Media Converge vs. Proclamation 1017

“The freedom of expression is perhaps one of the most important freedoms we enjoy in a democracy. When this is lost, all other rights and freedoms go...Thirty years ago we lost this freedom…Today we are facing again the danger of losing this freedom…I think we should all join together and resist this attempt to restrict this freedom with all our strength and all our might,” said Isagani Yambot of the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a press conference cum forum sponsored by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines February 26, 11:00 am at the Newsdesk, Quezon City.

BY BENJIE OLIVEROS
Bulatlat

AGAINST THE GAG: |Journalists exchange views on and assail Proclamation 1017 in a press conference PHOTO BY AUBREY MAKILAN

The activity at the Newsdesk, at Sct. Tobias corner Sct. Madrinan, Quezon City, Sunday, February 26 seems like a typical press conference. There was a panel of speakers composed by Carlos Conde, Secretary General of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), Dean Luis Teodoro, board member of the Center for People’s Governance (CENPEG), columnist of Business Mirror and professor at the College of Mass Communications of the University of the Philippines, Manuel Luis Quezon III, columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), Leah Navarro, artist, Carl Wilson, chair of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Phippines (FOCAP), and Jose Cosido, national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP).

Covering the activity are media persons from almost all television and radio networks, broadsheets, and tabloids. As the panel of speakers spoke to assail President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo’s Proclamation 1017 placing the whole country in a state of national emergency, reporters took notes and switched on their recorders, photojournalists took shots, and television cameras took footages. 

Also present were known columnists such as Conrad de Quiros and Isagani Yambot of the PDI. The heads and representatives of all types of media organizations and centers were also there, including the Philippine Center for Photojournalism.   

But there were no competition among the networks. There was no elbowing and jockeying for position to get the best shot or coverage.  And there was no clear distinction between interviewees and interviewers.  At the question and answer portion, there were no questions thrown at the speakers just expressions of concern, opinions, suggestions, agreements, and calls to action.  Cameras shifted around as media persons from all corners of the room spoke.   

Carlos Conde clarified the position of NUJP regarding the proclamation and enumerated the alarming incidents indicating an attack on media such as the raid at Tribune, casing of publications, deployment of troops at TV stations, and unconfirmed reports of surveillance directed at journalists such as Arnold Clavio.  He called on their colleagues in the media to take a stand on the issue of Proclamation 1017.

Dean Luis Teodoro belied the Arroyo administration’s claims that the state of emergency is nothing more than a description of what is going on.  Teodoro called it as an “assault on the free press” .

Manuel Luis Quezon said that the mere fact that the wording of Proclamation 1017 of President Arroyo was lifted word for word from Proclamation 1081of former President Ferdinand Marcos when he declared martial law already reveals the intent of the current administration. “This is the beginning of the systematic intimidation of media as in martial law days. We have to stop this before it reaches fruition,” said Quezon.        

“What next?  The internet? Censorship?” ,said Leah Navarro, “Are we going back to the time when we have to cower in fear?” Leah Navarro asked.

Ricky Carandang of ANC warned media people of other threats not as overt as raids and arrests.  He identified threats such as advertising boycotts and libel suits.

The media persons present also questioned the basis of the standards to be set by the police as reportedly mentioned by Philippine National Police Director Gen. Arturo Lomibao. 

“What right have they? Are they profesionally competent to do this? We the media demand that we set the standards for ourselves,” said Isagani Yambot of PDI.

Conrad de Quiros of PDI stressed the need to act quickly. 

Yambot of PDI summed up the concerns, opinions, and analysis expressed by the media persons present when he said, “The freedom of expression is perhaps one of the most important freedoms we enjoy in a democracy. When this is lost, all other rights and freedoms go...Thirty years ago we lost this freedom…Today we are facing again the danger of losing this freedom…I think we should all join together and resist this attempt to restrict this freedom with all our strength and all our might.”

While everybody agreed that their most effective weapon against attacks on the free press is to adhere to the highest standards of journalism and to do what they do best, reporting what they see, they also agreed to come up with both defensive and offensive measures.

The media persons and organizations agreed to exchange contact numbers and set up a center of communications that will monitor attacks on the media and mobilize them in cases when a colleague needs support. The NUJP offered its office as a center.  They also agreed to start setting up a network. 

They identified lawyers groups who are willing to provide legal assistance to journalists who are being arrested and media agencies being raided.

The media persons present agreed to draft a resolution demanding from the Arroyo government the immediate withdrawal of Proclamation 1017 and to stop all forms of media harassment. 

 They also agreed to come up with a pooled editorial.  They will convince their editors to publish it on the front pages of their publications. 

“There are already transgressions on press freedom…If we don’t do something about the Tribune situation and the arrest of people, tayo na ang susunod. (We may be next).  I remember a quotation, when they came for the communists, I did not speak up because I was not a communist. We they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist.  When they came for the Jews, I did not speak up because I was not a Jew.  When they came for me, there was no one to speak for me.  We have to demand for certain things such as the withdrawal of Proclamation 1017 now,” said Conrad de Quiros. Bulatlat  

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