OUTCR
MAPAGPALAYANG KAISIPAN SA MALAYANG PAHAYAGAN
NOVEMBER 2016
P
Under Fire: Eliminating the Philippine Press \\ John Rey Dave Aquino
S
even years have passed but there is still no justice for the death of 32 media workers in what is now known as the Maguindanao massacre.
In November 23, 2009, 58 people were killed in a political conflict between two ruling families in the province and resulted in a massacre. At least 193 suspects were charged for the crime, but no one has been convicted yet and witnesses have been ticked off one by one, with the remaining ones still fearing for their lives. PERILOUS FOR JOURNALISTS The 1987 Philippine Constitution Article II, Section 4 states that "No law shall be made abridging the freedom of speech or expression, or of the press..." This is a guarantee of the rights and freedom of the press. Also, the International Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom...to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." But just in 2015, four journalists were killed for their line of work: Cosme Maestrado, radio commentator; Gregorio Ybanez, newspaper columnist; Teodoro Escanilla, radio program anchor; and, Maurito Lim of dyRB in Tagbilaran City, Bohol. While no law has been passed to suppress the media, there is an existing system in the country where journalists are killed because of their statements and opinion against certain people, particularly politicians and elites. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has declared the Philippines to be the second deadliest country for journalists, next to Iraq. With 306 journalists killed in the war-torn Middle East country, Iraq tops the list but it is surprising that the Philippines comes after with 146 media workers killed in the past 25 years. Iraq for the past years had been engulfed by war as opposed to the Philippines with no external conflict, says the IFJ. Data from different media watch groups differ, but the alarming numbers just show how the press is being purged. According to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), under the Benigno Aquino III’s (PNoy) administration, 29 were killed in the line of duty. This number is even higher than Corazon Aquino's record with 21 killings, Fidel Ramos's rule with 11 killings and Joseph Estrada's with six killings; however, the bulk of these killings is with Gloria Arroyo's nine-year term with 80 killings, including the 32 in the Maguindanao massacre.
the Committee to Protect Journalists's (CPJ's) Global Impunity Index 2016, the Philippines ranked fourth with 41 cases of unsolved journalist killings in the past decade. The country is at the top five with Somalia, Iraq, Syria and South Sudan. Earlier in his term, President Rodrigo Duterte stated that it isjustified when journalists are killed. “Most of those killed, to be frank, have done something. You won't be killed if you don't do anything wrong,” he said, referring to corrupt journalists who “are not exempted from assassination”. While it is true that there are journalists who are corrupt, his statement insulted the victims of the Maguindanao massacre and media killings and only proved how impunity and human rights violations are perpetuated in the country. Like Duterte, former president Benigno Aquino III seems oblivious to the fact that the press is under attack. Malacanang said that the Philippines has become a 'bastion' of press freedom ever since the 'triumph' of the People Power. The previous administration also said that it has "dismantled the machinery for impunity by putting in place governance reforms and prosecuting those implicated in the massacre." The IFJ disagrees with Aquino. Like Duterte, Aquino has implied on numerous occasions "that the killed journalists were to blame for their own deaths. Having the nation’s highest ranking official convey such sentiments only serves to create an environment where there is no importance or urgency in solving existing cases and putting a stop to other human rights violations," the IFJ declared.
STRUGGLE FOR TRUTH The France-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) places the Philippines in the 138th place in its Press Freedom Index. This proves that the media is feared and very much influential. Be it mainstream, sensationalized, alternative or even yellow media, the government fears it. It is just like what Marcos did during the Martial Law, when he shut down media establishments and military intelligence started arresting those who were critical of him. This is just another dictatorship, albeit a silent one, and just as effective. The fight of journalists is not different from the plight of the people. Struggling and striving for truth is media’s duty to the people, and serves to inform its audience of what needs to be exposed. The silence of the government, not just in the Maguindanao massacre but also in the more recent IMMUNITY FOR SLAYERS Kidapawan massacre, shows that it is oblivious to the plight The Philippines is under the culture of impunity— of the people and the needs of the masses. immunity from being imprisoned or arrested for murder. In