empowerment (MAHRE) and Association of Responsible
Media (ARM).
Aside from the IFJ, the international media groups that have signed the
statement are the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Reporters
Without Borders, Committee to Protect Journalists, Southeast Asian Press
Alliance, Hong Kong Journalists Association, National Union of Journalists
(India), Indian Media Centre (India), Federation of Media Employee's Trade
Unions, Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) and Hong Kong Journalists
Association.
The National Press Club also joined the NUJP's call, with its president
Roy Mabasa addressing the call directly at President Macapagal-Arroyo
during the recent Gridiron. The President, whose 2004 election remains
muddled by fraud allegations, was silent on Mabasa's appeal, however,
choosing instead to remind journalists to be responsible.
"We hope when President Arroyo sees the names of hundreds of journalists
who have signed the petition, she will see the light," said NUJP chairman
Jose Torres. "It is her powerful spouse, Mike Arroyo, who is doing so much
to damage press freedom in this country."
The statement was an offshoot of a roundtable discussion on libel
organized by NUJP, the national affiliate of the IFJ. It scored Mr. Arroyo
for filing multiple libel cases 43 reporters, columnists, editors,
publishers, and even a subscription manager, of various publications.
No ordinary mortal
"We will not dispute
the merits of the cases nor Mr. Arroyo's right to defend his honor and
dignity," the statement said. "What we decry is his propensity to sue
journalists so as to muzzle those he does not agree with and sending out a
clear signal to others that they risk the same ordeal should they dare
cross him."
The journalists reminded Mr. Arroyo that he is "no ordinary mortal" but
both a public figure and a public official, who gives his address as "Malacañang."
"As Presidential husband, he clearly enjoys immense power and influence,
not just by his status but also because he does head the Office of the
First Gentleman. And many, if not most, of his deeds and pronouncements
dwell in the realm of public interest," the journalists said.
"The record number of
cases Mr. Arroyo has filed highlight how the powerful in this benighted
land regularly abuse libel laws to curtail the democratic right of the
press to delve into the truth behind matters of public interest and the
people's right to know," said the statement.
The abusive behavior
of Mr. Arroyo, journalists added, is "the best argument for
decriminalizing an outdated law that has been used not so much to protect
the innocent as to shield the guilty."
Fighting on
Instead of using libel to harass journalists, the petitioners challenged
the Mr. Arroyo to "squarely face the issues raised against him where they
are properly addressed, in the arena of free and democratic discourse."
"We pledge that neither this nor any other attempts by those in power to
trample on the freedom of the press and the people's right to know shall
go unchallenged," the signatories said. "We commit ourselves to the
continued struggle to realize the true blooming of democracy in our land,
when freedom of expression shall be enshrined not just in our aspirations
but in practice." Bulatlat
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