Tribune publisher charged with two others

An editor-publisher and two of her newspaper’s columnists were charged for allegedly inciting sedition, just moments after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lifted the state of national emergency or Presidential Proclamation 1017 (PP1017) here last Friday (03 March 2006) morning.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), operatives from the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) filed the said criminal charge against The Daily Tribune’s editor-publisher Niñez Cacho-Olivarez and columnists Ike Señeres and Herman Tiu-Laurel for publishing articles and writing columns that allegedly contained seditious remarks.

Based on Philippine laws, inciting to sedition is a serious criminal offense next to rebellion, and could merit as stiff as life to death sentences if proven guilty of the charge.

Early 25 February 2006 morning (around 12:30 am), just hours after Arroyo declared PP1017, police raided the premises of the Tribune to get mock-up copies and photos from the publication’s editorial offices.

Law enforcers from the PNP-CIDG and Manila police had since, staked in and out of Tribune’s offices to allegedly ‘secure’ the oppositionist publication. They left the said newspaper’s premises more than an hour after Arroyo officially lifted PP1017 last Friday.

Inspector Jonathan Pablito, the officer in charge of ‘securing’ Tribune, told national daily Philippine Daily Inquirer that before he and his group left, they tried to ask for a certification that would show that “we did not take anything and did not harass anybody.” Olivares “declined,” according to Pablito.

Olivarez however, said she did not have personal grudge against the police because she understood that they were merely following orders.

“She was very civil with us during our stay, even greeting us whenever she came and left the office,” Pablito added.

Olivares said that as far as she was concerned, the police pullout was just a formality and did not indicate that the government would stop going after the Tribune. She said she would have the Tribune office swept for listening devices in case bugs were installed during the raid.

Olivarez said she was expecting the charges to come, but has not received formal copies of the said accusation. She thanked both the national and local media for supporting her bout against government’s effort to suppress freedom of the press.

Several other newspapers, current affairs television and radio programs, and writer-columnists were put under surveillance, halted, and arrested during the week-long duration of PP1017.

Just a week ago, PNP Director General Arturo Lomibao warned that there would be more media crackdowns, and that certain media guidelines would be made to ensure the local press’ compliance with government’s fight with destabilization attempts.

With the lifting of PP1017, the government, PNP, and other authorities said they are no longer keen on setting media guidelines, but are instead strongly recommending a ‘self-restraining’ practice to the country’s media.

At least two dozen different national and local organizations have denounced the government’s crackdown against media entities for the past week, aside from other lawmakers and hundreds of personalities and institutions.

Media organizations welcomed the lifting of PP1017, but are wary that curtailment of press freedom would continue in other forms.

Senate Majority Floor Leader and erstwhile administration ally Francis Pangilinan said the Senate would proceed with its investigation of alleged abuses committed during the state of national emergency, including the police raid on the Tribune and the warrant-less arrests.

“We cannot simply gloss over these violations, if established, because to do so would send the signal to the government that it can do as it pleases regardless of what the Constitution says,” Pangilinan said, as quoted by an online news service.

The Senate approved early this week Resolution No. 461, which calls for an inquiry into government actions that allegedly violated fundamental freedoms. The resolution was introduced by 17 of the 23 senators, which include pro-administration lawmakers.

Arroyo declared PP1017 to quell alleged rebellion attempts against her administration. The president has been under fire from other government officials, various civil society organizations and the media since July last year, when controversial tapes of Arroyo’s conversations with an elections commissioner were made public, leading to charges of fraud in the elections of 2004 to insure her victory and to calls for her resignation.###

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