Crisis: National

Court dismisses case against Binoya murder suspects
In an unfortunate turn of events, a local court dismissed recently the murder charge filed against the alleged brain behind the June 17, 2004, killing of journalist Elpidio Binoya in General Santos City.

On March 6, Judge Oscar Noel of the General Santos City Regional Trial Court Branch acquitted Ephraim Englis, a former barangay captain, on the basis of insufficient evidences.

The court denied the petition for acquittal of the other suspect, Alfonso Toquero, alleged gunman and Englis’s driver.

The Binoya family’s lawyer, Benjamin Cuanan, told the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility that he has not received any copies of the decision.

In 2001, Binoya became a regular commentator of “Radyo Natin (Our Radio),” as well as its station manager. Mindanao Bulletin’s Isagani Palma described Binoya as the station’s “one-man army.  He was the one who managed it, he looked for the news, and he reported the news.”

Binoya was the 45th work-related journalist killing casualty since democracy was restored in 1986.

2 editors get arrest warrants
Two local editors of a defunct weekly newspaper were served with arrest warrants recently on charges of libel in Butuan City.

Kristina Cassion and Franklin Caliguid, editor in chief and news editor of the Caraga Newswatch, respectively, were given the warrants by the local police while in a press conference at a restaurant in the city on Feb. 2.

But the arresting officers, led by Danilo Palen, later clarified that the serving of the arrest warrants on the two journalists were “merely ceremonial” since they had posted bail the day before.

Former Butuan City mayor Leonides Daisy Plaza filed the libel suit, which stemmed from a letter to the editor published in 2001 claiming that Plaza received P8 million from ADphil, a local construction firm owned by Jose Gorme.

According to Caliguid, the charge sheet eventually dropped Caraga Newswatch publisher Cristina P. Asis after reportedly apologizing to Plaza.

Aurora broadcaster abducted
A radio broadcaster working for a non-government organization was reportedly kidnapped last March 3 in Baler, Aurora province.

Joey Estriber, a commentator of radio station dzJO based in Baler, was taken by unidentified men at around 6:30 p.m. near an internet café.  According to witnesses, Estriber managed to cry for help before he was forcibly taken by the four unidentified men into a van.

Estriber hosted Pag-usapan, a radio program supported by a church-founded non-government organization called Bataris.

Newspaper reports said Estriber tackled various topics on corruption in Aurora, including among the police and military ranks.

A Bataris building was burned down last December, and two of its staff members were almost abducted in the same month.

Video coverage of council meetings barred
In a resolution dated Feb. 21, 2006, the San Pablo City Council, headed by Vice Mayor Lauro Vidal, banned the video coverage of the regular and special sessions of the City Council.

The move was meant “to ensure a more efficient and non-biased presentation of discussions to the general public through the tri-media.”

The local government’s City Information Office would be given “sole authority to provide video coverage” of the council meetings.

Search warrant for PCIJ?
An apparent plan to raid the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) was foiled following an attempt by the police to secure a search warrant from the Quezon City trial courts on March 14.

Local police operatives, accompanied by controversial audio technician Jonathan Tiongco, had reportedly asked Judge Alan Balot of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 76  to issue a warrant authorizing them to search the PCIJ office.

PCIJ said it received confirmation of the application from sources in the said court and the Quezon City Police.

It was the second time that a search warrant was sought against PCIJ in less than a week. Police tried to secure a warrant from another court last 10 March, but was turned down by the latter, according to court and police sources.

PCIJ executive director Sheila Coronel confirmed that a hearing was held for the arrest warrant. According to PCIJ’s lawyers, it stemmed from an inciting to sedition complaint filed by Tiongco last year before the Department of Justice against the PCIJ, in connection with the posting of  the Hello, Garci tape.

Tiongco alleged that the posting of the audio recordings led the opposition to call for the president’s resignation and impeachment and encouraged civil society groups to hold rallies against the president, Coronel said.

In a Senate hearing later in the day, however, PCIJ’s lawyer Sandy Coronel said the court later claimed that no such warrant was sought against the PCIJ.

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