Friday, June 30, 2006

We have our eyes on you

It's good that ABS-CBN is finally doing something by moving its program Insider to an earlier time slot. The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) has always voiced out its concern against airing news programs, where more and more Filipinos get their news and information, so late at night. The news program, which will now be called Bandila, will be shown on July 3.

We will be watching.

ABS-CBN raises the flag of journalism excellence
Source: Yehey News

ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. hopes to change the face of Philippine television by moving its late night news program Insider to an earlier time slot. What’s more, the new program will be titled Bandila, which is the Filipino word for flag.

The move “is an act of leadership,” said Maria Ressa, head of the network’s news and current affairs division, explaining the choice for the title at a press conference on Tuesday. Her message: Nationalism, not merely ratings, will drive the news.

When Ressa took over the helm of the news division in June 2005, she noticed—not just in ABS-CBN—that programming in recent the years had become entertainment-driven. Particularly by consecutive soap operas—comprised of local and foreign telenovelas, fantaseryes and reality shows—which are shown from 7:30 p.m. onwards. The effect on the delivery of news is that it is pushed very late into the evening.

“We’re taking a risk here by moving the news to 10:30 p.m.,” she pointed out, so that viewers don’t have to stay awake wait until midnight to get their information.

The move not only aims to bring the news earlier to viewers, but also to polish the network’s image specifically, and that of media on the whole.

“Media has been getting a lot of negative publicity lately,” said Luchi Cruz Valdez, who has been tasked to head Bandila’s program production, adding that many viewers had begun to turn away from watching the news because most items focus on political bickerings, economic slump and national degradation. “We were feeding on that depression. We felt the time was right to do something,” she elaborated.

To read the rest of the report, click here.

Did you know that one of the greatest footballers in history was a Filipino?

While the rest of the world is going gaga over the World Cup, we basketball-crazy Pinoys seem indifferent about it.

The New York Times wrote: One country immune to the fever is the Philippines, which, like its former colonial master, the United States, pays little attention to soccer. "If there's anything that can be said of my country," said Carlos Conde (who is New York Times and International Herald Tribune's Philippine correspondent), "it's never crazy about football. Basketball, yes, as you know, but not football. There's absolutely no buzz here."

But did you know that there was a great Filipino football player who had played for the prestigious Spain-based team FC Barcelona, making him the first Asian-born player to play for a European club?

Meet Paulino Alcantara, a Filipino-Spanish footballer who played for FC Barcelona, Bohemians Manila, the Philippines and Spain. According to Wikipedia, Alcantara is "still the youngest player to play and score for FC Barcelona in a competitive game. He played for the club between 1912 and 1927, scoring 357 goals in 357 matches and remains the clubs all-time top goalscorer."

I got this surprising information from Howie Severino. Writing in his blog, he said: "My hand-wringing in an earlier post about Filipino indifference to the World Cup led my brother Kokoy to remind me that an early legend in European football was Paulino Alcantara (1896-1964), a striker born in Iloilo, still the Philippines' soccer hotbed. 'In any other country, Alcantara would be a national hero,' Kokoy writes.

"Like today's Asian superstars, he played professionally for a top European club, the first Asian-born player to do so. Scoring 374 goals in 375 matches, Alcantara remains the all-time top goal scorer in the history of Spain's FC Barcelona, one of the most storied and richest clubs in world football, and today the professional team of Ronaldhino, current World Player of the Year."

For more of Howie's post, click here.

The Wikipedia entry on Alcantara also linked a tribute (from YouTube) on him. Press the Play button on the video below to view the clip or click here.

Keep updated with CMFR News

Yesterday, during the launch of the 17th Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ), we asked the participants if they want to join an e-group we made at the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) for the latest news and information about CMFR's projects. Made two days before the awards, CMFR News will update e-group members about the stories from PJR Reports; reports on the attacks against or threats to press freedom in the Philippines and elsewhere; updates about the JVOAEJ, and the latest information from CMFR.

If you want to join, just click here or you can click the CMFR News join button on the right side of my blog.

MTRCB suspends i-Witness

From Inside PCIJ:

Censors suspend “i-Witness”

"THE guardians of the country’s morality have spoken.

"In a June 22 ruling received by GMA 7 Network yesterday, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) judged the “i-Witness” episode, 'Lukayo: Hindi ito Bastos,' to have 'offensive content' and suspended the award-winning documentary program for two weeks.

"The controversial episode, aired in May, featured the women of Kalayaan, Laguna who perform a nearly 200-year old ritual that consists of playfully parading and displaying wooden phalluses during weddings. The ritual celebrates marriage and binds communities.

"Ramon Obusan, the 2006 National Artist for Dance who was featured in the 'i-Witness' documentary, says that the ritual also allowed the women taking part to 'assert their independence' and to mock male power, which the phallus represents.

"But the MTRCB said that featuring the ritual in a television program was contrary to its rules and could not be considered acceptable for general viewing 'applying contemporary Filipino values and good customs as standards.'

"'The Board does not pass judgment over the culture or tradition of indigenous communities, nor does the Board abhor their centuries-old rituals,' said the MTRCB ruling, contained in a letter written by MTRCB chair Ma. Consoliza Laguardia to Severino and GMA 7’s program management head Jose Mari Abacan. 'But when these rituals, which you yourself consider as ‘obscure,’ are shown on television, it is the primary duty of the Board to protect the viewing public, since there may be offensive contents in these little-known traditions.'

Click here for more. For more details, go to the blog of Howie Severino, who did the report for the show. Photo on the left taken from his blog.

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Congrats to the Inquirer, BusinessMirror, and PCIJ!

I am happy with how the 17th Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ) turned out earlier today for four reasons: First, the program's flow was so smooth with no hitches at all (except for the darn microphones that were not yet on when the finalist-panelists began to speak); the audience turnout was the highest in JVOAEJ's history (400 individuals; the previous record was 308 participants which was last year); seeing old friends again like Ben de Vera, Ehden Llave, Leslie Jose as well as our former interns last summer; and the largely positive feedback from the Awards.

Before I proceed with the official announcement of the winners below, at left are some of the photos taken during the awards.

