‘Rectify, if not delete’ article: PTFoMS accuses reporter of “misinformation,” but recording says otherwise
CMFR/ PHILIPPINES — A Palace media officer has asked SunStar Baguio to take down a report on a proposed Magna Carta for Media Workers, after the idea drew flak from media groups. Any system of certifying and licensing journalists to practice by government is seen by press freedom advocates as submitting to a regulatory system by government, something that the Constitution prohibits under the provision of the Constitutional protection of free expression and press freedom.
Joel Egco, head of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) that is tasked to ensure a safe environment for media workers, has requested SunStar Baguio to “rectify, if not delete,” a report on the creation of a Magna Carta for Media Workers. Egco said the report was false in a radio interview. He also lashed out at Sunstar reporter Jonathan Llanes, calling him “bugok (rotten)” and “loko-loko (a fool).”
The SunStar report “Magna carta for journalist pushed” published on July 20 said the measure is being planned to uplift the living conditions of media workers in the country and that it will require journalists to pass qualifying examinations every six months. The report did not sit well among journalists and advocates of press freedom. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines immediately released a statement opposing the plan.
In a Radyo ng Bayan interview, Egco accused Llanes of spreading misinformation, and of flipping what Egco claimed he actually said – asserting that he (Egco) opposed the adoption of a magna carta for journalists or any form of regulation.
Egco also said that he had issued a statement and sent a letter to the management of SunStar.
In the July 24 letter sent to SunStar Baguio, PTFoMS denied that the task force plans to create a magna carta; it was “merely an idea” that Egco shared with the SunStar reporter. The presidential task force asked the news organization to correct or takedown the “misinformation” that “erroneously painted Usec. Egco as an advocate of the Magna Carta for Journalists and media ‘regulation’.”
Attached to the same letter were five audio recordings of the interview, which transpired during a PTFoMS Seminar on 20 July 2018 at the Hotel Elizabeth in Baguio City.
CMFR was also able obtain a recording from SunStar.
CMFR listened to the two recordings and noted that significant portions of what Egco said on the issue in the interview was not in the audio by the PTFoMS (See, Table 1.1; Also See, Box for SunStar transcription of the whole interview).
CMFR also reviewed the article and found that it did not say anything that was not said/heard in the interview, including the plan to establish a system of qualifying and classifying journalists.
NUJP on July 27 condemned in another statement“ the use of the full weight” of the PTFoMS and its Executive Director “to peddle half-truths and outright lies to pressure SunStar Baguio to take down a story about him which he claims to have tarnished his reputation.
CMFR does not see the point of asking Sun Star “to rectify, if not delete” the SunStar article under discussion because everything it said is shown to be part of an interview with Egco. The article does not once mention the word “regulate” but uses the words uttered by Egco to describe the proposed system.
The PTFoMS official’s unfounded verbal attack against Llanes is out of order as it contradicts the direction of the task force assigned to receive, monitor, report and investigate cases of threats and attacks against media workers.
Table 1.1. Audio Recordings of the Interview PTFoMS vis-à-vis SunStar (deleted sound in bold face).
