I am posting the statement as forwarded to me by Nepo M. of the coalition. Please read and send comments to bukidnonpressclub@gmai.com or my email. Please send reactions/words of support or violent reactions.

We are supposed to be the prime movers of the FOI in our areas/communities. I hope this helps in providing you updates on the push for the passing of the law on the freedom of information as guaranteed in our Constitution.

Best,

Walter B.

START OF STATEMENT

17 August 2011

As PNoy defaults on FOI,

Congress must now take the lead

Kung talagang gusto, hahanap ng paraan.

Kung talagang ayaw, hahanap ng dahilan.

This is exactly where President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III stands on the proposed Freedom of Information bill, which seeks only to enforce a constitutionally guaranteed right of the people to know and secure documents in the custody of government agencies.

The President says he supports the bill in principle, but that he has “specific questions and concerns” that he wants to be settled, before he endorses it as his priority legislation. His concerns, the President says, include his fears that FOI could unlock documents that might expose people to kidnappers, cause government losses in right-of-way cases because of property price speculations, and many other unwanted results.

Yet over the last 14 months in office, he has failed to answer and settle these concerns, and for as long a period, the FOI bill has languished in limbo.

A Malacañang study group on the FOI had told us about other, bigger concerns of the President. Through Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada, chief author of the FOI bill in the House of Representatives, we informally and indirectly engaged the study group in constructive dialogue over the last six months.

Two critical concerns on exceptions were addressed over time in three successive drafts of the FOI bill that the Palace study group crafted – “national security” and the President’s deliberative process. These were in addition to existing exceptions in the FOI bill based on national defense and foreign affairs; military or law enforcement operation; privacy; trade, industrial or commercial secrets; drafts of adjudicatory decisions; privileged information in legal proceedings; executive session of Congress; and exceptions recognized in other statutes or the Constitution.

The legislative process practically ground to a halt, precisely because the President and his study group said they were drafting their own FOI bill. We had hoped that by the opening of the second regular session of Congress, the Palace draft would be done, and the President would have certified it as a priority measure.

We had hoped as much because we still remember:  As the presumptive winner of the May 2010 elections, the President had promised to assign first priority to the FOI’s passage into law, and in June 2010, as president, he launched his government on the principles of transparency, accountability, and good governance.

This is the first time we are hearing that the President has new concerns about what he says could be the undesirable results of an FOI law. His study group had not raised them at all. And it appears like pending these and even new and more concerns he could raise in the future, the FOI bill will languish in limbo for longer.

The President assures us that he supports the FOI bill “in principle” but that because his concerns linger, he could not act on his own study group’s version of the FOI bill.  By all indications, the FOI bill remains stuck at the Palace.

What seems like a state of principled indecision in Malacañang makes us wonder: Is the President part of the solution, or part of the problem, in assuring the passage of the FOI bill? Or perhaps neither, because he has chosen to pass up a chance to lead on a strategic policy issue that the Constitution has so clearly mandated him and all public officials to uphold and enforce – the people’s right to know.

The fate of the FOI bill was a leadership call on the President. We had not wished he would default. Yet because he has, we refocus our efforts on the House of Representatives and the Senate, which should, without need for cue or advice from Malacañang, act now and quickly on the FOI bill.

We do so with eyes wide open that as it was in the 14^th Congress under then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the FOI bill could face rough, tough sailing in the 15^th Congress. While Mrs. Arroyo and her allies vigorously opposed and killed the bill before it could be ratified, President Aquino now seems to want to let the bill waste away, and fade in time.

THE RIGHT TO KNOW, RIGHT NOW! COALITION/

BANTAY FOI, SULONG FOI! CAMPAIGN

-END OF STATEMENT

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat. Maayong gabii sa inyong tanan. Sa Binukid, Maayad ha daluman ta inyo alan!

Despite the usual cold weather of our city and the additional freeze factor of a possible typhoon, the members of the Bukidnon press community offer you warm and joyous welcome to Malaybalay and the rest of Bukidnon.

