Don’t decriminalize libel
HERE we go again. Some do-gooders at the House of Representatives and the Senate in government simply don’t understand the risks and hazards faced by journalists in their practice.
To them, to decriminalize libel is a step in the right direction to prevent senseless harassment by politicians and businessmen for the benefit of journalists. They seem to think that removing the penal clause and making civil damages account for a wrongdoing will benefit journalists. They are dead wrong. Forgive the pun but that’s how deadly the consequence will be.
What’s to stop a news subject affected by a news story or a published opinion from filing P1 million in damages for every count at the very least? If found guilty by any measure, what and how can journalist can cough up P1 million? If the journalist is unable to pay, what other recourse does the complainant have? To have all the properties of the journalist to be sequestered, leave the journalist and his family out in the streets?
No, that’s not going to happen. The more convenient way to make a journalist pay for his irresponsible statements is to do away with him, physically. The convicted journalist that can’t pay the P1 million knows the consequence, too, well.
Doesn’t the Department of Justice keep a record of how many journalists were killed for their advocacies vs those found guilty of libel? 100 to one ratio?
The proposal to decriminalize libel will surely lead to more disappearances or execution of journalists.
If the government wishes to help journalists, they can start by amending provisions of the libel law, to wit: reduce bail of P10,000 for each count to P2,000; no warrant of arrest against journalist can be issued on Fridays and until the accused appears before a prosecution panel to determine level of evidence, and reduce period of imprisonment, maximum of one year.
The responsible print and broadcast journalists are always ready to be made accountable without being threatened with the country’s present libel law. The filling of cyber libel against irresponsible netizens, is a different story altogether.
So, to our congressmen and senators, help the journalists if you may but don’t risk lives of journalists by decriminalizing libel.
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