ORGANIZED journalists have called on National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa to immediately rescind what they called as an illegal order to withhold spot reports from media.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines also called on police commanders not to obey the “patently illegal order.”
Dabet Panelo, NUJP secretary general, police spot reports are public documents that should be available to everyone, not just media, in the principle of transparency and accountability.
“Suggestions that press releases will be issued in lieu of allowing access to spot reports are not acceptable. Press releases, by their very nature, are sanitized and angled to favor the issuing body and are, thus, not an objective source of information,” reads parts of a NUJP statement.
The group said there is no reason why the police organization sworn to “serve and protect” the people should cloak its operations in secrecy.
The NUJP added: “We urge colleagues to raise our collective voice in condemnation of this blatant efforts to withhold the truth and, if needed, to be ready to seek all legal redress.”
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