Baguio journalists support petition vs. media repression 06-03-26

	NORDIS WEEKLY March 26, 2006
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Baguio journalists support petition vs. media repression
BAGUIO CITY (March 20) — Professional and campus journalists in this summer capital city today signed as co-petitioners in the case filed by their national counterpart on March 8 at the Court of Appeals (CA) which seeks to declare that the Executive Department has no lawful power, authority or jurisdiction to prohibit the publication or airing of news and commentary based on its contents. At least 10 journalists from local papers, correspondents of national dailies, and leaders of media organizations initially signed the petition on March 13 to kick-off the campaign to support the CA case. An information dissemination among media persons on the importance of the petition on them as journalists resulted in more signatories to the support petition. While the local National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) led the petition signing, other groups including the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters’ Club (BCBC), Philippine Press Photographers’ Club (PPPC), the Benguet Press Corps (BPC), and the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) were also represented. NUJP is hopeful that its local colleagues will soon join the bandwagon in time for the CA deliberations on the case filed earlier by NUJP, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), the Philippine Press Institute, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and at least 38 individuals from the tri-media. Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) lawyers serve as counsels for the media in the said case docketed at the 9th Division of the CA as G.R. SP No. 93529 for certiorari, prohibition, temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. In their petition, journalists asked the court to prohibit Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita; Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales; Philippine National Police Director Arturo Lomibao and National Telecommunications Commission Ronal Solis and their agents from censoring publications, or preventing or prohibiting the broadcast news and commentaries based on contents; and to annul certain NTC issuances that prohibit the broadcast media from airing news and commentary which are considered by the government subversive, among others. Although there is no reported suppression committed by the government agencies against the media in the Cordillera at present, the co-petitioners claimed that the PNP, the DOJ and the NTC have been carrying out and imposing content-based prior restraint despite Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s lifting of Presidential Proclamation 1017 (PP1017). Violations on media rights Sanidad explained to the local co-petitioners the importance of the CA petition to journalists outside Metro Manila. He said provincial media are more vulnerable to violations and suppression of their rights as he observed that they are less organized. He observed that violations against media rights occur mostly outside Metro Manila. He added that the difference of this case with that filed at the Supreme Court on PP 1017 is that the CA case has special focus on the constitutional rights of media practitioners and the threat on their role in bringing public information. He cited the PNPs move to suppress the Tribune newspaper and the monitoring of other media institutions and personalities. “The Supreme Court case is more on the legality of PP 1017 where the rights involved include political rights like the warrantless arrest, banning of marches, among others, Sanidad told the media. While PP 1017 was already lifted, Sanidad likened it to a creeping kind of authoritarianism measure. It is calibrated to intimidate which has the same effect – the denial of press freedom. Sanidad was active against martial law despite hailing from Ilocos Region where former dictator Marcos hailed. Campaign The local journalists claimed that the signing shows their opposition to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s move to curtail press freedom. This campaign shall not be limited on the legal case but will adopt other means of protest to show media unity against creeping authoritarianism, said Junjun Dumlao, chairperson of the Baguio-Benguet NUJP. He enjoined other media practitioners interested to be co-petitioners to visit the Sanidad law office at the Laperal Building, Session Road, Baguio City. # Arthur L. Allad-iw for NORDIS Post your comments, reactions to this article
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	NORDIS WEEKLY March 26, 2006
Home \| To bottom	Previous \| Next
Baguio journalists support petition vs. media repression
BAGUIO CITY (March 20) — Professional and campus journalists in this summer capital city today signed as co-petitioners in the case filed by their national counterpart on March 8 at the Court of Appeals (CA) which seeks to declare that the Executive Department has no lawful power, authority or jurisdiction to prohibit the publication or airing of news and commentary based on its contents. At least 10 journalists from local papers, correspondents of national dailies, and leaders of media organizations initially signed the petition on March 13 to kick-off the campaign to support the CA case. An information dissemination among media persons on the importance of the petition on them as journalists resulted in more signatories to the support petition. While the local National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) led the petition signing, other groups including the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters’ Club (BCBC), Philippine Press Photographers’ Club (PPPC), the Benguet Press Corps (BPC), and the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) were also represented. NUJP is hopeful that its local colleagues will soon join the bandwagon in time for the CA deliberations on the case filed earlier by NUJP, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), the Philippine Press Institute, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and at least 38 individuals from the tri-media. Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) lawyers serve as counsels for the media in the said case docketed at the 9th Division of the CA as G.R. SP No. 93529 for certiorari, prohibition, temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. In their petition, journalists asked the court to prohibit Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita; Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales; Philippine National Police Director Arturo Lomibao and National Telecommunications Commission Ronal Solis and their agents from censoring publications, or preventing or prohibiting the broadcast news and commentaries based on contents; and to annul certain NTC issuances that prohibit the broadcast media from airing news and commentary which are considered by the government subversive, among others. Although there is no reported suppression committed by the government agencies against the media in the Cordillera at present, the co-petitioners claimed that the PNP, the DOJ and the NTC have been carrying out and imposing content-based prior restraint despite Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s lifting of Presidential Proclamation 1017 (PP1017). Violations on media rights Sanidad explained to the local co-petitioners the importance of the CA petition to journalists outside Metro Manila. He said provincial media are more vulnerable to violations and suppression of their rights as he observed that they are less organized. He observed that violations against media rights occur mostly outside Metro Manila. He added that the difference of this case with that filed at the Supreme Court on PP 1017 is that the CA case has special focus on the constitutional rights of media practitioners and the threat on their role in bringing public information. He cited the PNPs move to suppress the Tribune newspaper and the monitoring of other media institutions and personalities. “The Supreme Court case is more on the legality of PP 1017 where the rights involved include political rights like the warrantless arrest, banning of marches, among others, Sanidad told the media. While PP 1017 was already lifted, Sanidad likened it to a creeping kind of authoritarianism measure. It is calibrated to intimidate which has the same effect – the denial of press freedom. Sanidad was active against martial law despite hailing from Ilocos Region where former dictator Marcos hailed. Campaign The local journalists claimed that the signing shows their opposition to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s move to curtail press freedom. This campaign shall not be limited on the legal case but will adopt other means of protest to show media unity against creeping authoritarianism, said Junjun Dumlao, chairperson of the Baguio-Benguet NUJP. He enjoined other media practitioners interested to be co-petitioners to visit the Sanidad law office at the Laperal Building, Session Road, Baguio City. # Arthur L. Allad-iw for NORDIS Post your comments, reactions to this article
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