MANILA, Philippines (GMANews.TV / September 01, 2008) — Four journalists based in the central province of Capiz received a cruel death threat last weekend, with the "threat" coming in the form of text messages sent to their friends and relatives.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said Tuesday the text message circulated Sunday night, claiming three of the journalists died and the fourth was in critical condition.
"If it was not a joke, was it meant to silence not only the four of us but also the whole media community in Capiz on issues affecting public interest? Was it meant to divert the media on the more pressing issues and eventually silence them?" the four asked in a statement posted Tuesday evening on the NUJP website (www.nujp.org).
"We call on our colleagues in media not to be intimated by this latest attack on press freedom. With God's help, we shall triumph," they added.
The NUJP said the text messages, which claimed the four had figured in a vehicular accident, were sent to even the Capiz governor.
Named as "dead" in the text messages were John Heredia, Gerry Pagharion and Edward Basilonia. The three were supposedly declared dead on arrival at the Capiz Emmanuel Hospital.
The fourth journalist, Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent Felipe Celino, was supposedly in critical condition.
Heredia chairs the Capiz chapter of the NUJP, while Pagharion is the editor of Capiz Times. Basilonia is publisher of the Capiz Chronicle and head of the Provincial Capitol Media Bureau.
At the time the text message was sent, all four were in their homes sleeping.
On Monday, the four issued a statement on Monday denouncing the text message as "uncalled for and malicious," especially in the wake of the killing of Capiz broadcaster Martin Roxas.
The four had been active in reporting the killing of Roxas, who was shot dead by one of two motorcycle-riding men along Bayot Drive in Roxas City, last Aug. 7.
Cyril Simpas, station manager of dyOW Bombo in Roxas City, said he was among those who received the text message from an unknown sender using the number 09085664485.
After he received the text at 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Simpas said he tried calling the number but it could not be reached.
The unidentified sender also sent similar messages to provincial administrator Zoe Herrera, Roxas City administrator Ronald Amigo, IBC-dyJJ station manager Rexam Laguda and RMN-dyVR reporter Ebe Ballos.
Ballos forwarded the message to station manager Eliezer Abarra of RMN-dyVR.
Showing posts with label Free Press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free Press. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
An Open Letter To Gloria Arroyo On Press Freedom
President Gloria ArroyoMadame President:
You have warned against those who exercise press freedom without responsibility.
In a recent speech during the centennial celebration of “The Free Press” magazine, you declared:"Freedom in the hands of such as these, who want the freedom without the responsibility, degenerates into a callous license to aspire to little more than gossipy headlines and inflated circulation numbers, no matter what cost must be paid in the debasement of public discourse."
I find it very disturbing that the President of a democratic government will make this kind of warning particularly in the context of the current environment in which Filipino journalists have to operate.
From the first days of your administration, you have consistently taken steps to tighten the government's hold on information and limit public scrutiny of its activities.
For a few years, the Philippines had been tagged the “most murderous” country for journalists and international press freedom organizations still consider it the second most dangerous country next to war-torn Iraq.
Madame President, it is good to remember what Walter Lippmann, the 20th century American columnist said;"A free press is not a privilege, but an organic necessity in a great society."
In fact, it is your obligation as our leader to reassure our journalists that debate on public issues should be robust and wide open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic and sometimes unpleasant sharp attacks on government and public officials. That’s the essence of a true democracy!
"The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." (Thomas Jefferson, 1787)
Is that asking too much from an administration that is so obsessed with secrecy?
Sincerely,
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
No End In Sight For Attacks On Journalists, Four Victims In 2008
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines Statement
It is only August and already, four journalists fell prey to the unabated attacks against media practitioners.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines condemns the treacherous attack on broadcaster Dennis Cuesta in General Santos City on Monday.
We pray with Cuesta's family and co-workers for his survival even as we call on authorities to act quickly and arrest the perpetrators of the attack.
Cuesta, anchorman of "Straight to the Point," a morning program on Radio Mindanao Network's dxMD in General Santos City, is fighting for his life after two motorcycle-riding men shot him with a .45 caliber pistol.
The attack on Cuesta came a little more than a month after gunmen shot and killed Quezon journalist Bert Sison and wounded his daughter, also a journalist, on June 30. Sison was the third Filipino journalist to be murdered this year.
The latest attacks, especially on media practitioners, only prove the failure of the government to fulfill its paramount obligation to protect its citizens. The government must issue an unequivocal message that it is ending the culture of impunity by putting its act together and by addressing the attacks on media.
Get the perpetrators, even more important, get the masterminds, and ensure their swift prosecution and punishment. Stop the killings and assaults. Set an example by halting any attempt to try to stifle the media.