Photo no. 1 - Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility staff with PJR Reports editor Chit Estella

Photo no. 2 - Us clowning with some of our former interns

Photo no. 3 - CMFR's resident hunks

Photo no. 4 - With friend and former intern Ben de Vera

Photo no. 5 - Us taking the Abercrombie and Fitch pose

Inquirer, BusinessMirror, and PCIJ win JVOAEJ top prizes

Newspapers BusinessMirror and the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism won the top awards in the 17th Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ) for works published in 2005 at ceremonies held at the AIM Conference Center Manila on June 29.

As administrator of the awards since it was launched in 1990, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) introduced an innovation for this year’s competition. Reports published by daily newspapers were judged separately from those published by non-dailies. Thus, there are two sets of first, second and third prizes for the investigative and explanatory categories.

The first prize winners of the daily and non-daily division of the investigative and the explanatory category receive a cash prize of P70,000 each and a plaque.

The first prize of the daily division of the investigative category went to “Tracing the trail of the tape” by Fe Zamora and Gerry Lirio of the Philippine Daily Inquirer which was published on September 17-18, 2005. In the non-daily division of the same category, the first prize went to “Running on taxpayers’ money” by Luz Rimban of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism published in i Report in September of last year.

CMFR in consultation with the Canadian Embassy announced that the Marshall McLuhan Prize will go to the first prize winner of the daily division. The Marshall McLuhan Prize is a travel study tour of Canada given to the first prize winner of the investigative category. This is the 10th year that the Canadian Embassy has given out Mashall McLuhan Prize in the JVOAEJ.

Luz Rimban also took the third prize of the investigative category’s non-daily division for her article “Major players elude government’s anti-logging drive in Aurora” The article was published in BusinessWorld, Cebu Daily News, Malaya, Philippine Daily Inquirer and Sun.Star Daily on January 31-February 1, 2005.

For also winning the third prize, Rimban takes home a cash prize of P20,000 and a plaque.

“CAP: From pre-need’s poster boy to whipping boy” by Daxim L. Lucas and Elizabeth L. Sanchez published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on September 19-21, 2005 won second prize in the daily division. In the non-daily division, “Cheats Inc.” by Miriam Grace A. Go of Newsbreak on September 12, 2005 won second prize.

They each received a cash prize of P40,000 and a plaque.

The third prize winner in the daily division of the investigative category went to “Border dispute leaves Dumagats in a quandary” by Fritz Dacpano published in The Manila Times on April 25-26, 2005.

She received a cash prize of P20,000 and a plaque.

In the daily division of the explanatory category, BusinessMirror took the first prize for its report “Confrontation to cooperation? Labor-management relations evolve in globalization era” written by Dave Llorito and published on November 2, 2005 while PCIJ took the top prize in the non-daily division with “Focus on Filipino youth: Perils of generation sex” by Cheryl Chan published in i Report September 2005 issue.

CMFR in consultation with the Australian Embassy decided that the Ambassador’s award, a travel grant to Australia, would go to the first prize winner of the daily division. This is the fourth time that the Australian Embassy is awarding the Ambassador’s Award in the JVOAEJ.

“Electronic ears listen with bugs and taps” by Fil V. Elefante published in The Manila Times on June 27-29, 2005 won second prize in the daily division and “Mama can’t eat” by Vinia M. Datinguinoo of PCIJ published in the January-March 2005 issue of the i Report took the second prize in the non-daily division.

They each received a cash prize of P40,000 and a plaque.

The third prize winners in the explanatory category are “The economics of corruption” written by D’Laarni A. Ortiz, Larissa Josephine C. Villa, Roulee Jane F. Calayag, Ehden Llave-Pelaez and edited by Noel G. Reyes which was published in BusinessWorld on July 19, 2005 (daily division) and “Bataan nuke power plant: Still unused, still paying for it” by Lidy Nacpil and Mae Buenaventura published in the Philippine Graphic on March 14, 2005 (non-daily division).

The third prize winners in both division received a cash prize of P20,000 and a plaque.

The first awards were given in 1990 to honor the late Jaime V. Ongpin, who was secretary of finance during the Aquino administration. A press freedom advocate, Ongpin was involved in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship and was instrumental in harnessing public support for the restoration of democracy in the Philippines.

This year, the JVOAEJ is sponsored by The Asia Foundation with support from the United States Agency for International Development.

The finalists of the 17th JVOAEJ are:

Investigative Category

Daily Division

Bailout costs too much for deposit insurer
Norman P. Aquino
BusinessWorld
November 29-December 1, 2005

Palawan’s gas pains
Jofelle P. Tesorio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 13, 2005

Non-Daily Division

So young and so trapo
Avigail Olarte
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report
September 2005

Guns and gold
Gemma B. Bagayaua
Newsbreak
December 5, 19, 2005 and January 30, 2006

For land and wages
Half a century of peasant struggle at Hacienda Luisita
Dabet Castañeda
Bulatlat.com
Published in Philippine Graphic on January 3-10, 17, 2005


Explanatory Category

Daily Division

Philippine economic progress since 1988
The ‘good old days’
John Mangun
BusinessMirror
December 1-3, 2005

Graduating class: Education, labor mismatch
Norman P. Aquino
BusinessWorld
March 10, 2005

Non-Daily Division

Mutants on your plate
Alan C. Robles
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report
January-March 2005

Broken promises
Lala Rimando, Cathy Rose Garcia and Elena Torrijos
Newsbreak
January 31, 2005

Trained to care
Avigail Olarte
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report
January-March 2005

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

A day of reckoning

Tomorrow is the 17th Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ). I wonder who the winners are. But I am pretty sure that many journalists out there are anticipating the results tomorrow, especially with the recent innovation introduced by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (JVOAEJ technical and administrative secretariat) separating entries produced by dailies from non-dailies and other media organizations.

See you there.

The Harolds and Kumars of the Philippine media

"The world would be a better place if we had more Harolds and Kumars in the movies. And it would be a better place if our news and feature stories had more average, everyday Asian guys who like to kiss girls and go to White Castle."