First of all, Congratulations to the organizers for putting together this big occasion. Alam po namin na hindi naging madali ang paghahandang ginawa para sa pagtitipong ito. Ito marahil ay isang napakahalagang gawain ninyo.

This comes in a time when the country is in a crossroads.

Mapakaraming pagsubok po  ang hinaharap, lalong lalo na nating mga kasapi ng community media.

Ang dami pong dapat bantayan. Ang daming dapat itanong at ipaliwanag. Ang dami dami po ang umaasa ng impormasyon, kaalaman, at lalong lalo na ng katotohanan mula po sa mga naninilbihan sa atin, at sa atin na rin sa media.

Ang media naman ay may mga pagkukulang din at limitasyon. Ito ay hindi lang sa kaalaman at galing sa mga competencies na kailangan sa trabaho. Problem din ang welfare at proteksyon natin. Problema din ang sustainability.

Subalit alam naman natin na ito ay mga hamon at hindi dapat maging balakid. Sa Bisaya “hagit kini.” Inaasahang isa ito sa mga masisimulan o maipapatuloy na mapaguusapan sa pagtitipong ito. Di po ba?

When told about this gathering, we felt honored that the biggest media network in the country is coming to Bukidnon. Malaking karangalan po ito hindi lang po sa host na ang DXDB. Karangalan rin po ito sa aming lahat na kumakatawan ng mga mamamahayag ng Mindanao. Ang kalakihan po ng network ninyo ay hindi lang nasusukat sa bilang ng istasyong inyong kasapi.

Kanina sa coverage namin sa landslide sa Lumbayao, Valencia City, kasakasama ko ang kilalang anchor ng DXDB na si Boy Demit. Mga iilang segundo ng nakita ko siya, nakita ko rin na may kasama siyang dalawa pa. Kumukuha ng larawan yong isa, ang isa naman may kinakausap sa radio mula sa isang emergency frequency.

Ang dami naman ng reporter niyo, sabi ko kay Boy. Yun pala, mga pinuno sila ng PSAC o ng Parish Social Action Center ng Lumbayao at mga karatig na barangay. Dahil may action, andun sila gumagawa ng “social action at communication.” Napakahalaga po na kaakibat natin ang mamamayan sa ating paglalahad ng balita.

Isa lamang ito sa dahilan bakit ko nasabi na ang Catholic Media Network ay ang tunay na may pinakamalaking media network sa bansa.

Hindi lang yan sa bilang.

Siguro, ang daming kakampi kapag ikaw ay naghahanap ng katotohanan sa pagbabalita.

Ipagdasal nyo rin po, sana, na dito sa amin sa Bukidnon ay mas lalo pang lumago ang community journalism. Sa susunod na buwan, pinapangarap naming iganap ang 1^st Bukidnon Media Summit.

Kami po ay umaasang na sa  tulong ng ganitong paraan matutugonan namin ang aming mga pangangailangan upang harapin ang tungkulin natin sa pagbabalita ng maayos, kagalanggalang, mapakipakinabang.

Kasama namin ang DXDB, ang host niyo ngayon, at iba pang himpilan ng radio at mga pahayagan sa aming paghangad ng pagasa at tiwala sa community media.

Nabanggit ko ito dahil gusto naming ipaalam sa inyo na kaisa nyo po kami sa pagbabago.

Salamat naman at kayo ay napadpad sa aming lalawigan. Kahit na medyo masama ang panahon.

Iniisip namin na dala nyo ay mga biyaya sa pagtitipong ito. Sana naman biyaya rin ang sumalobong sa inyo mula sa amin. At sana rin madadala nyo ito sa inyong paguwi pagkatapos dito.

Welcome to Bukidnon. Maraming salamat po. May God Bless us all and once again, Good evening!

(As prepared)

Bukidnon Press Club General Assembly meeting on June 30/Photo by Iyrene Dalipe

The members of the Bukidnon Press Club and other media organizations in Bukidnon decided to hold the 1st Bukidnon Media Summit in Valencia City on August 6 to 8, 2011.

