By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) mission investigating the November 23 Ampatuan Town massacre has just released its preliminary report on its findings and recommendations. The IFJ preliminary report pertains mainly to 31 victims who were journalists, media workers, their familes, and including the conditions all practicing media continue to be exposed to risking their lives in the Philippines.

Upon the request of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the IFJ mission was organized with a delegation of representatives from leading international journalists’ rights and press freedom organizations.

The mission, an expression of global solidarity with journalist colleagues in the Philippines, includes the IFJ, the Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA), the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Indonesia’s Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Australia’s Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the Thai Journalists’ Association (TJA), International News Safety Institute (INSI), International Media Support (IMS), the Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) and Union Network International (UNI).

The delegation met with the families of the victims, the local media, community, lawyers group and government officials in General Santos City. The mission took into account the findings of the independent fact-finding investigation of the NUJP, the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Mindanews and members of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ).

“The massacre is the culmination of decades of government inaction on the killing of journalists. It underlines the terrible dangers that Filipino journalists face. It also highlights the inability and unwillingness of the State to ensure the protection and safety of journalists who are merely seeking to perform their duties. This massacre, coming at the very beginning of the 2010 election process, not only undermines that process but has dealt a cruel blow to democracy and free media in the Philippines,” stated the mission.

The mission identified three key areas and provided some recommendations. For the families of the victims, the mission said they need an urgent, professionally handled and carefully crafted trauma counseling. The mission said the target beneficiaries must be the widows, children, parents and other immediate family members of the victims.

The mission added that the victims’ families are in need of immediate technical legal assistance with the local and international legal expertise to start the legal proceedings of the cases as well as bring pressure on the government to act on the matter.

“Given the undue delays plaguing the State prosecution process, the families are considering alternative legal means at seeking justice such as filing individual or collective damage claim cases,” the mission recommended.
The mission acknowledged the NUJP’s plan to extend the scholarship program for the slain journalists’ children. The scholarship program is now on its fifth year. The mission said that the families of the victims are in need of immediate financial support and assistance.

The mission added that there will be a safety assesment for each family and proper measures be undertaken to ensure their security.

According to the findings of the mission, the witnesses and relatives of the victims believe that the massacre could have been prevented by the authorities. They were also informed that the crime scene was compromised, forensic evidence contaminated and that the physical investigation of the area was cut short because of security and resourcing issues.

“Many of the key players, from the investigators, prosecutors, lawyers and judges to the key witnesses are in danger. Some are demanding increase in personal protection for the duration of the investigation and trial process,” the mission stated in their report.

The mission also noted the imposition of martial law and the concerns by various groups that martial law could but give rise to more human rights violations.

In its analysis, the mission stated the prosecution of the perpetrators of the massacre will be one of the big legal cases in the Philippines history. “Yet even this early in the process the families of the massacre victims are struggling to get the most basic documentation from government authorities,” the mission stated.

The mission said that a sustained and determined pressure from the international human rights groups is important to ensure an open and transparent investigation and trial. The mission added that a comprehensive monitoring of the trial is also urgent to ensure due process.

“It is also important to note that the government is responsible for providing effective and adequate compensation to the victims. The government must also ensure that the culture of impunity ends by prosecuting those who seek to silence the media by murdering journalists,” the mission added.

The mission also recommended the setting-up of a regional safety office in Mindanao before the 2010 elections in order to provide safety training as well as support for journalists covering the election processes.

The mission reminded the Philippine government of its commitment to international agreements like the Geneva Conventions, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the 2006 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738 stating that journalists, media professionals and associated personnel engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict are civilians, to be respected and protected as such.

“The UN Security Council has strongly condemned frequent acts of violence, including deliberate attacks, in many parts of the world against journalists, media professionals and associated personnel and has called on all parties to put an end to such practices,” the mission ended .#nordis.net