References:Jose Torres, Jr, Chairperson
Rowena Carranza-Paraan, Secretary General
August 5, 2008
Monday, July 16, 2007
US Officials Visit Wounded Troops In South RP, Ban Media Coverage
US soldiers guard outside a Philippine military hospital in Zamboanga City where US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and senior US military officials visit Monday July 16, 2007 nine soldiers who are wounded in clashes with Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Basilan island, where a kidnapped Italian Catholic priest Giancarlo Bossi is believed being held by rogue MILF members. US officials have banned Filipino journalists and news photographers from covering Kenney's visit for a still unknown reason. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)
A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 14, assigned to the "Swift Intruders" of Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 5, comes ashore Wednesday July 11, 2007 to pick up Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 and Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1 at the completion of their mission in the Philippines. Members of NMCB-7 and ACB-1, with medical support from the Third Medical Battalion, worked together with Filipino Seabees from the First Construction Battalion in support of Pacific Partnership 2007. The mission, a four-month humanitarian assistance mission to Southeast Asia and Oceania includes specialized medical care and various construction and engineering projects.(US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul D. Williams)
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 16 Jul) – US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and senior American military officials on Monday visited nine Filipino soldiers wounded in clashes with Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Zamboanga City.
Kenney arrived onboard a bullet-proof van at a military hospital inside Western Mindanao Command headquarters where the soldiers are recuperating from bullet wounds in clashes that occurred July 10 in Basilan’s Al-Barka town.
Fourteen soldiers were also killed in the fighting, ten of them beheaded and mutilated.
Kenney did not give any statement and journalists and photographers were banned in the hospital on orders from US officials for a still unknown reason.
The US is helping the Philippines defeat terrorism and have deployed hundreds of American troops in the volatile region, where local military is battling Abu Sayyaf militants tied to al-Qaeda terror network and members of the Jemaah Islamiya.
Army Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, Western Mindanao Command chief, was quoted Monday by The Australian as saying that his group is close to capturing Jemaah Islamiya explosives expert Dulmatin after an informant contacted the military offering to surrender the 2002 Bali bombing mastermind.
Aside from Dulmatin, troops are also tracking down another Bali bomber Umar Patek, who is being coddled by the Abu Sayyaf group.
Cedo said he received a message last week from a member of the former rebel group, Moro National Liberation Front, who promised he could lead government soldiers to Dulmatin’s hideout in Jolo island, about 950 km south of Manila. "I think we have a good prospect of finding him," Cedo said. "I received this message saying Dulmatin would be surrendered to us."
He said the informant had even pinpointed the precise location of Dulmatin’s lair in Jolo island.
The US has offered a $10 million bounty for Dulmatin’s capture and $1 million for Patek’s head. The Bali bombings killed 202 people, mostly foreigners, including 88 Australian holiday-makers.
The Philippine military, backed by US intelligence, mounted new offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists began on Jolo island.
In many instances, villagers reported seeing heavily armed US soldiers in armored vehicles, with Filipino troops.
The offensive, codenamed Oplan: Ultimatum 2, is aimed at capturing - dead or alive - leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and the two Jemaah Islamiya bombers. Indonesian authorities also tagged the Jemaah Islamiya as behind the 2003 JW Marriott hotel car bombing that killed a dozen people and wounded over 150 others.
Hundreds of US troops are also deployed in Jolo to help the local military fight the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.
The US military provides technical intelligence to local troops because they are not allowed to participate in combat operation against the Abu Sayyaf or Jemaah Islamiya, both included in the US terror list.
Last month, the US Pacific commander, Adm. Timothy Keating, in a surprised visit in Jolo island, inspected a captured Abu Sayyaf mountain base in Tugas village in Patikul town. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, May 03, 2007
The 17th World Press Freedom Day
Fight For Your Rights, Defend Press Freedom.
Twenty-four journalists and 5 media assistants have been killed so far this year and 124 journalists, 4 media assistants and 66 cyber-dissidents are in prison around the world and 13 journalists are being held hostage in various countries.
The new Reporters Without Borders worldwide "predators of press freedom" list.
This list of 34 "predators" comprises men and women who directly attack journalists or order others to. Most are top political figures but militia chiefs, leaders of armed groups and drug-traffickers are also included.
This year, the presidents of Laos and Azerbaijan joined the list of these major enemies of press freedom, along with Mexican drug cartels who killed several journalists.
The king of Nepal and the country's Maoist leaders were taken off the list after the national ceasefire between the two sides and a return to peace.
The predators and their faces and biographies can be seen on the website www.rsf.org.
For the first time, Reporters Without Borders is offering, through Google Earth, a virtual view of the homes, palaces, and workplaces of most of them. Click here: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/874561/an/0/page/0#874561.