This is expected to be a gathering of the practitioners of the news media and other  stakeholders for training, assessment, and planning.

The organizers are in talks with the Mindanao Media Forum for fund sourcing and the KBP – Bukidnon chapter, NUJP Bukidnon chapter and the association of public information officers in Bukidnon.

The organizers are also looking for private sector partners for the 1st Bukidnon Media Summit.

UMBN Radyo Ukay/Wild FM Valencia station manager Nonita Rosales heads the organizing committee with Gold Star Daily’s Anabelle Tenorio and Love Radio Malaybalay’s Armando Benebaye as members.

More details will be posted after the final organizational meeting on July 12 in Malaybalay City. (BPC Today staff)

By Ed Lingao
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

TEN MONTHS, nine lives, and a flurry of finger-pointing and paper work later, the controversy over the media coverage of the 2010 Luneta hostage-taking incident by the country’s biggest and most influential television and radio networks has come down to feeble fines of P30,000, and a virtual slap on the wrist.

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), the national association of owners and operators of radio and television stations in the country, has levied fines on two major television networks and one radio network for broadcasting information that it ruled could have compromised police efforts to rescue the hostages during the day-long hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand on Aug. 23, 2010.

The KBP Standards Authority ordered ABS-CBN Broadcasting Channel 2, Associated Broadcasting Company Channel 5 (now known as TV5), and radio station Radyo Mo Nationwide (RMN, which was earlier called Radio Mindanao Network) to each pay P30,000 in penalty for violations of the KBP broadcast code.

Read  full report here.

The media are not only failing to regulate themselves; more importantly, some media organizations are actually depending on the government to intervene, in effect eroding the very principle of self-regulation itself.

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines, KBP) Standards Authority released recently a decision on the Aug. 23, 2010 hostage-taking incident, which included the imposition of fines on member-networks for violating the KBP Broadcast Code. Before it issued the decision, the KBP also revised Article 6 (Crime and Crisis Situations) of its Broadcast Code to help media organizations avoid making the same mistakes they made during the Aug. 23 hostage taking incident should something similar happen in the future. (See sidebar “Approved Amendments to Article 6, Crime and Crisis Situations, KBP Broadcast Code”.)

Read the full report here.

Logo of the New BPC by Rhondell M. Paraiso

Kumustamos?

Ania ang pipila ka mga updates.

1. SEC Registration  – The Special Projects Committee headed by our Vice President Mr. Armando Benebaye (with the help of Nong Dodo Romano) reported that the Bukidnon Press Club, formed in 1960, is now officially registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our SEC Registration No. is CN2011-28272.

The committee’s next move is to process the documents needed for the issuance of our official receipt by the Bureau of Internal Revenues (BIR).

Again, we would like to congratulate the committee for this accomplishment.

2. VENUE for Kapihan and General Assembly/BOD meetings – Mr. Jose Roy Panis, general manager of the Sir Edward’s Restaurant approved our request that we can hold our assemblies in their restaurant beginning May 2010. Our May 2011 Kapihan on May 25 from 1:30 to 3p.m. will be held at the restaurant. The Secretariat will provide more details about this in a separate announcement/notice of meeting.

From now on, the Kapihan at Sir Edwards dubbed as “Kapihan sa Bukidnon Press Club”  will be coordinated by our Asst. Secretary Ms. Mary Ann Noble in cooperation with Mr. Rudy Tagimacruz, the BPC media coordinator.  As usual, we will work closely with each media outlet and the PIA Bukidnon office.
We are, however, apologetic about our failure to hold our first Kapihan in May 2011 due to some constraints. Basically, we had problems with guests even with the approval of our venue.

3. New applicants/ Renewal of membership - We are working with Mr. Louie Tapdasan, membership committee chair, about their schedule to process the applications for new members and the renewal of the returning members. Our target is by the first half of June, the process will be initiated and soon after the ID cards will be distributed (after all the requirements are complied with.) The membership committee has to convene (Attention Sir Louie) before the board of directors’ meeting to iron out compliance to requirements.

