Two photojournalists face attempted arrest during Pasay rally, one briefly detained 

CMFR/PHILIPPINES — Veteran photojournalist Alberto “Bullit” Marquez and The Manila Times photo editor Rene Dilan were harassed and threatened with police arrest while covering a protest in Pasay City on Wednesday morning, July 22.  Now working free-lance, Marquez was chief photographer for the Associated Press in the Philippines for decades. 

Marquez was covering the protest of Progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) against United States Secretary of State Marcos Rubio, who was attending the 59th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

According to reports, tension broke out after police prevented protesters from marching to the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), where the ASEAN summit was held. 

Marquez and Dilan, who were wearing press identification, were taking pictures of the brawl when the two were confronted by Pasay City police. 

A video posted by DZRH News on Facebook showed police aggressively pulling Marquez by the arm with his equipment on the ground. 

 Interviewed by DZRH News, Marquez said, “My camera fell, and as I was picking it up, they tried to arrest me and said they would handcuff me.”

Media colleagues intervened on Marquez and Dilan’s behalf, prompting the police to cease their intimidation. 

The Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) denounced the harassment of Marquez and Dilan, saying journalists  “must be allowed to carry out their work without threats, obstruction, or intimidation.” 

The PCP said, “Any act by law enforcement that prevents members of the press from documenting public assemblies undermines press freedom, the public’s right to information, and the principles of transparency and accountability,” and that “The safety and independence of journalists must be respected at all times, including during protests and other high-profile public events.”

The Southern Police District (SPD) said in a statement that standard security measures were followed by their personnel as they observed maximum tolerance during the rally. SPD maintained that the police recognize the role of media practitioners in public information and will hold an investigation on the incident.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), through Police Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., also launched an investigation on the alleged intimidation and assured the public that proper legal actions will be implemented if any personnel is found to have violated protocols. 

Journalist briefly detained

Covering the same protest, Jian Sanz, a contributor for Bulatlat, was arrested and briefly detained by police. She was later released with no charges filed against her. 

In a statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) emphasized that police must stop harassing journalists who cover rallies. 

“It is apparent that members of the PNP violate its own rules in dealing with members of the media. The last time we checked, the PNP has pledged to implement the UN-initiated Philippine Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, which includes ensuring protection of journalists,” the union said. 

NUJP called on the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to probe the incidents and take appropriate action.