Defend Press Freedom and Uphold the People's Rights
A Statement of Iloilo Journalists
We, members of Iloilo media, add our voices to the growing opposition to Executive Order No. 1017 issued by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo February 24, 2006, placing the country under the state of national emergency.
One of the first casualties of EO 1017 is the media. The proclamation delivered a fatal blow to the freedom of the press and expression.
We urge the President to immediately lift EO 1017 because it has created a climate of fear. It has also brought apprehension, uncertainty and confusion among media practitioners, especially following the police raid on the Daily Tribune and confiscation of copies of the newspaper.
The posting of military men in major television networks in Manila brought a "chilling effect" and the feared military takeover of news organizations.
As journalists and citizens, we uphold and safeguard the constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of press and expression. The government cannot just stifle these basic rights of the people, no matter what the condition, crisis or circumstance present in our midst.
As media practitioners, our loyalty is to citizens. We uphold the basic tenets of journalism and we do all the best we could to deliver stories and information that are accurate, fair, balanced, comprehensive and compelling.
We uphold our commitment to print and broadcast the truth especially in these challenging times. We believe that what a free society needs from journalists is a truthful, comprehensive and intelligent discussion of the day's events so that they can understand them and make informed decisions for the good of our country.
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said she wants to end early a seven-day-old state of emergency she imposed over an alleged coup plot.
"I will lift the state of emergency once I am convinced, the national police and the departments of justice and defense have regained full control of the situation,'' Arroyo said in a televised speech March 1.
The government will review the level of security in 24 to 72 hours, she said. (ed.zamboanga journal)
2 comments:
Gloria's PP 1017 reminds me of the fall guy named Norberto Gonzalez.
--An executive officer over whom the President "shall have control of" (or the Executive Power of "Control," as in EO 464)
--Ordered arrested by the Senate, the institution authorized merely to inquire "in aid of legislation" but acting as the constitutional "investigator," the Ombudsman, and, simultaneously, as the Court, exercising, in short, "concentrated power."
--Publicly maligned, insulted, humiliated
--Arrested "warrantless"
--Being under "Protective Custody" was not an option made available to him
--Detained indefinitely (for well over a month, or over 720 hours)
--Sneered at for seeking medical attention that incarceration without charges naturally magnifies
--Accusation proved his guilt, and his denial or refusal doubled it
--Deprived of his liberty without benefit of due process of law
--Punished before he is guilty for fear that he should be guilty
--A Filipino citizen, entitled (presumably) to the protection of the Republic
During all this litany of horrors, the avowed champions of freedom and democracy among many in the media and the opposition simply looked the other way—Gonzalez was their perceived "enemy"--condoning the humiliation, the deprivation the fall guy endured.
So, why make a fuss over the "warrantless," the "arbitrary," the "dictatorial" repercussions under Gloria's PP1017 now?
"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." --Thomas Paine
Hi Domingo,
I totally agree with you and I respect your opinion.
Mabuhay ka!
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