Thus wrote Tom Huang, Texas Living Editor of The Dallas Morning News and a 2002 Poynter Ethics Fellow, on the need for the American media to do a better job of portraying Asians and members of minority groups "in a multi-dimensional way."

This wonderful piece, "Visions of Harold and Kumar: A Plea for Better Coverage of the Asian Man," is available in Poynter Online. And oh, don't forget to read his other column pieces also available in Poynter Online such as "Making Minorities Multi-Dimensional".

For those who do not know who Harold and Kumar are, they are Asian-American actors John Cho and Kal Penn who play the two characters respectively in the film Harold and Kumar go to White Castle that was well-received by critics. (photo of the two at left taken from this site). A sequel to this 2004 film, Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam, is scheduled for release next year.

Although Huang discusses the need for US media to portray minority groups "in a multi-dimensional way," I think his insights also apply well in the media situation here in the Philippines on how we portray certain groups.

For instance, how does the Philippine media portray an Indian? Is it still one who is heavily bearded, turbaned, smelly, and rides in a motorcycle everyday to get his pautang from Filipinos (you know, five-six?) How about our portrayal of Chinese? Or how about our portrayal of fellow Filipinos like the Visayans or Aetas? Or how about the gays? Or rape victims, like "Nicole"?

These are questions media has to ponder about.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

BBC launches editors' blog

The BBC has launched a weblog written by BBC News editors.

Editors from across the range of BBC News outlets - TV, radio and interactive - will post on issues surrounding their day-to-day activities.

Helen Boaden, BBC head of news, wrote in her first post: "We are committed to being impartial, fair and accurate - these are the qualities which BBC News is rightly expected to uphold.

"But we also want to be open and accountable, and while this is nothing new - my colleagues and I are quite used to appearing on Newswatch on News 24 and Feedback on Radio 4 - we are hoping this blog will be a fresh way of having a direct conversation with you, our audiences."

For more information, check out http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story1911.shtml.

Monday, June 26, 2006

CMFR invites applicants to a Training of Trainors Seminar for Alerts Reporting and Media Safety

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) would like to invite working journalists and mass media educators for a Trainors’ Training Seminar for Alerts Reporting and Media Safety this coming September. Scholarships for the training program are available for applicants from outside Metro Manila.

To apply, please e-mail an updated curriculum vitae and a 500-word essay on the topic, “Media Killings: A Threat to Press Freedom,” to us via pjr@cmfr-phil.org. Deadline for applications is July 25, 2006.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Marathon hearing on Esperat case

A marathon hearing on the trial of slain journalist Marlene Esperat case is set on June 26-30, 2006, in which the prosecution will present at least six more witnesses to further augment the case and convince Cebu City RTC Branch 21 Judge Eric Menchavez to consider the charges against suspected masterminds and high-ranking DA officials Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay.

Since 1986, there has been no prosecuted mastermind/s in any of the slain journalist cases. The Esperat case marks the first time that a real mastermind (in this case, two) can be pinned down. Hence, based on the exposés made and cases filed by Esperat in Ombudsman when she was still alive, the corruption inside the DA, not only involves the two suspected slay masterminds, but also several high-ranking national officials, in connection with the so-called multi-million peso fertilizer scam.

The success of the Esperat case trial may very well hinge on the involvement and successful prosecution of the suspected masterminds, as this will prove that the government and the justice system are still steadfast in bringing the real resolution to the continued attacks against the country’s battered press freedom.

In view of this, the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ) has prepared an in-depth primer (see below) on the Esperat case to show the significance of this case on national scale. Making room for this story in news dailiesand network news programs will help put constant pressure on government entities and the justice system to end this culture of impunity.

For more information, please contact Nathan/CMFR (telephone: 02-8400903,
telefax: 02-8400889).

Primer on the Marlene Esperat case trial
Prepared by the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ)
June 23, 2006

Who is Marlene Esperat?

Marlene Esperat was a columnist for Sultan Kudarat paper The Midland Review. She also had a stint as a block-time radio broadcaster. Popularly known as “Madame Witness” because of her public service media exposés, she was also elected president of Region 12’s Tri-Media Association by her peers.

During her employment in the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 12 from 1987 to 2004, she uncovered numerous cases of graft and corrupt practices allegedly committed by public officials involving rampant misuse of public funds intended for the use of marginalized farmers.

She accused Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, Region 12 Finance Officer and Regional Accountant, respectively, as “corrupt” DA officials. Esperat worked on numerous cases, such as the unremitted government’s share of GSIS premiums of DA 12 employees from January to December 1997.

Esperat, along with several witnesses, also exposed the alleged deliberate burning of DA office in Cotabato City on May 7, 1998 to destroy the hard evidence in the cases against Montañer and his companions.

Early 2005, Montañer and Sabay purportedly drew a plan to permanently silence Esperat, through ex-military intelligence officer Rowie Barua. On March 24, self-confessed killer Gerry Cabayag fatally shot Esperat in the head in front of the journalist’s shocked children, while they were at supper.

Esperat finished with a degree in Chemistry in Iloilo, where she met her first husband radio journalist Severino Arcones early 1980s. Arcones was a hard-hitting commentator who lambasted local government officials in the said province. He, himself, was killed in 1989 for his work as a journalist. It was Arcones who stirred Esperat’s interest in using journalism as a tool to fight off corruption in the society.

Prior to her work as a journalist in 1999, Esperat worked as a chemist, and later as a resident ombudsman for the DA. While inside the DA, Esperat discovered that the fertilizers that the regional office were giving to the local farmers were insufficient, inferior, and far cheaper than what was originally listed at the official budget of the department.

Frustrated by the country’s slow due process, Esperat turned to the power of the pen and airwaves to expose her bothering discoveries, which in turn, led to her brutal death.

Why is this case significant?

“Unlike in the other slain journalists’ cases, this one (Esperat case) seems to have a very promising outcome as there is a clear identification of the masterminds and full cooperation from the witnesses,” said private prosecutor, Atty. Nena Santos.

Since 1986, 59 journalists have been killed in the line of duty. Not a single mastermind has been successfully prosecuted in any of these cases.