The Journalists Memorial in Bayeux (Normandy) was inaugurated on May 2 in the French town of Bayeux and Reporters Without Borders have built the first Journalists Memorial in Europe.
Its stones bear the names of the 1,889 journalists killed around the world since 1944.
Several dozen journalists are killed every year working in war zones.
Reporters Without Borders is trying to reduce this toll by offering them legal and informative tools (a Practical Guide, a Safety Charter and training courses) as well as safety equipment, including: - the loan of bulletproof jackets, helmets and personal distress beacons, as well as free first-aid kits.
- special cheap insurance for freelance journalists and a hotline for those in trouble (SOS Presse, available round the clock at (33) 1 4777-7414).
The website www.rsf.org is now in six languages (English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French and Persian)
The website www.rsf.org can now be read in Chinese. With nearly a year to go before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Reporters Without Borders wants to inform the Chinese people about the press freedom situation. China has 31 journalists and 51 cyber-dissidents in jail, making it the world's largest prison for defenders of freedom of expression.
The Arabic version of www.rsf.org also has new features and more content. The Middle East is the world's deadliest region for journalists because of the fighting in Iraq.
Reporters Without Borders is the first international human rights organization to open an office in the online virtual world Second Life, where visitors can find information about the organisation and press freedom in the world, as well as its latest publicity campaigns.
From May 3, they can also see there the photos and biographies of the 34 "predators of press freedom" named by the organisation. To find this office, type "Reporters sans frontières" in the Second Life search engine.
The new book of photographs "100 photos of the Cannes Film Festival for press freedom" will be available on 3 May, on sale everywhere for Euro 8.90, in aid of Reporters Without Borders.
It includes more than 100 pictures by the photographers who have recorded the event since 1946. Jean-Pierre Lavoignat, the longstanding editor of Studio Magazine, with present the book at the press conference. It is produced with support from the Film Festival.
Twenty-four journalists and 5 media assistants have been killed so far this year and 124 journalists, 4 media assistants and 66 cyber-dissidents are in prison around the world and 13 journalists are being held hostage in various countries.
The new Reporters Without Borders worldwide "predators of press freedom" list.
This list of 34 "predators" comprises men and women who directly attack journalists or order others to. Most are top political figures but militia chiefs, leaders of armed groups and drug-traffickers are also included.
This year, the presidents of Laos and Azerbaijan joined the list of these major enemies of press freedom, along with Mexican drug cartels who killed several journalists.
The king of Nepal and the country's Maoist leaders were taken off the list after the national ceasefire between the two sides and a return to peace.
The predators and their faces and biographies can be seen on the website www.rsf.org.
For the first time, Reporters Without Borders is offering, through Google Earth, a virtual view of the homes, palaces, and workplaces of most of them. Click here: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/874561/an/0/page/0#874561.
The Journalists Memorial in Bayeux (Normandy) was inaugurated on May 2 in the French town of Bayeux and Reporters Without Borders have built the first Journalists Memorial in Europe.
Its stones bear the names of the 1,889 journalists killed around the world since 1944.
Several dozen journalists are killed every year working in war zones.
Reporters Without Borders is trying to reduce this toll by offering them legal and informative tools (a Practical Guide, a Safety Charter and training courses) as well as safety equipment, including: - the loan of bulletproof jackets, helmets and personal distress beacons, as well as free first-aid kits.
- special cheap insurance for freelance journalists and a hotline for those in trouble (SOS Presse, available round the clock at (33) 1 4777-7414).
The website www.rsf.org is now in six languages (English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French and Persian)
The website www.rsf.org can now be read in Chinese. With nearly a year to go before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Reporters Without Borders wants to inform the Chinese people about the press freedom situation. China has 31 journalists and 51 cyber-dissidents in jail, making it the world's largest prison for defenders of freedom of expression.
The Arabic version of www.rsf.org also has new features and more content. The Middle East is the world's deadliest region for journalists because of the fighting in Iraq.
Reporters Without Borders is the first international human rights organization to open an office in the online virtual world Second Life, where visitors can find information about the organisation and press freedom in the world, as well as its latest publicity campaigns.
From May 3, they can also see there the photos and biographies of the 34 "predators of press freedom" named by the organisation. To find this office, type "Reporters sans frontières" in the Second Life search engine.
The new book of photographs "100 photos of the Cannes Film Festival for press freedom" will be available on 3 May, on sale everywhere for Euro 8.90, in aid of Reporters Without Borders.
It includes more than 100 pictures by the photographers who have recorded the event since 1946. Jean-Pierre Lavoignat, the longstanding editor of Studio Magazine, with present the book at the press conference. It is produced with support from the Film Festival.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)