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SUNSTAR TRANSCRIPT Full text interview with Usec.Egco # Start of interview with Usec.Egco: Kase ang nakakalungkot lang nabanggit ko kanina may death threats na pala hindi niya naprocess ng maayos ng mabuti no. Kaya napakahalaga na bumaba kami sa local katulad nito nalalaman ng mga kasama natin sa hanapbuhay na mayroon na palang ganitong task force kapag may kaunting problema isumbong mo agad sa amin, aaksyunan agad nati. So, isa sa pupunntahan nating lugar yun, Bico, Visayas tsala yung Mindanao. Hindi natin hahangyaang walang mangyari sa kaso nay an, just like, what we did in the past or previous cases of killing of members of media. Iniimbestigahan agad natin, nasosolve naman natin yan at nakikila at naparusahan yung mga gumagawa niyan. Hindi katulad noong araw na wala langg, deadma lang. This time hindi na pwede yan. Liza Agoot/PNA: Usec. Egco: Liza Agoot/PNA: Usec. Egco: Pero yung mga action natin eventually, halimbawa may nasolve na, may nakulong, may nahuli or may napatay, may mga suspects na napatay kami nalang nagbabalita. So, yung yung reality, so ginagawa natin to na bumababa talaga. Very extensive in the sense na pati face to face campaign ginagawa na natin, kase nga hindi na natin basta pwede iaasa lang sa, na maireport e. Being a journalist myself, naiintindihan ko naman yun kung bakit. So, with that in my mind, kami na mismo bumababa na ang malacanang sa ilalim, sa mga malalayong probinsya para ipalalam yung good news na ito. Liza Agoot/PNA: Usec.Egco: Liza Agoot/PNA: Usec. Egco: Kapag ngayon halimbawa, nakarecieve ka ng threat, at maraming ganyang kaso ngayon na hawak tayo, may threat sila, kinuhanan ng blotter, iblinotter sa opisina tapos tinawag natin sa local yan provide security, provide intelligence sa cover kase baka may umiikot huliin niya na or yung iba naman nagrerequest talaga ng security na PNP armed escort. Jonathan Llanes/SSB: Usec. Egco: Kailangang maidocument lahat yun para maaksyunan nating mabuti. Katulad niyan hindi pwedeng ilihim tas pagnamatay na tsaka may problema na tayo lahat diba? So, yung sa atin proactive, gusto nating maging proactive and progressive yung ating kampanya, bat mo pa hihintaying masaktan? Threat palang action nan na. So wala pang threat umaksyun na tayo, papano? May grupo sa local, dapat ganun, kaya lang tayo nagsisimula palang a task force ngayon palang umiikot, wala pa tayong two years pero ang atin kasing mission dito malayo, darating, hopefully by the year 2020 for instance, mawala na yan, maaddress natin na lahat yung so called vulnerabilities yung mga binaggit ko kanina, yan mga binanggit ni Atty. Jay yang mga vulnerabilities, oo, we are being used as pawns in a proxy war, diba? Ganun yun, may mga insidente kaming hawak na katulad for instance block timing, we’re not against block timing, its a practice but we have to make a second look and find out kase ang dami, andami ng victims, block timers. So hinahanap natin yung vulnerabilities ng block timers so nakita na natin, marami pag block timer ka, kapag kinasuhan ka for instance labas yung istasyon diba? Block timer ka lang, sasabihin niyan. So pagblock timer ka, hindi ka under ng rules ng station ang question nga diyan, pinapayagan ba ng prangkisa yun? Baka nga dun magkaroon ng question of law baka sabihin illegal nga ang block timing e because you cannot delegate, redelegate a delegated priveledged. Yung prangkisa, hindi po pwedeng isub contract violation yun. Pero ang tanong nga, pipigilan ba natin? Siyempr hindi, kase yung practice na, only in the Philippines. Pero sabihin natin illegal o hindi, itama lang natin, halimbawa hindi kinocontrol o hindi rinelegulate ng istasyon kase block timer siya nagbabayad siya pero sana naman wag pabayaan yun kase ang tawag ko diyan nagkakaroon ng delusions of absolute supremacy diiba? Ano yun? Yung pagkagawak mo yungg mikropono nasa loob ka ng radio booth, ikaw yung, I’m