To date, there are only two convictions – in the cases of Nesino Paulin Toling and Edgar Damalerio. Toling’s family however, cried that the killer was just a fall guy. Until now, there has been no inkling on the identity of the real brain and the motive for the murder.

In the Damalerio case, it was clear from the onset that ex-policeman Guillermo Wapile was the one who gunned down the Pagadian-based journalist. Eights months have passed since Wapile was convicted by a Cebu City court, but everybody remains in the dark about the real motive behind Damalerio’s slay, more so on the possible mastermind.

On the other hand, the Esperat case marked the first time that a real mastermind (in this case, two) can be pinned down.

With the strong testimonies of suspect-turned-state witness Barua and the consistent pressure from the media organizations, both local and international, the cases against masterminds Montañer and Sabay remain strong.

The success of the Esperat case trial may very well hinge on the involvement and successful prosecution of the suspected masterminds, as this will prove that the government and the justice system are still steadfast in bringing the real resolution to the continued attacks against the country’s battered press freedom.

Moreover, the issue is not only a press freedom issue. Montañer and Sabay’s connection in the killing of Esperat and the cases left by the journalist, could pave the way for a deeper scrutiny on the alleged massive corruption inside the Department of Agriculture up to the highest posts. Based on the exposés made and cases filed by Esperat in Ombudsman when she was still alive, the corruption inside the DA, not only involves the two suspected slay masterminds, but also several high-ranking national officials, in connection with the so-called multi-million peso fertilizer scam.

What is the status of the case?

Barely two weeks after the killing of Esperat, suspect Randy Grecia surrendered, and identified his three companions – Barua as coordinator, ex-Sgt. Estanislao Bismanos as lookout and Jerry Cabayag as gunman.

An amended murder complaint was filed against two of the suspected masterminds, Department of Agriculture Region XI employees Estrella Sabay and Osmeña Montañer as additional accused, on April 15, 2005.

A Department of Justice (DOJ)-formed prosecution panel—led by Cotabato City prosecutor Tocod Ronda, a known ally of Montañer—endorsed the dismissal of charges against the two officials on June 29, 2005. A month later, DOJ reorganized the prosecution panel, now excluding Ronda, and eventually re-filed the murder charges. Ronda was later sacked from his Cotabato City prosecutor post.

On July 4, 2005, Bismanos, Grecia, and Cabayag all pleaded guilty. Barua, on the other hand, turned into a state witness.

Last August 31, the judge originally handling the case, Francis Palmones of the Tacurong City RTC, dismissed the murder charges against Osmeña Montañer and Estrella Sabay, Region 12 Finance Officer and Regional Accountant, respectively, despite the strong testimony of Barua, and the support of the DOJ.

In a resolution dated November 23, 2005, the High Court approved the transfer of the case from Tacurong to a safer, more neutral court in Cebu City—the city where the Damalerio and just recently, slain photojournalist Allan Dizon’s cases were resolved in just a span of less than two months.

The case, as earlier noted, was previously tried in a Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat court, but was transferred to Cebu through the indorsement of the Supreme Court, which in turn, acted upon the requests of the family and the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ) to move the trial to a more neutral location.

Esperat’s head legal counsel, Atty. Nena Santos, said they were expecting a favorable trial, despite enduring several setbacks before the case’s transfer to Cebu.

The trial in Cebu City started last February 15 under Regional Trial Court Branch 21 Judge Eric Menchavez. It started on a low note as Menchavez rejected the motion filed by the prosecution to reconsider the dismissed murder charges against suspected masterminds Montañer and Sabay.

The first formal hearing took place last April 2-5. It involved testimonies made by a CIDG police investigator, Esperat’s son Kevin George (who positively identified Cabayag as the triggerman), and daughter Rynche Arcones (who narrated the events prior to the killing). Rynche told the court about the cases filed by her mother before the Ombudsman, and the difficulties they have been facing without their mother.

The next marathon hearing was held just a month ago, from May 22 to 25. A police inspector told the court that the extra-judicial confessions made by the suspects under police custody were done without coercion and were not extracted with compulsion – indicating that all their confessions and admissions to the killing of Esperat were made with their own free will and volition.

Both the ballistic expert and firearm examinations officer reported that the pistol used to kill Esperat on March 24, 2005 was the same pistol recovered eight days later during a motorcycle accident that involved Cabayag, the triggerman.

But the highlight of the said hearing was the presentation of Barua at the witness stand. The lengthy direct examination made on Barua (and the revelation he openly told in court from May 23-25) strongly refuted the defense’s argument that he and Sabay were mere acquaintances.

Barua told the court, in detail, how he was asked by Montañer and Sabay to plan and undertake the killing of Esperat – a period of more than two months from the planning stages early 2005, to the point of hiring Bismanos and company to ‘silence’ the journalist, up to the time of payment for the hatchet job.

For the whole exercise, it was very apparent that the prosecution had succeeded in telling the judge that Barua indeed was the vital link between the killers and the mastermind and that the motive of the murder goes beyond the money received by the killers.

What to expect and what the media could do to support the case?

The next marathon hearing is set on June 26-30, in which the prosecution will present at least six more witnesses to further augment the case, and convince Menchavez to consider the charges against Montañer and Sabay.

The main concern for the coming marathon hearing on June 26-30 is whether Menchavez will finally reconsider the case against Montañer and Sabay, and possibly order arrest warrants against the two, in view of the strong testimonies made by Barua. A source inside the Supreme Court recently bared that Menchavez has a habit of not reconsidering cases previously held by a court of similar level.

Arguably one of the key factors for the case to be successful, is the consistent coverage by both the national and local media. If we make our presence felt inside the courtroom, it will send a strong message to the court and the accused that the whole country, through the media entities, is closely watching the case. It would also show that the media are hell-bent on ensuring that justice is done to the courageous heroine-journalist.

Making room for this story in news dailies and network news programs will help put constant pressure on government entities and the justice system to end this culture of impunity.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Thank God it's Friday

It has been a looooong week. After a tiring week of monitoring media coverage of news and preparations for the upcoming 17th Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (only to be exacerbated by the mini-psychological and emotional trauma one of my stories has caused me), I am looking forward to a blissful rest tonight -- before I finish an article due tomorrow. Sigh.

