Journalists join call for justice for slain colleagues
REMEMBERING MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE
ABOUT a hundred media practitioners in Pangasinan lit candles, raised clenched fists and sang the protest song “Ang Bayan Ko” in a show of solidarity with colleagues throughout the country in remembering the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre on November 23 in front of the Dagupan City Museum.
The PUNCH columnist Gonzalo Duque, president of the Pangasinan Press Club (PPC), led the late afternoon prayer rally that condemned the slow pace of the trial of those accused in the massacre where 58 people were killed, more than 30 of whom were community journalists.
“Justice is still very, very far away,” said Duque, a lawyer. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” he added.
“We are calling on the authorities to bring the perpetrators of the massacre before the bar of justice,” he said as he deplored indications from the government that it might consider giving one of the accused immunity in exchange for testimony against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who is facing various corruption charges.
Duque noted that the commemoration is not only for the Maguindanao Massacre victims but also in observance of the first International Day to End Impunity, a global call for justice for those who were persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression
In the Philippines, 147 journalists and media practitioners were killed since 1986, the year Ferdinand Marcos was ousted from power. The PUNCH’s founding editor-publisher Ermin Garcia Sr. was killed in 1966.
Of those murders, 104 took place under Arroyo’s administration while 10 have so far been recorded under the current Aquino administration.
“We came here to remember the Maguindanao Massacre and are commemorating this event because in our heart, we can’t tolerate injustice, we can’t tolerate abuse of power, we can’t tolerate delay in the administration of justice,” Duque said, raising a clenched fist.
At the same time, Duque appealed to Congress to finally pass the Freedom on Information (FOI) bill.
The activity was joined by members of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas chapter headed by Bernie Erasquin.
Dagupan Mayor Benjamin Lim also attended the event and said he recognizes and upholds the freedom of the press.
Cayetano asks LGUs to stop
violence vs. journalists
SENATE minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano called on the Aquino administration and all local governments units to put an end to impunity in the killings of journalists in the Philippines.
He also urged members of local press and radio clubs in the country to continue to protest the unabated spate of killings against members of the media as the nation recalled the gruesome Maguindanao massacre that killed 57 civilians, 31 of whom were journalists, in 2009.
“It is alarming to see that the perpetrators of this most heinous crime, deemed as the single deadliest event for journalists in history, and many other cases, have yet to be brought to justice,” said Cayetano.
The senator linked journalist killings to the failure of Congress to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill that is aimed at providing freer access to government information, including transactions and contracts that will prevent corrupt practices.
“Most of the killings of journalists are linked to their exposé of corruption cases by many unscrupulous local government officials,” said Cayetano.
He cited the murder of Ermin E. Garcia, founding editor of The Sunday Punch in Pangasinan, as only one of the very few cases that was solved and whose killers were brought to justice.
Under the two-year old Aquino administration, 11 journalists have been killed, a reflection of the continued failure of the justice system to end the violence, he added.
“Journalists, who are supposed to be the vanguards of truth and freedom in the society are now under attack and this only reflects the failure of our justice system. How can we say that we are a free country if we can’t even protect those who promote free press?” said Cayetano.
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
