Barba tells journalists: Report threats
POLICE Provincial Director Percival Barba advised local mediamen who have received death threats in connection with their work to promptly report the details to the police before it is too late.
In a talk before mediamen at the “Enkwentro sa Jurassic Ark” on Friday, Barba said he is also willing to endorse applications of journalists under threat for license to own and carry firearms.
The police director, however, quickly clarified that he is not advocating that mediamen arm themselves only because of the series of killings of journalists in many parts of the country.
Even as he noted that no journalist in Pangasinan has so far been killed in the past decades owing to their work, Barba advised mediamen who received threats not to take these lightly and to take precautionary measures in cooperation with the police.
The lone Pangasinan journalist killed so far in line with his work was Ermin Garcia Sr.. He was murdered in his editorial office in May 20, 1966 by a politician.
He added that the police is willing to provide local mediamen training and tips on how to handle firearms responsibly.
Meanwhile, two media organizations in Pangasinan, the Pangasinan Press Club headed by Allan Sison and the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters sa Pilipinas chapter headed by Bernie Erasquin, have banded together to condemn the recent spate of killings of journalists in the country under the Arroyo administration. The two most recent victims were broadcast journalists in Mati City, Davao del Norte and in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
Sison said practitioners are shocked by the continued assassination of journalists with in the country impunity and yet their killers and masterminds remain scot free.
He said he will not ask the mediamen to arm themselves because that will complicate the peace and order of the country more but to reiterate their appeal to authorities to get the killers of journalists before they can claim other victims.
Erasquin, on the other hand, appealed to his fellow broadcasters to be more responsible and to be conscious about need for fair reporting and commentary.
Cris Estolas, KBP chapter vice president, said the two recent killings of journalists happened again because the killers are emboldened by the continued failure of the the government to punish those behind the massacre of journalists in Maguindanao.- LM
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