Before we go on a happy and peaceful weekend, let me share a funny video clip of the Filipinized version of Black Eyed Peas's hit song "My Humps". The song, known as "Anghang", has been making the rounds in the Net for some time now. I first heard the song while I was on my way home in a jeepney.



"Anghang" lyrics

Muhammad ano bang kinakain mo
Kinakain mo sa yong pinggan
Bakit di mo na lang tignan
At tikman sa king pinggan

Ang maanghang, anghang anghang anghang
Anghang anghang anghang
Mashadong maanghang
Kinilaw!

Ayaw mo bang kumain, eto at nakahain
Wag ka nang tumakas, magkaka almuranas
ang anghang ng patatas, maanghang kahit prutas
sing init ng Bangbus, magpapawis ang balbas

Tayo'y wag magtalo, 'lika na't magsalo
Papakin ang sili, wag ka nang mamili
Uusok ang 'yong tenga, mapapa macarena

Ika'y mapapaihip, sa sobrang init dahil maanghang, anghang anghang anghang
Anghang anghang anghang, anghang anghang anghang, ang anghang ng ulam

Tadtad ng sili
(Ahh) dagdagan mo pa ng sili ang gusto ko marami
Dagdagan ng sili
(Ahh) ngayong marami nang sili, lets party

Rajiv, ano bang kinakain mo kinakain mo sa yong pinggan
Bakit di mo na lang tignan, at tikman sa king pinggan
Rajiv baka may mikrobyo yan, yan yan, yang pagkaing yan

Bakit ba naman ang arte mo, arte mo, arte mo?
Dahil maanghang, anghang anghang anghang
Mashadong maanghang, anghang anghang anghang, kinilaw

Kakain ako, wag kang manuyo
Hah hah hah, siling labuyo
Amoy kili kili at kawili wili
Pagkain ng saudi
Merong milk, merong coconut, sari saring sangkap
Merong milk, merong coconut, siling may gata

Lalo kong lumiliksi, namumula ang pisngi
Kahit sa shawarma, tataob si Darna,
Lamunin mo na nga to, parang di ka Arabo
Wag mo kong pagalitan parang di mo ko kaibigan

Teka, wag kang madrama, wag ka ngang madrama
Ako madrama, kaw nga tong madrama
Di ako madrama, wala kang pakisama
Wag kang magreklamo, pag maanghang

Anghang, anghang anghang anghang
Dahil maanghang, anghang anghang anghang
Mashadong maanghang, mashadong maanghang, mashadong maanghang, mashadong maanghang, ang anghang ng ulam

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Lowering broadcast journalism standards anew?

Found an interesting entry from Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) Daily that tackled the recent dismissal of veteran broadcaster of Dan Rather from CBS and the heavily-criticized CNN interview with Angelina Jolie. The article, written by Gal Beckerman, is in effect, asking: Are we seeing the standards of US broadcast journalism plunging anew?

"For those bloggers who seem to be in a permanent state of hand-wringing about what they see as broadcast journalism's plummeting standards, yesterday was a bonanza," wrote Beckerman. "Not only did Dan Rather, the last of the "voice of God" troika announce that he was being pushed out of CBS, but it was also the night that CNN, that stodgy, old cable news channel, featured two hours of Angelina Jolie's impossibly plump lips."

Read Beckerman's article entitled "Exit Rather, Enter Coop and Plump Lips."

Dan Rather's photo taken from http://www.dan-rather.com

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Two part-time journalists slain in Kidapawan

Two peace advocates, also working as part-time journalists, were gunned down by unidentified men around 5 p.m. Monday (19 June) in Kidapawan City, around 850 kilometers south of Manila.

George Vigo, a contributor of the Union of Catholic Asian News, and his wife, Maricel Alave-Vigo, host of dxND Radio for Peace and executive director of the non-government Peoples’ Kauyahan Foundation, Inc. (PKFI), were shot dead in Sandawa district in front of the house of a provincial board member, according to a report by GMANews.Tv.

The Vigos, both former journalists and co-founders of the Federation of Reporters for Empowerment and Equality (FREE), were part-time media practitioners, a report by Mindanews.com said.

George hosted “Tingog sa Kabatan-unan” (Voice of the Youth), a block time program of the CFSI aired over dxND-AM of the Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation every Monday noon, while Mazel took the reigns of “Kalihukan sa Kongreso (Congress Affairs),” a Sunday noon block time program in the same radio station. The station is owned by North Cotobato first district Rep. Lala Taliño-Santos.

Both George and Maricel did not tackle news, topics, or commentaries that could have irked concerned parties or persons, according to Malou Manar, dxND’s program director.

Manar said the killing could have stemmed from the couple’s active participation on human rights activities and programs in the early 1990s. The Vigos though, have ceased their connections with progressive groups since 1996, Manar added.

Since 2000, the couple had been working for PKFI, an organization that facilitates peace forums and dialogues in the southern provinces of North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

The PKFI, supported by the United Nations Program for Internally Displaced Persons, has been implementing the Integrated Rehabilitation Project for displaced families in several villages in the said provinces.

George also worked as the project officer of the Mindanao youth leadership program of the Community and Family Services International (CFSI), a Cotabato City-based non-government organization (NGO) dealing with the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons, according to colleague Manar.

Maricel was also a part-time media relations officer of Rep. Taliño-Santos, and since early this year, was area coordinator of an NGO delivering solar resource services to villagers in remote areas.

Relatives of the Vigos said they were not aware the couple had enemies as they had been “roaming freely, not only around the city, but in other areas of the province and in Mindanao because of their job.”

They also said the NGOs in which the couple had been more recently affiliated were not connected with progressive groups in the province.

More than a month ago, a letter was addressed to “radio station DXND-AM” by a certain Henry Laot from Matina, Davao which contained a makeshift poster with the message “Kamatayon sa nagusporta sa CPP/NPA/NDF. Aralsa ang masa!” (“Death to the supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front. Masses, revolt!”) written in red paint.

