Impunity against journalists

EDITORIAL

Despite the avowed concern of Malacanang to stop killings, harassment of torture of journalists in the country by state agents, officials or unscrupulous individuals, the number keeps rising. 

In latest case, media practitioners in Central Luzon decried Tuesday the alleged assault on a local newsman in Tarlac by a police officer with a shady record and called on the director of the Police Regional Office 3 to initiate both administrative and criminal investigations.

Nelson Bolos, a local newsman, who also writes for the Northern Philippine Times had filed a complaint against PO1 Rogelio Almazan, assigned to the Gerona Municipal Police Station (MPS), before the PRO3 director’s office for allegedly punching him in the abdomen with a clenched right index finger.

In his complaint to Chief Supt. Rudy Lacadin, Bolos said: “Almazan is an abusive and arrogant policeman. He badmouthed me and hit my abdomen several times with his clenched right index finger.”

Bolos said he drew the ire of PO1 Almazan for assisting a local businessman in demanding the return of two Cal.45 pistols which he had entrusted to the policeman in 2009. (See page 1 for more details.)

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines Baguio - Benguet made a statement on UN Day to end impunity against journalists with a call “to uphold press freedom and to end the climate of fear in a country that boasts of democracy after the Marcoses were ousted from power in 1986. Journalists and press freedom advocates will remain steadfast in its commitment to work to be the voice of the people in a system that still suppresses the truth by practicing the culture of impunity without shame. Most of the journalists killed worked in the provinces, making us believe that the perpetrators of the crime are those who were in practice of corrupting the poor situation in the communities. 

“Warlordism, corruption, and poor economy are just among the issues that community journalists confront everyday, and as they voice out the issues of the basic masses, the perpetrators make it convenient to abuse their power by using their own people and even government agents to carry out its attacks. 

The NUJP said in the case of Northern Dispatch correspondent Alma Sinumlag, an intelligence officer of the Philippine Army declared her as dead to her family in Kalinga, after maliciously identifying her a member of the New People’s Army. “This atrocious act of a government soldier clearly manifested the State's intentions to quell the civilian rights and safety of a journalist, and to do this with impunity is a grave disrespect to basic human rights.”

“Aside from killings, other practices committed by the perpetrators are subjecting journalists to surveillance, bribery, harassment, physical and verbal assault, libel, and placing them under ‘order of battle.’ But as we always say, we will remain committed to uphold the freedoms of the press, speech, and expression. We will remain vigilant.”