Lawyer says integrity journalists' biggest protection, hits arrest of

Atty. Arthur Abundiente was also one of the panel of reactors of the Forum on the Options for Peace at Elena Tower, Iligan city.

Lawyer says integrity journalists' biggest protection, hits arrest of
journalists in Manila Peninsula
(www.mindanews.com)

ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews/02 December) -- "It is when the media
practitioners have unquestionable integrity and competence that they
are most respected and feared. Your competence, untarnished reputation
as an honest, fair, no-nonsense media person with unquestionable
integrity is your own shield. It is your own talisman; it is your
protection."

This is the statement of lawyer Arthur Abundiente, assistant dean of
the College of Law of MSU-IIT in a Media Forum Saturday here at the
conference hall of Civil Society Organization Forum for Peace.

The one-day forum, which was attended by 25 representatives from
newspapers and radio stations in Iligan City and Marawi City, is part
of the Mindanao Week of Peace celebration.

"Unfortunately, there are many media practitioners who are paid, who'd
sacrifice accuracy in the altar of sensationalism, and who become
rabid apologists or protectors of the unscrupulous, " Abundiente
lamented.

"They deserve the ridicule that they got when their loyalty is to the
one who paid them and not to the people who listened to them," he
said.

The lawyer also challenged reporters here "not to make the profession
dirtier than the persons you criticized."

In the same forum human rights lawyer Ver Quimco lectured about libel
and the available remedies for media practitioners if sued by public
or private persons.

Quimco, who heads the Call for Justice, a radio-based legal education
and promotion of human rights, clarified libel cases from defamation
and cited numerous examples of libel cases for media to reflect on and
learned from.

City councilor Orlando Maglinao, chair of the committee for human
rights in the city council, said that he will facilitate human rights
education for media practitioners here in partnership with the
Commission on Human Rights next year.

Abundiente, meanwhile, also hit the arrest of several journalists who
covered the takeover of Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City Thursday
by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and other
anti-Arroyo figures.

He said it was a setback for press freedom when media workers were
hogtied simply because they covered an event.

"This kind of incident did not even occur during Martial rule and this
attack to press freedom should not be countenanced. It deserved the
righteous indignation and condemnation of all good men because in the
Philippines, the media is supposed to be the last bastion of truth
because we can no longer expect the truth from perceived dishonest
government," he said.

Joe Torres, president of the National Union of Journalists of the
Philippines (NUJP) who spoke to the participant through a phone patch,
also condemned the incident.

He said, "Ang mga pulis ay walang karapatang gumawa ng ganoong hakbang
sa media. (The police have no right to do such thing against the
media.) Let's unite together and oppose all forms of press freedom
violations."

In a workshop in the afternoon reporters assessed their problems as
well as identified possible solutions.

Aside than poverty they also admitted that they have become vulnerable
to attacks from government authorities citing the recent experience of
market-based radio reporter Michael Paras of dxLS Love Radio who was
kicked by Barangay Captain Pablito Paran during the mass oath taking
of elected barangay officials Monday at the city hall's amphitheatre.

Paras, who also joined the forum, criticized Paran for the 'tari-tari
(illegal cockfight) and video karera business in his barangay.

The reporters signed a Press for Peace Statement that "reasserts
Article III Section 4 of the Bill of Rights of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution and upholds the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

They adopted the Asia Media Forum Charter of 2006 to "empower
journalists to resist censorship in all forms and to promote
solidarity among local, national and international media organizations
for better understanding and cooperation. "

They committed themselves to fair, accurate and responsible reportage.
They also condemned summary executions or extrajudicial killing and
all forms of harassments done against media practitioners.

They urge the management of all print and broadcast institutions to
conduct seminars and training to empower and capacitate media workers.

They said they want to organize themselves "into a cooperative of
media in Iligan for their economic enhancement. "

Biema Ladlad, a radio reporter from Marawi, said she wanted continuing
media education to empower reporters and equip them with right
information.

"Its good to realize that it's possible for reporters to talk on
issues over cooked bananas and camote as served food," she added.

The media forum was initiated by CSOFP in partnership with VSO Peace Mindanao.
(Violeta M. Gloria/MindaNews)