Matina is a huge district in Davao and Laot’s address did not contain a street or number. The mail was sent on 16 May. Residents claim that they know of a Laot who was a former NPA member, but could not determine if the sender was the same former NPA member.

The station received the package around 2 p.m., hours after interviewing Karapatan (Rights), a human rights group based in Davao City, which spearheaded a fact-finding investigation on a reported grenade blast in the said city earlier in the said month. A bomb was also discovered (but later diffused) in the radio station’s parking lot three years ago. -- With reports from Mindanews.com

Saturday, June 17, 2006

A journalist, not a communist

Thus said Marilou Cadelina-Manar, a Kidapawan-based journalist, against an army official who allegedly harassed her to admit that she is a “communist”. The official reportedly declined to comment even Manar had repeatedly dared him to substantiate his allegations against her.

Marilou Cadelina-Manar, program director of DXND-AM and DXDN-FM in Kidapawan City, who also writes for MindaNews and Manila Bulletin, wrote Col. Ruperto Pabustan, commander of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade, wrote a formal complaint on June 7, against Lt. Col. John Oswald Buco, commander of the 40th Infantry Battalion, for his “baseless accusations."

"I am a journalist, not a communist," Manar said.

Manar narrated that on June 7, Joy Mamburao of radio station DXDM-FM, also known by her radio name “DJ China,” quoted Lt. Col. Buco as saying: “Si Malu komunista ‘yan. Dapat umamin na siya. Tanggap na ang mga komunista sa bansa natin.” (Malu is a communist. She should admit that. Anyway, communists are accepted in our country).

Read the full report from Mindanews.

Friday, June 16, 2006

How does media view mangrove conservation issues?

Without much importance, according to a BusinessWorld report.

According to a survey made by the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau, issues related to "mangrove development and conservation appear to have the least importance among Filipino journalists covering the environment."

The online survey, conducted last year, covered 27 journalists from at least 13 national and regional news outlets.

"Mangroves are a vital component of the marine environment and it’s sad that communities’ effort to preserve or rehabilitate mangrove areas is not so much highlighted in the media," Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, a noted expert on the topic, was quoted as saying in the report.

Read the BusinessWorld report.

Just want to make this clear

This week, as we had feared, the office has received an answered survey form on the Tulfo brothers which we allegedly sent out to media organizations.

Again, let me make this clear: The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) has nothing to do with this alleged survey on the Tulfo brothers. The form, which did not carry neither our logo nor a contact person from CMFR and had our old email address, did not come from CMFR.

See my previous disclaimer on the issue.

This is hilarious

I know that the video clip below is old, but this is so funny.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Children and the News


"Children are not written about often enough and when they are, the picture that comes out do not alwways jibe with reality. Perhaps it is time for the young to write about themselves and to express their thoughts on the way they want these to be done."

This June, as students return to school after two months of vacation, PJR Reports focuses on how media covers children, a rather difficult news subject for many journalists. Do journalists remember the do's and don'ts in reporting on children? Rachel E. Khan (Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility deputy director and a journalism professor at the UP Diliman College of Mass Communication) and Elena E. Pernia (communication research professor and current dean of the same college) ask in the issue's main story, "Children in the News".

Reporter Venus L. Elumbre writes a feature story ("From the Mouths of Babes") on Kabataan News Network (KNN), the only show in the country that is written, shot, and produced by teens. The 30-minute weekly program, as editor Chit Estella writes in her editor's note, "gives the lesson that it is never too early to allow young people to see the world from their own eyes and interpret it with their own voice."

Other stories in the June issue include:

"The Climb to the Top" (an article by Don Gil K. Carreon on the "network war" in the recent Everest expedition of Filipino mountaineers)

"'Mutya ng Masa' No More" (a story I wrote on the recent brouhaha over the suspension, and later, dismissal of veteran reporter Doris Bigornia from network giant ABS-CBN)

"Covering Crime" (written by ABS-CBN reporter Willard Cheng, the article introduces us to the world of crime reporting)

"Journalist Killings: A Policy of Indifference" (by Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility executive director Melinda Quintos de Jesus on the continued journalist killings in the country that boasts itself of having the "freest press" in Asia)

Too bad my article, the last time I checked, was still not available online. The other stories, however, are now posted in our website. Please feel free to comment.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Here comes the JVOAEJ finalists

This looks like a very interesting year for the Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ).

The Awards, which is administered by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), is now on its 17th year. With this year's innovation, I am sure JVOAEJ, considered as one of the most prestigious journalism awards in the country, will get a lot of reaction (both positive and negative) from the press community. But I guess I'll leave it at that first.

A look at the finalists shows that topics of entries this year (works that were published last year) are widely varied: articles discussed government corruption, the Pinoy caregivers, the anti-logging drive in the Aurora province, sex and the Filipino youth, among other things.

But one thing that strikes out is the prevalance of reports that focused on the "Hello, Garci" controversy, the worst crisis to hit Arroyo's presidency yet.

For more information about the Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism, please contact the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, the JVOAEJ secretariat, at any of the following numbers: 894-1326 or 894-1314.

JVOAEJ Winners to be announced on June 29
The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), in cooperation with the Ateneo de Manila University, will announce the winners of the 17th annual Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism (JVOAEJ) for works published in 2005 on June 29 (Thursday) at a program to be held at the AIM Conference Center Manila (Benavidez corner Trasierra Sts., Legaspi Village, Makati City).

The awards ceremony will follow the Jaime V. Ongpin Journalism Seminar which starts at 9:30 AM. As has been the practice since 1995, selected finalists participate in a panel discussion about their articles and take questions from the audience, especially journalism faculty and students.

As administrator of the awards, CMFR introduced an innovation for this year’s selection. Reports published by daily newspapers are now judged separately from those published by non-dailies. Thus, there are two sets of first, second and third prizes for investigative journalism and explanatory reporting.

In the explanatory category, five finalists from the dailies and six from non-dailies are competing for the top prizes; while in the investigative category, there are five and six, respectively.

The first-prize winner in each category will receive P70,000; the second-prize winner, P40,000; and the third, P20,000. Finalists will each receive P10,000.

Winners and finalists will receive a plaque.

