An Unprecedented Outrage

Statement of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility on the Arrest of Members of the Media Covering the Peninsula Hotel Incident

Never in the turbulent recent history of the Philippines has any government, including that of Ferdinand Marcos, ever taken into custody members of the media who were on the scene to do their jobs.

But the arrest of the media people who were covering the take-over of the Peninsula Hotel by Senator Antonio Trillanes’ Magdalo group is not only unprecedented. It is also an outrage, and a telling indication of the authoritarian depths into which the Arroyo regime has fallen in its obsession with political dominance. The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility condemns this latest attack on the Philippine press as an assault not only on its Constitutionally-protected freedom, but also on democracy itself.

The arrests took place when the crisis was over, and Trillanes and company were already in police custody. The arrests can only be interpreted as one more attempt, together with libel suits and other harassments, to intimidate the Philippine press into either minimal or less aggressive reporting of political events. Media practitioners will remember this incident well, and some are likely to be affected enough to soften future coverage.

The Defense Secretary’s excuse that the police had to verify the identities of the media people covering the Peninsula Hotel crisis because there could be Magdalo members and sympathizers among them is totally unacceptable. Their identities were verifiable on-site, with some them being TV anchors well-known to millions of television viewers.

That members of the media, among them technical personnel and camerapersons as well as radio broadcasters and TV anchors, were being arrested at the very moment that Mrs. Arroyo was on the air describing her commitment to democracy was especially ironic. But it was also typical of the Arroyo regime’s rhetorical and contrived adherence to democracy and the rule of law.

The regime’s continuing assault on press freedom, free expression and freedom of assembly, of which this incident is only the latest, deserves condemnation. CMFR calls on all media, free expression and journalists’ groups in this country as well as abroad to denounce this atrocity as a willful act to inflict collateral damage on the Philippine press for doing its mandated responsibility of providing the sovereign public the information it needs.

4 responses to “An Unprecedented Outrage”

  1. Rodelio Lagahit says:

    bakit ang media lang pinag uusapan mo. can we talk about it the failure per se and how people from visayas and mindanaos reaction as to what he did? 🙂

    or ganito ba palagi, hanapan talaga ng butas just to overthrow the government? ako, i don’t care what th e government is doing. im just happy and contented sa outcome ng effort ko and the govrnment indirectly..

  2. jed says:

    Why is it the media and other boardcasting agengy always saying they need to broadcast the Ang kasalukuyang katotohanan.Pero pagkanapopolitika na sila They twisted the story and blame it the the government.WHY? These broardcaster not all is really have insulted ang intellectual ng ibang nakakaraming tao.Kung lumaki man ang EGO ng ibang mamahayag.I think wag nating palabasin ng hinuli sila before the comotion.It’s after ng they were invited. eh they refuse.The rule of the land and engagement.Sa ibang bansa if you refuse they might hogtied you pa.NPC corrupt na rin ba?Lets say nagkaputukan They were warn not to be there.And a friendly fire or cross fire had caught one or more of the media.Puwede bang sabihin nalang ng law enforcerment lwala silang sala.What if dahil sa kahaharang and make it look like use them for human shield(Media)Di ba it may become worse.I dont think the government is suppressing press freedom.In fact ABS-CBN has been use by the Magdalo group by showing the position of lawenforcement thru video footage.Tapos pinapanood ng mga Madalo Group sa hotel.Di ba sila makukunsiyensiya kung may mamatay na lawenforcer.And how come parang it looks like walang na ninindigan sa tama at tamang istorya.instead parang follow the blind mice.Come on isa kayo sa huwarang mamahayag di ba?Dont be above the law Hindi sinasabing nasa media ka puwede kang above the law. I DONT THINK SO!

  3. Rodelio Lagahit says:

    ganyan talaga yan, iwas sa bintang! tsk tsk tsk.. being aggressive or being with the traditional of fighting for your right is not inappropriate anymore in this portable generation. ..

  4. Anonymous says:

    i am a freelance cartoonist. i recently released the 8th issue of the Editorial CARTOONS ATBP Magazine, the only magazine in the world utilizing editorial cartoons, comic strips and komiks to discuss the hottest issues in the land.

    entitled The “PEN” Siege Edtorial CARTOONS ATBP, the mag tries to add new views on the said incident. I am selling it for P100 a piece.

    mejo mahal pero wala akong magawa. photocopy lang kasi ang prod ko at kunti lang ang production kaya medyo higher ang cost.

    promo ko rin ang first 7 issues ko, plus isang komiks, for only P600. etong titles:

    1. M/T Solar1 Oil Spill CARTOONS ATBP.
    2. Charter Change CARTONS ATBP.
    3. New Year CARTOONS ATBP.
    4. Terror CARTOONS ATBP.
    5. Senatoriable CARTOONS ATBP.
    6. Education CARTOONS ATBP.
    7. Climate Change Editorial CARTOONS ATBP.

    Nais ko lang linawin na bagamat ibinebenta ko ang mga ito, ito’y hindi pa para kumita. (besides di naman ako kikita sa ganitong set-up, hehehe). Nais ko lang buhayin muli ang interes ng mga bata sa editorial cartooning. That’s why i included a simple activity page coupled with a teachers guide. 🙂

    u can ask ms avie olarte about this. maybe she can instruct you how to have a copy. if your interested.

    thanks!