Again, the ID will be released upon completion by the membership committee of the process. For starters the process involves convening the memcom to recommend who among the applicants have completed requirements and for the regular members to vote.

The logo and id design have been finally revised by Sir Rhondell Paraiso and a copy of which was given to our secretary Ms. Ana Ninfa Bago Caballero last week.

Again, we commend Mr. Paraiso for his art, volunteerism, and support to the BPC.

4. Journalism Refresher Courses Partner – The flagship program of the BPC this year is the Journalism Refresher Courses on Basic Reporting, Media Law, and Media Ethics. Aside from lobbying for slots from Bukidnon for these trainings, we have also planned our in-house trainings.

Our secretary Ms. Ana Ninfa Bago Caballero is in Cebu City, representing the BPC in the Basic Legal Competency Forum for Journalists as part of our preparation for the refresher courses.

On May 17, I have met with Ms. Amy Cabusao, the convener of the Mindanao Media Forum in Davao City. She told me the MMF is willing to shoulder some of the expenses in holding the training. She is expecting us to submit a concept paper or proposal. One of the options is to hold the Bukidnon Media Summit. The first option, however, is to hold a series of lectures in the run up to the summit, which may serve as a planning session.

Ms. Cabusao will expect us to hold a meeting with her after the BOD/GA blesses our plan.

We also mentioned putting up our own sourcing to finance this training initiative and our other endeavors at BPC. We call it for the meantime as the “BPC Press Freedom and Responsibility Fund.” I am considering the idea to name it as the “Dioscoro Pontillas BPC Community Journalism Fund.” This is for discussion.

We are soliciting your suggestions on this and the other plans.

By the way, we need volunteers to handle the media survey to form as basis for the training initiative. Pleased see Eric Cacay of Q106 for this plan to be conducted early in June 2011.

The refresher courses are considered among the requirements for the release of the ID.

5. BOD Meeting – We are preparing for the first meeting of the Board of Directors on May 25. This will gather the heads of news outlets in the province, who will invite to become members of the BPC, too (if not yet members.) The meeting will focus on BPC’s plans, issues, and concerns.

6. RH Bill and FOI Bill discussions –   We are also in talks with some groups for the discussion on the RH and FOI bills. Please share to us your suggestions on who invite and how to do it.
We plan to have a run through of the bill and the views of both sides from the proponent and opponent sectors.

Please take note, we posted a copy of the proposed RH bill for journalistic scrutiny so we could better understand the on-going discussions in Congress now.

Check this link at BPC Today: http://bukidnonpressclub.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/media-files-hb-4244-reproductive-health-responsible-parenthood-etc-act/

7. Collection of Membership Fees continuing. We will soon publish the names of those who already paid the annual dues. Our treasurer Ms. Nonita Rosales will facilitate receipt of payments.

This is all for now. We will give more updates to follow. These updates will be further discussed in the general assembly and the BOD meetings.

Thank you.

Best,

Walter I. Balane
BPC President

(As of May 18, 2011)

On May 3 and on the run up to it, members of the news media are commemorating the World Press Freedom Day in Bukidnon.

This is probably the second time it will be held here in recent times with a concerted effort to spread understanding on the role of the news media in society and the citizens duties to its working press.

What are the Origins and the reasons behind an international commemoration of World Press Freedom Day?

The United Nations General Assembly declared 3 May to be World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and marking the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.Every year, May 3rd is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom – a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

It is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of press freedom, and to assess the state of press freedom worldwide.

It serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

UNESCO marks World Press Freedom Day by conferring the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on a deserving individual, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defense and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger. Created in 1997, the prize is awarded on the recommendation of an independent jury of 14 news professionals. Names are submitted by regional and international non-governmental organizations working for press freedom, and by UNESCO member states.

The Prize is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogotá, on 17 December 1986. Cano’s writings had offended Colombia’s powerful drug barons. (Source: UNESCO website)

Source: World Press Freedom Day Blog

Is press freedom a human right or a privilege?

