THE National Union of Journalists of the Philippines views as a positive step Communications Secretary Martin Andanar’s announcement of the creation of a task force to look into media killings. This will certainly bode well for the prospects of finally giving justice to the scores of our colleagues who have been murdered with impunity for decades.
But will it finally bring an end to media killings?
Unfortunately, the indications are it will not if government continues to hurl blanket accusations on members of the profession, the latest being statements by PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa and presidential spokesman Ernie Abella on the alleged links of some media workers to illegal drugs.
Dela Rosa was reported as saying in a television interview that some media personnel are either users, dealers, or protectors of drug lords. Asked about this, Abella, instead of displaying prudence, backed up dela Rosa’s statement, saying this was “probably” based on “intelligence reports.”
In both instances, no proof was proffered and the statements were sweeping enough to cast a pall of suspicion on a whole profession, in the same way the wholesale accusation of corruption tainted both the guilty and the upright. Nor, as far as we know, have any charges been filed in court.
We are afraid, just as the insinuation that corruption is justification enough to commit murder, these sweeping statements about media workers in drugs–while doubtless there indeed may be rogues, just as in any sector of society–could be used as a handy justification by those who seek to silence independent and critical journalists.
We therefore challenge General Dela Rosa and Secretary Abella, if there is truly evidence against any media worker involved in crime or protecting syndicates of any kind, to file the appropriate charges in court and let justice take its course, lest those whose only crime is to dig for the truth and serve the people’s right to know end up silenced with no way to refute trumped up accusations scrawled on cardboard placards. –Ryan Rosauro, chairman, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines
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