Two of the four first-prize winners will receive a travel grant each. This is the 10th year that the Canadian Embassy will award the Marshall McLuhan Prize, a travel study tour of , for the winner in the investigative category. And for the fourth time, the Australian Embassy will present the Australian Ambassador’s Award, an observation tour of , to the winner in the explanatory category.

CMFR will choose the recipients of the two travel study grants.

The first awards were given in 1990 to honor the late Jaime V. Ongpin, who was secretary of finance during the Aquino administration. A press freedom advocate, Ongpin was involved in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship and was instrumental in harnessing public support for the restoration of democracy in the .

This year, the JVOAEJ is sponsored by The Asia Foundation with support from the United States Agency for International Development.

FINALISTS:

Explanatory Category

Daily Division

* The economics of corruption
D’Laarni A. Ortiz, Larissa Josephine C. Villa, Roulee Jane F. Calayag,
Ehden Llave-Pelaez
(Noel G. Reyes, Editor)
BusinessWorld
July 19, 2005

* Philippine economic progress since 1988
The ‘good old days’
John Mangun
BusinessMirror December 1-3, 2005

* Electronic ears listen with bugs and taps
Fil V. Elefante
The Manila Times June 27-29, 2005

* Graduating class: Education, labor mismatch
Norman P. Aquino
BusinessWorld March 10, 2005

* Confrontation to cooperation?
Labor-management relations evolve in globalization era
Dave Llorito
BusinessMirror November 2, 2005

Non-Daily

* Mutants on your plate
Alan C. Robles
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report January-March 2005

* Focus on Filipino youth:
Perils of generation sex
Cheryl Chan
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report September 2005

* Broken promises
Lala Rimando, Cathy Rose Garcia and Elena Torrijos
Newsbreak
January 31, 2005

* Trained to care
Avigail Olarte
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report January-March 2005

* Bataan nuke power plant: Still unused, still paying for it
Lidy Nacpil and Mae Buenaventura
Philippine Graphic March 14, 2005

* Mama can’t eat
Vinia M. Datinguinoo
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report January-March 2005

Investigative Category

Daily

* Bailout costs too much for deposit insurer
Norman P. Aquino
BusinessWorld November 29-December 1, 2005

* Tracing the trail of the tape
Fe Zamora and Gerry Lirio
Philippine Daily Inquirer September 17-18, 2005

* Border dispute leaves Dumagats in quandary
Fritz Dacpano
The Manila Times April 25-26, 2005

* Palawan’s gas pains
Jofelle Tesorio
Philippine Daily Inquirer January 13, 2005

* CAP: From pre-need’s poster boy to whipping boy
Daxim L. Lucas and Elizabeth L. Sanchez
Philippine Daily Inquirer September 19-21, 2005

Non-Daily

* So young and so trapo
Avigail Olarte
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report September 2005

* Running on taxpayers’ money
Luz Rimban
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in i Report September 2005

* Guns and gold
Gemma B. Bagayaua
Newsbreak December 5, 19, 2005 and January 30, 2006

* Major players elude government’s anti-logging drive in Aurora
Luz Rimban
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
Published in BusinessWorld, Cebu Daily News, Malaya, Philippine Daily Inquirer and Sun.Star Daily on January 31-February 1, 2005

* For land and wages
Half a century of peasant struggle at Hacienda Luisita
Dabet Castañeda
Bulatlat.com
Published in Philippine Graphic on January 3-10, 2005 and January 17, 2005

* Cheats Inc.
Miriam Grace A. Go
Newsbreak September 12, 2005

Thursday, June 08, 2006

A disclaimer from the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), publisher of the Philippine Journalism Review Reports (PJR Reports), has nothing to do with an alleged survey on the Tulfo brothers that was recently sent to media organizations.

Official correspondence from CMFR would include, among other things:

  • a cover letter from the CMFR staff
  • the organization's logo
  • the correct CMFR postal and online address, and contact information
This disclaimer is also published in the upcoming June issue of the PJR Reports.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Restore press freedom and end culture of impunity -- FFFJ



The Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (of which the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility is a member and serves as its secretariat) held a press conference today in Palawan on the killing of broadcaster Fernando "Dong" Batul. The coalition also came out today with a media release on the spate of journalist killings in the country.

Batul, Third Journalist Killed in 40-Day Period -- FFFJ

As we prepare to bury yet another colleague felled by bullets, we are at the same time alarmed that Palawan radio commentator Fernando ‘Dong’ Batul, was the third victim in just a span of 40 days, to be killed because of his work as a journalist.

The popular Palawan broadcaster was waylaid by three assailants last May 22. He is the first journalist to be murdered in the said province, previously considered as one of the most peaceful areas in the country.

To further put insult to the already badly-injured press freedom condition in the country, one of the alleged perpetrators or assailants came from the ranks of the authorities, whose task is to protect the people, including the journalists.

Since democracy was restored in 1986, some 59 journalists have been killed because of their media work. Of these cases at least nine officers – four government officials, three policemen, and two military officers – are among the murder suspects.

In the case of Batul, PO1 Aaron Golifardo had been implicated as his killer. We hope that true to their word during last Thursday’s media dialogue with the Philippine National Police (PNP), this suspect will be slapped with both administrative and criminal charges, and that the wheels of justice will move at a faster pace.

The death of Batul could perhaps have been prevented had the police acted on the fact that Golifardo was already implicated in the killing of another person in Puerto Princesa on March 1, 2002.

However, despite the charges, which includes failing to support his family, Golifardo managed to stay in active duty until the recent killing took place.

Even the Mimaropa Police Chief Superintendent Delfin Genio admitted that the “dismissal case against (Golifardo) has been pending for some time now” as quoted by a Philippine Daily Inquirer report. Four years had elapsed, before Golifardo was finally dismissed.

It is not a hidden fact that the media have had their own share of mistakes, but the responsibility of providing a working environment free from the culture of violence and impunity that have been hounding the journalists, should be held by the government.

Although some journalists have not been objective and ethical in their media practice, there is no single reason to silence them, more so kill them. Yet, scores journalists had been downed because of their penchant for truth, despite being objective and backed by hard facts.

