EDITORIAL

Curtailing the media

Police authorities in the national capital region could learn a thing or two from their provincial counterparts following the Manila Peninsula uprising of Sen. Antonio Trillianes and cohorts. Police in rural areas are perceived to be more lenient in dealing with the media and try to accommodate them as much as they can even during crisis situations.

In the NCR, policemen are now the object of ridicule for arresting media members at the height of the movie event which pundits said was actually the precursor for a telenovela on the life of Trillianes.

Now, even the Commission on Human Rights is saying the arrest of journalists covering the Makati standoff was a violation of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of movement and expression. CHR commissioners said the Constitution is very clear that no person shall be deprived of liberty without due process and that it also guarantees freedom of the press.

The CHR has started investigating the incident to determine who gave the order to round up journalists inside the Peninsula. Some senators have also chided the Philippine National police for arresting journalists saying authorities couldn’t restrain journalists from covering events.

The good thing about the arrests: it has opened discussions on how media should act under certain situations. One issue is that press freedom is basically enjoyed by the print media as distinguished from broadcast media.

Radio and television stations are governed by franchises granted by Congress, which had imposed certain limitations on their operations. Congress can revoke a franchise of a radio or television station if certain provisions are violated.

The matter on the arrest of the journalists could be brought to court to get a clearer interpretation of the law so misguided elements of the police may not abuse members of the Fourth Estate. The role media play in creating democratic space is very important, as journalists are duty bound to report the truth and expose wrongdoings, whether in government or outside of it.

On the part of the PNP, it could review rules and procedures in handling crisis situations like the Peninsula incident. It could also focus on how the commission of alleged violations of press freedom can be prevented during times of crisis. This is needed as suppression by the state of the media is a violation of the constitution which mandated that the Fourth Estate is a vital part of democracy.