Copies of alternative magazine burned
CMFR PHILIPPINES – Copies of alternative news magazine Pinoy Weekly were burned in Pandi, Bulacan, on Thursday, 5 September 2019, when a pro-government group reportedly ransacked the office of the urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) in this province.
Bulacan is 43.1 kilometers north of Manila.
In its Facebook post, Kadamay identified the group that stormed its office in Atlantica, a government housing program in Bulacan, as Pagkakaisa Mamamayan Tungo sa Kaayusan. Alternative online news site Bulatlat reported that the group was accompanied by elements of the Philippine Army’s 48th Infantry Battalion and the local police.
The flag of Kadamay was also burned aside from copies of Pinoy Weekly. Kadamay said a masterlist of its members and some office belongings were also stolen.
Kenneth Guda, editor in chief of Pinoy Weekly, told CMFR they are currently studying their next step. Pinoy Weekly said in a statement that it considers the incident an attack on press freedom.