Yes, and it is embodied in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is included in the 1986 Philippine Constitution.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

Source: http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
Article 3 Section 4, 1987 Philippine Constitution
Section 4. No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

Source: http://www.chanrobles.com/article3.htm

Why is there a need to mark World Press Freedom Day in the Philippines, particularly in our province?

As a human right, the freedom of the press is not only a declaration but a very practical freedom that must be lived even in the remotest of communities. If it works, it helps peoples exercise their other rights and freedoms. Without it, there can be no environment of free expression for people to manifest their freedom of speech, or expression, freedom of information, and the right to know, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances, among others.

There may be no reports of media killings or harassments as it come out in the media reports, but there are forms of violations and harassments, prior restraint, censorship that exist locally. The Bukidnon news media is not exempted from the threats, although they come in less controversial form. The same, these small patches of violations and harassments can grow into bigger ones of left unattended.

There is also a need to be pro-active, not allowing those harassments to prevail even in small manifestations.

Is press freedom just a concern of journalists and media workers?

NO. Journalists and media workers are just the ones directly affected if the press freedom is trampled upon. But the effect will not end in restraints in their work.

It will affect the public to whom the press community is bound to serve. Journalists are “eyes and ears” of the public. Attacks to freedom of the press are also attacks to the people themselves and their other freedoms.

When journalists are harassed, attacked or even killed (just as the case in Ampatuan, Maguindanao province where 57 people, 32 of them journalists and media workers, were massacred) is that an attack to the people?

Yes. A muffled press leaves the public unable to see what those in power want to be hidden. Ideally journalists have to work as beacon on the hill or as light for the truth, as watchdogs, as fiscalizers, as voice of the voiceless, as communicator and partner in development.

When they are not allowed to exercise this right and are not allowed to work to their fullest capacity, then the ideals and aspirations of democracy is also endangered.

If the freedom of expression, right to know and right to information are not afforded, it bears serious repercussions on general rights and freedom of the people to live peacefully, democratically, uprightly.

What are some examples of these attacks?

Some examples include threatening a news person for reporting on a particular interest that affected some people, not giving due attention on the request of members of the working press access to information they need to report fairly and accurately on a story, filing harassment cases like libel to scare journalists from pursuing a story, physically harming the journalists who are just trying to do their jobs, among others.
How should we view ideals of press freedom in the light of the limitations of the press in general and the reputation of some members of the press in terms of questions of integrity, competence, and ethical problems?

The public must also not generalize and rush at a judgment. In Bukidnon, we recognize there are some members of the press who have gone out of the bounds of free and responsible journalism. But that does not merit a “class act”. Not all news people are irresponsible and incompetent.

Most news media practitioners received training and have the competence to do their work. To the erring members of the press, the news media community, through the principle of self regulation, has the responsibility to police its ranks and to promote that the working press will do excellent work for a nurturing public.

The public must be aware that attacking journalists should never be an option just because one feels that they erred or have been problematic in the lens of media freedom and responsibility.

How should the public in general and those subjects of erroneous and unfair reports in particular seek redress from the media?

The concerned parties must report or file complaints for their errors of omission and commission to their editors/publishers/ station managers or to self regulatory /media support organizations like the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, the Philippine Press Institute, the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, and Bukidnon Press Club.

These are examples of local groups that could help address problems of erring journalists.

Most of the subjects of public complaint have been suspended/ terminated or subjected to a specific disciplinary action.

The important thing is they are reported, so that news community authorities can take proper action,

Journalists and news media organizations are obliged to correct erroneous reports.

Basically, journalists follow a specific code of ethics and trained about the rigors of journalism before being commissioned to do reportorial work.

Is truth searching and truth telling the sole responsibility of the press?