Crusading journalist Marlene Esperat was gunned down because of her methodical exposés on the multi-million scam and corruption inside the Department of Agriculture.

Batul earned the admiration of his listeners because of his fearless criticism and exposés of local government’s corruption and even ethical malpractice of other media practitioners. Yet, his attacks were not based from hearsays, but came from journalistic research and investigation.

We call on the government and authorities to put on more pressure in pursuing the suspects, including the masterminds, in the killing of Batul and scores of other journalists. Only with these efforts will the real resolution to the cases be attained.

The Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ) was organized specifically to help journalists who are under threat and to assist the families of those who are killed in the line of duty. The members of the FFFJ, composed of the organizations named below, are keenly interested in ensuring that justice is done to Fernando Batul.

We think that pursuing the case against his killer is one of the key steps in restoring press freedom and ending the culture of impunity, with which the murderers of journalists have been getting away with their crimes. We, along with other media organizations, are committed to following up this case for as long as it takes, and to helping the Batul family in their efforts and in their struggle with the country’s often-frustrating law-enforcement and justice system.

REDMOND BATARIO
Center for Community Journalism and Development

SHEILA S. CORONEL
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

DANILO GOZO
Philippine News

RACHEL KHAN
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility

REY HULOG
Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas

JOSE PAVIA
Philippine Press Institute

The Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ) was organized to address the numerous attacks against journalists and news organizations around the country. Although these attacks are monitored by international groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), Article XIX, and the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), these incidents receive scant notice in the Philippines until recently. The situation has been described as a “culture of impunity,” constituting a major scandal among press freedom advocates around the world.
The FFFJ represents a national effort to protect journalists in crisis and works in coordination with the international groups mentioned above, providing them with information on the cases in the Philippines which they follow-up and take up as cases for special advocacy.

Is the culture of impunity now a matter of gov't policy?

Melinda Quintos de Jesus, executive director of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, writes about the continued journalist murders in the country in a column for the Philippine Daily Inquirer today.

In her article "Journalist killings point to policy of indifference", De Jesus writes:

"There is not much to suggest that the administration cares about the rights of its critics, even the fundamental right to life. It has given no sign of any intention to do anything about the problem, no plan to study, to review cases or to formulate a strategy to address the issue. After talking about it in Malacañang, all they had to say was, 'Let them protect themselves.'

"With no leads yet on the murder of (slain Palaweño journalist Fernando) Batul, Gonzalez went on to criticize 'fly-by-night journalists' and media members who abuse the power of the press. He said, 'You have to be sure of what is the reason (for the killing). There are media men killed in a drinking spree or because of a woman, so what does that have to do with his work?' We can only read this as a policy statement on the issue, quickly shifting the blame to erring members of the press.

She adds: "If the government is not actively pursuing a policy of violence, its demonstrated inertia effectively sustains such violence as a useful instrument to eliminate activists and to silence critics."

The culture of impunity, De Jesus says, "provides a comfort zone for assailants and their masterminds," allowing mechanisms for killings to go unpunished. "If the government does not undertake extraordinary measures to pursue the killers of journalists and activists, it is effectively tolerating and, at one level, facilitating the killings."

De Jesus ends with this criticial note: It is time to ask: Is the “culture of impunity” a matter of policy?

At it again

The indefatigable Raul Gonzalez is at it again.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer today reports:

DoJ turns up heat on Time mag reporter

"TIME MAGAZINE’S Philippine correspondent Nelly Sindayen, being put through the wringer, would be part of the plan of the Department of Justice (DoJ) to tighten the noose on several “middle-level government officials” said to have taken part in February’s alleged failed coup attempt against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“She is our star witness,” Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said of Sindayen, who had written about a meeting between Council of Philippine Affairs leader Pastor “Boy” Saycon and former Tarlac Representative Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, younger brother of former President Corazon Aquino, at the latter’s house in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City on Feb. 23.

Gonzalez said National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents were monitoring Sindayen’s movements and that she was last seen at a news forum in Manila.

“What is she hiding? She wrote the story and she has knowledge of what happened. Who are they (government officials), who are the businessmen who were around, were they the financiers?”

For the full report, click here.

I thought Gonzalez and other Palace officials are claiming they have enough information to pin down the alleged destabilizers of the Arroyo government? Why do they now have to rely on Nelly Sindayen to substantiate their proof against those who allegedly want to force Arroyo out of the presidency?

"In recent weeks, Malacañang has been pressing the media to help it provide corroboration and proof that it would enable it to nail down its enemies," I wrote then in the April 2006 issue of the PJR Reports.

"A comical, if not pathetic pattern is emerging. The government, which has been earnestly trying to clamp down on media, is also turning to it for help in providing information it needs to fight for its survival," I wrote in my article "The Tale of the (Missing Tape)".

"The Tale of the (Missing Tape)" tackled the government's efforts to get an alleged ABC-5 taped interview of Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, accused of conspiring to topple Arroyo from her post. To read the full article, click here.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Press Advisory from the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists

Still on the Batul case, below is an announcement from the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ). The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility is a founding member of the FFFJ and serves as its secretariat.

The recent killing of Palawan radio commentator Fernando ‘Dong’ Batul underscored the culture of violence that has been hounding Filipino journalists. Batul’s murder, along with the other cases of slain journalists and attacks against the media, highlighted the government’s inability to protect press freedom in the country.

In a conscious effort to call the attention of the national government and emphasize the need for a decisive and more steadfast resolution to the murder of Batul and other slain journalists, the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ), the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Palawan Community and Media Council (PCMC), and several local journalists and media groups will hold a joint national press conference tomorrow, June 2, in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Venue: Chancery (beside Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral, Taft St., Puerto Princesa City
Date/Time: June 2 (Friday)/10:30 a.m.

A funeral march – expected to be the biggest in the history of Palawan – is scheduled on June 3. Mass will start at 8:00 a.m., followed by the Batul’s burial at the Puerto Princesa Memorial Park.

For more information, please contact Nathan (0915-9987247), Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility/FFFJ (02-8400903, telefax: 02-8400889), NUJP (02-4117768), or PCMC (09189086274).
 
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