Justice for slain journalists a test to Aquino’s admin, says solon
By Ronald O. Reyes and Eden Benusa-Reyes
CARIGARA, Leyte— In the wake of successive killing of mediamen in the country, congressman-elect Sergio Apostol of the 2nd district of Leyte has called on to president-elect Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III to bring justice to the victims and their families immediately.
“The solution of these killings is not yet forthcoming. This should be taken as a first test by our new administration.”
Apostol added that giving justice to the slain victims would save the democratic ideals of the nation.
“Freedom of the press must continue to live in a free country like ours. Silencing mediamen should be a big concern by our next president, especially that he came from a family of freedom fighters,“ he said.
Apostol was referring to Aquino’s parents, the late president Corazon Aquino and senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. who were instrumentals in the return of democracy in the country after more than two decades of military rule.
Meanwhile, Apostol reminded media practitioners to stick on their code of ethics in the pursuit of their profession.
He said that the so-called media “blocktimers” inevitably got the ire from their subjects apparently because of their lack of control in their criticisms.
A blocktimer is an independent journalist or producer who buys airtime in order to broadcast programs on radio or television and is not considered a regular employee of a particular media outfit, which makes the host station to have no jurisdiction over a blocktimer’s programming.
“Lack of ethics and continued provocations are dangerous, ” Apostol warned.
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) reported that 140 journalists were killed since 1986. Around 103 of them were killed since out-going President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo now congresswoman-elect in 2nd district of Pampanga assumed as president in 2001.
International media groups such as Reporters Without Borders, The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), International Federation of Journalists and many others said that the country still remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.
Murdered mediamen within a week were Jesiderio Camangyan in Mati, Davao Oriental; Joselito Agustin in Laoag city, Ilocos norte; and Nestor Bedolido in Digos city, Davao del Sur, who was killed by still unknown gunman last Saturday (June 19) this week.
In the region, the death of DyVL-Aksyon Radyo-Tacloban city broadcaster Ramon “Monching” Noblejas in 1987 still remained unsolved to date.
haler mr. apostol, our system of government is presidential u know that. its not pres. noy who will solve this media killings, the judiciary branch is the one who is responsible to make decisions in each case file in court. mura man ka ug dili abogado, abogago siguro ka.ok. this time since noy was elected president, may check and balance na, kung walang corrupt walang mahirap.
Out of Topic. Sorry. But This is Good.
When Will the Philippines Learn to Grow Up?
http://fbfilipino.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/when-will-the-philippines-learn-to-grow-up/
….The Philippines, on the other hand, is like a giant sandbox where babies of all shapes and sizes converge to play in the dirt, dig up mud, build castles on the sand, and bicker and pull at each other’s hair all day long. It is a country where laws and promises mean nothing, where lawmakers and law enforcers–instead of representing the country’s best and brightest–are the scum of the land. It is where the answer to a traffic violation is a scratch on the head, where criminals go to Congress and not to jail, where the answer to poverty is scrubbing someone else’s toilet, a million miles away.
Our country is one where people do not follow laws and pay taxes–and then wonder why the country is so messed up. We drink and drive, refusing to buckle up and wear helmets when riding motorcycles, then we cry in anguish when loved ones lose their lives in our daily dose of road accidents. We demand more competent law enforcers, then we scratch our heads and try to weasel out of a ticket after turning on a no-U-turn zone. We throw trash everywhere and tolerate mountains of garbage all around the country, then we scramble for safety when the next landslide or flash flood hits. We elect criminals, goons, cronies, and kingpins into office and then we wonder why our government is in such terrible shape. We look the other way when people commit crimes, making up all sorts of excuses and justifications for their actions, then we cry foul when justice is denied US. We tolerate piracy and bootlegging and then we cry for help because our artists and creative industries are dying. As a people, we do not respect other people’s time; we do not respect our own laws; we do not respect rights and liberties if they are not ours.