The citizens, too, have responsibilities and roles to play in the search for truth.  One, they must promote the truth. Two, they must profess the truth.  Three, they must help the press/news media in their search for the truth. The latter could be in the form of support, such as patronizing local media products and services. This support shall enable the news media to sustain its activities in truth telling. The citizens, too, can contribute to the work of the media by submitting Letters to the Editor, participating in on air discussions, or engage as a citizen journalist.  The citizens cannot just carp at the problems and challenges faced by members of the working press, they must also take responsible actions to be a part of the solution.

What are ongoing efforts to arrive at a dialogue among journalists and between journalists and the citizens?

Journalist organizations are organizing initiatives that protect and promote press freedom and push for responsible journalism as well. The Bukidnon commemoration of World Press Freedom Day is just a reminder for both journalists and the public for the need to protect press freedom in the community. Starting this year, The Bukidnon Press Club in cooperation with KBP-Bukidnon Chapter and the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines has renewed its commitment to initiate efforts at building up the Bukidnon news media community.

Some groups like Atong Press has organized media activities that promote responsible journalism and vigilance on press freedom.

The Bukidnon Press Club, newly reorganized, is planning to hold News Media Refresher Courses in Reporting, Media Law, and Media Ethics. It is putting up its own local Press Freedom and Responsibility Fund to help raise resources for its efforts to help put forward a free and responsible news media in the province.

There is a plan to initiate the formation of the Bukidnon Committee of the Press, a local version of a press council as a multi sector body to help draw out development for the Bukidnon working press.

The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines, too, has revived its Bukidnon chapter and has lined up activities for World Press Freedom Day. The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas Bukidnon chapter also has organized support activities and projects.

(Broadcaster/writer may add their own radio station’s/newspaper’s or media group’s efforts for press freedom and responsibility. This should be recognized as their own.)

Final Appeal:
We have rich dreams for the future of the Bukidnon news media. But to realize them, both the press and the public they ought to serve in general, have to work, and work real hard.

The fruits of these efforts will not only result in the improvement of the news media’s work but also in the life of our democracy and development for all in our communities.

Prepared by Walter I. Balane/Bukidnon Press Club
2010 World Press Freedom Day – Bukidnon Commemoration
Update 2011 World Press Freedom Day- Bukidnon Commemoration

Here is a copy of the bill, in case many of us still do not have a copy.

This might help us cover the issue better.

Best,

Walter B.

AS THE
NATION takes its annual Holy Week retreat, the advocates for justice for slain
journalists and press freedom protection recall their hopes in your assumption
to power and your promise for renewal and change.

You
campaigned not only on a promise to fight corruption, but also to uphold human
rights and the rule of law. Your appointment of former Commission on Human
Rights Chair Leila de Lima as Secretary of Justice sent a strong signal to the
country that your officials would help fulfill the promise you made in a number
of your speeches: that you will put closure to human rights killings and hold the
murderers accountable. In a speech on the 62nd anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December last year, you recalled how your
own family had been victims of the human rights violations at the hands of a repressive
government, along with other Filipinos.

But those
of us who have championed the cause of slain journalists are alarmed; there are
today more assassins and masterminds who have so far escaped punishment than
the few who have been tried and convicted. For so long as this impunity reigns,
all Filipinos, not only journalists and media workers, but ordinary citizens as
well, will continue to be at risk.

A
number of these killings involve local government officials and officers of the
Philippine National Police. We are anxious because you have not taken any significant
action to show political will to put an end to impunity and to launch the presidential
initiatives needed to begin the process of change.

We
realize that the barriers to justice may be so deeply embedded in the very
system of governance, including the courts. We know that court supervision is
beyond executive prerogative. But the power and capability of the president
resonates in different ways and we still believe that in our system, executive
action can have a positive impact on the conduct of the judicial system, as it
does on the legislature.

The
Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ), a national network of press
oriented organizations, is calling for concrete action at this time. We realize
that there are many other urgent problems that call for your attention. But you
were elected because the people were hungry for change, and you thwart that
belief in the possibility of change at the risk of the people’s loss of faith
in the capacity of the system to deliver justice.

