CMFR/FFFJ and IBP to forge legal link-up

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) will sign today, December 5 (Tuesday) a Memorandum of Agreement to provide legal assistance to journalists under attack because of their work and/or to the families of slain journalists in the pursuit of justice against their assassins.

The MoA signing will be held at the Filipinas Heritage Library (Ayala Triangle, Makati Ave.) in conjunction with CMFR’s roundtable discussion on “Limited Protection: Press Freedom and Philippine Law” at 5:30 p.m.

Signatories will be led by IBP President Jose Vicente B. Salazar and CMFR Executive Director Melinda Quintos de Jesus.

The MoA is a milestone for the journalistic community. In the recent past, there has been increasing threats to press freedom from certain sectors and harassment of media practitioners by both public figures and private persons. Oftentimes, these harassment cases have led to a “chilling effect” even as most media practitioners are not able to defend themselves due to the high cost of legal services.

The MoA is being undertaken by the CMFR as a founding member of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists, Inc. (FFFJ), which was organized in 2003 to address the numerous attacks against journalists and news organizations around the country. Other FFFJ members are: Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD), Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Philippine Press Institute (PPI), and the California-based newspaper Philippine News. The CMFR database serves as the basic reference of FFFJ advocacy. CMFR serves as the secretariat of FFFJ.

FFFJ’s objectives are: (1) to raise funds and receive donations for the protection of journalists under threat; (2) provide immediate assistance to the families of journalists killed in the line of duty; (3) to act as support group fro journalists in distress by among others, forming quick-response teams to investigate and report attacks against journalists; (4) to follow up the prosecution of cases involving attacks against journalists in the line of duty; and (5) to promote responsible journalism as a way to protect journalists.

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