the man, I’m the man of the hour, yan gago to, loko loko to si mayor, si governor. Corrupt ito. Diba? Paglabas mo ngayon ng radio booth, dun mo maiisip teka may magtetext na sa iyo, ang ganun, galit si ano, naku diba? Nawawala ka dun sa absolute supremacy na feeling. So paano natin icocorrect yun? dapat yung mga block timers, kakausapin ko rin kay VP dito e, block timers may regular anchor yung network, mamumura man si block timer merong parang sa dos por dos diba? Ay hindi naman siguro partner, siguro naman matino rin namang tao yan, so nababalanse, thats journalism, thats broadcast journalism, balanse, pros and cons kaya lang hindi pwedeng sabihing block timer ka, bayaran mo lang ako bahala ka sa buhay mo. O ngayon kapag kinasuhan ka, ilang kaibigan ko, natin na block timer ang kinasuhan, madami. Pinaimbestigahan ko ngayon, pinagroundcheck ko, yun palang nagkaso sayo, na si ganito si ganyan, kalaban nung nagbabayad ng block time mo, hindi siya makasagot ngayon. Pare nakarating sa akin, totoo ba yun? Totoo nga. Jonathan Llanes/SSB: Usec. Egco: So sinasama nating lahat para kase ang mandate is all media workers e, regardless of reason, wala akong pakialam,basta hahabulin natin ngayon ang tanong na next formulated, ano ang ginagawa nagkakaroon ng AO1 panel of investigators. Tapos tutok ng tutok talaga ng malacanang. AO1 meaning, special panel of prosecutors ng DOJ na hahawak doon sa kaso niya. Kung hindi work related, regular process of law, its just the same. Kaya lang yung work releated kasi,pinatay siya dahil sa trabaho niya. Jonathan Llanes/SSB: Usec. Egco: Liza Agoot/PNA: Usec.Egco: Jonathan Llanes/SSB: Usec.Egco: Kaya kung gusto mo mag media, mag exam ka every 6 months. Kung ang grade mo sa exams na bubuo ng questions ay mga media rin . yung exam mo 92, 100 percent neperfect mo, you are entitled to a position equivalent to managerial position, editor pataas. Ano ang salary level mo? Ano equivalent sa atin PNA, PIA, diba pero meron. Liza Agoot/PNA: Usec. Egco: Kung level 3 ka, mababa pa sa 75, anong trabaho pwede sayo, halimbawa si ganito, ang grade ay 50 nag apply sa atin, paano mo naman kukunin ang 50? Pero kung gusto niya ngayon umangat ang lkevel mo, mageexam ka after 6 months. Question, automatic bay un? Of course not depende sa private media owner. Sasabihin mo im a level 1 classified journalist, pero ang bakante lang ang pwqesto ay level 2, applyan ko nay an, atleast im a reporter who holds a l;evel 1 class id. Sooner or later I will apply pag open ang editor, qualified ako diyan, aangat sweldo ko. Yun yung sa magna carta, idedefine nation ang m ga benefits at tsaka yung classification, that’s professionalizing our ranks. Rose Malechan/DzWT: Usec. Egco: Question, papayag ba ang media owners? So hinahanapan ngayon naming ng tugon, simple sabihin nila baka kung naapprovce ang magna carta, mababwasan ang media reporters, sasabihin magkakaroon tayo ng concession sa mga advertisers, mas mababa ng babayan nilang rate or taxes sa mga malilit na media entities. Sa mga entity, eh malaki ito, kumikita ng billion, ditto ka kina ano mag imbes mas mura, ditto ka mag ADS in 3 years, buhayin mo siya so para meorn tayong staggers so walang mamatay na media company. Hanggang sa tumaas ng tumaas, kalevel na siya si malaki, doon naman sa iba ulit. Pero pwede akong maimbes sa malaki, pero mas mahal yung tax. They can do that kasi pinagaaral naming ngayon, so kailangan may concession para mabuhay, so mabigay mo ang tamang sweldo ng tao. Another question, paano kung hindi siya bagsak, 50 ang grade niya, wala siyang mapasukan, gusto niyang magtayo ngdyaryo, pero hindi ka magsulat, owner ka, iba yun eh, magaapply ka sa dti, bir, “meron akong opisina, okay fine, meron kang dyaryo, tanggap ka ngayon ng trabaho, doon papasok kung qualified ba siya, classified ba siya? Rose Malekchan/DzWT: Usec. Egco: Jonathan Llanes/SSB Usec. Egco:
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