The
killing of journalists is part of the culture of impunity, and no real and
lasting reform is possible in such a context. While there are other victims, journalist
victims stand out because they make news. However, the gains made to stop
journalist killings will not protect journalists alone, but will effectively redound
to the greater public safety of all citizens.

On July 9, 2010, or only a week after Your
Excellency assumed the Presidency, broadcaster Miguel Belen of Camarines Sur
was shot, and died 22 days later, on July 31. Six months later, on January 24, 2011,
Gerardo Ortega was gunned down in Puerto Princesa, Palawanwhile in a used clothing
store. It has since been established
that both killings were work-related.

A third
killing, that of Malabon broadcaster Len Flores Sumera, occurred on March 24, 2011exactly two months after the Ortega killing. It was six years to the day since the killing of Marlene Esperat in TacurongCity, Sultan Kudarat province. Although
her relatives and colleagues say that she was probably killed because of a land
dispute, Sumera’s murder could still be work- related as she had included this issue in her radio program.

Three
other journalists were killed between July 3, 2010—two days after Your Excellency
assumed the Presidency—and January 31, 2011. While probably not work-related,
these killings are part of the same culture of impunity that has allowed to go
unpunished the murder not only of journalists but also that of political
activists, human rights workers, members of the clergy, lawyers and even
progressive local officials.

Whether
or not the killings of these journalists were work-related, their murders and
that of their colleagues as well as fellow citizens are sorry indicators of the
continuing erosion of the rule of law. Because they are among the dozens of
murders of journalists and other citizens that have not been resolved, or the
cases of which are proceeding in fits and starts in the judicial system, they
also encourage further killings.

The
most high-profile case of all, that of the 58 men and women killed on November 23, 2009in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao province, belongs in the latter category. Fifteen
months since the Massacre, in which 32 journalists and media workers were
killed together with 26 others, the cases against the alleged masterminds and
killers have hardly moved. Even more dangerously, however, these killings enfeeble
the Philippine state, demonstrating that it cannot enforce its own laws, and
protect its own citizens within its own territory.

More
immediately, the failure to prosecute the killers of journalists as well as
those of political activists and the masterminds behind these crimes is sending
the dangerous signal that, as in the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,
the killings can continue during your watch without the perpetrators being
punished. That failure will confirm that impunity will continue to reign, and
those with the means will not stop the use of violence against those they wish
to silence.

Mr.
President, what is needed is concrete action that will turn the page in the
public mind: action that will send a signal that the executive will do all that
is necessary and within its power to counter impunity.

In a
meeting on August 8, 2010, the FFFJ and the National Union of Journalists of
the Philippines discussed their concerns with Justice Secretary Leila de Lima,
Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office
and Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda. Among other initiatives, we
recommended 1) the strengthening of the Witness Protection Program; and 2) the
formation of Multi-Sectoral Quick Response Teams which will combine both
investigative, forensic and other police actions on the killing of journalists.
We also asked for steps that would accelerate the pace of the Ampatuan Massacre
trial, and, for long-term reform, a review of the rules of court to diminish
the possibility of abuse and manipulation.

We
understand that it has been less than a year since that meeting. But we are
alarmed by the unabated killing of journalists and political activists, and the
continuing human rights violations which undermine Philippine democracy more
than any rebellion. We reiterate the need for your administration to act now to
prevent the further deterioration and the recurrence of more killings – if only
to retain the public’s confidence in the promise of reform.

We are
joined in this call by other media organizations which see the weakness of the
judicial system as central to the dismantling of the culture of impunity. We
know that the president is confronted daily by many challenges. We are aware
that you have inherited the fallout from the previous administration’s neglect
and indifference, from nine years under your predecessor’s watch when the number
of work-related killing of journalists and media workers killed rose to 117.

As we pause
from daily routine in this period of spiritual contemplation and renewal, we ask
once again that you draw strength from our advocacy to end the impunity that has
punished the Filipino people for so long.

Signed by:

Freedom Fund for Filipino
Journalists
Selected faculty members of the University
of the Philippines College of Mass Communication
Business World