ON DECEMBER 19, the day set by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 for the promulgation of its much-awaited verdict on the Ampatuan massacre, it will be 10 years and 25 days since the killings occurred in Maguindanao on November 23, 2009.
Let that sink in: a decade of injustice. Ten years since 58 men and women, of whom 32 were journalists and media workers, were brutally killed in the worst election-related violence in the Philippines and the worst attack on journalists in history. These are millions of moments when swift decisive justice could have been served on the alleged perpetrators of the crime and its masterminds.
On December 19, the Filipino public expects nothing less than a conviction from Quezon City RTC Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes. But the Ampatuan case is one more indication of the fact that in the Philippines, a verdict in the lower courts even on a patently heinous crime will take at least a decade. It proves that impunity thrives for the powerful, while for the victims of crimes such as the Ampatuan massacre, a decade can pass without attaining justice.
A decade has indeed passed but the conditions that led to the Ampatuan massacre remain: political dynasties and patronage are still alive, paramilitary groups have not been dismantled, and the Ampatuans’ collusion with the administration — Arroyo then and Duterte now — still persists.
But in this climate when attacks against free expression and the press escalate relentlessly – from the killings of journalists to illegal arrests to online attacks – we should remain undaunted. Despite the stark lesson on how elusive justice is from the Ampatuan massacre case, journalists, activists, and advocates must not only soldier on, but also up the ante in the fight to shatter the culture of impunity that has enveloped the nation.
A conviction of the Ampatuans would be considered an initial victory against impunity. An acquittal, on the other hand, would spell death to press freedom.
December 19 will not only underscore how elusive justice is in our country. It should also be a time for all of us to renew our commitment to continue fighting for it no matter the cost, and no matter how long.
On December 19, let us express our solidarity with the families of the Ampatuan massacre victims and register our resounding call: Justice for the 58 massacre victims. End Impunity. Convict the Ampatuans.
* Pooled editorial of the members of the AlterMidya Network, a national organization of independent media outfits in the Philippines.
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/alter.jpg613905Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-15 15:31:352019-12-15 15:31:38December 19 and the quest for justice
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has agreed to stop the
reported mass transfer of political prisoners from its Bicutan Taguig facility
to various jails nationwide, a human rights group said.
In a statement, families of political prisoners under the group Kapatid
said it met with BJMP deputy for operations Gen. Dennis Rocamora last Thursday
morning, December 12, who assured them the detainees in Bicutan would spend the
Christmas season together.
“We gave our letter to Gen. Rocamora appealing to stop the mass transfer
of political prisoners out of Bicutan through the seemingly legal process of
court motions this Christmas season,” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said.
Earlier, government prosecutors have asked to transfer National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace consultants Frank Fernandez, Adelberto Silva and his companions, called the “Sta. Cruz 5”, to the Laguna Provincial Jail; Rey Casambre to Bacoor Jail; and government union organizer Oliver Rosales to Malolos City Jail.
Farmer Maximo
Reduta from Southern Quezon was transferred to Gumaca District Jail last month.
“This transfer scheme would in effect result in the dissolution of the
entire political prisoner’s wing in Bicutan,” Lim said.
During the
dialogue, however, Rocamora reportedly assured Kapatid that the BJMP has ordered the
warden of Metro Manila District Jail Annex 4 to stop the transfer of all
political prisoners out of Bicutan.
In addition, the BJMP will no longer file requests
to the court for transfer of political prisoners and not oppose or counter the
opposition filed in court by lawyers of affected political prisoners concerning
existing motions for their transfer, Kapatid reported.
Also, the BJMP will no longer act on the old list
of a previous warden for the transfer of some political prisoners, the group
added.
Kapatid said that no political prisoner in
Bicutan wants to be transferred because of concerns for their personal
security.
“We hope and pray that the BJMP will fulfill its
assurances to Kapatid,” Lim said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/stop.jpg545960Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-13 09:23:102019-12-13 09:26:10No more transfer of political detainees, BJMP assures families
Ginunita noong ika-10 ng Disyembre ang ika-71 na Pandaigdigang Araw para sa Karapatang Pantao kung kailan kinondena ang mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng gubyernong Rodrigo Duterte.
Tinanong ng Kodao Productions ang ilan sa mga dumalo sa kilos-protesta kung dapat bang managot si Duterte sa mga human rights violation sa ilalim ng kanyang gobyerno. (Bidyo ni Joseph Cueva/Kodao)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/asks.png10801920Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-13 08:41:552019-12-13 08:41:56KODAO ASKS: Dapat bang panagutin si Duterte sa mga paglabag sa karapatang pantao?
A radio station was burned down in
Mawab, Davao de Oro last Wednesday night, December 11, the National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) reported.
In an alert, the NUJP said two
unidentified men arrived in a motorcycle at 99.9
RP-FM’s transmitter site at around six o’clock in the evening and torched its building
while the on-duty staff was in the kitchen.
“The suspects entered the transmitter room and burned equipment
like the radio transmitter, Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR), and electric
wiring, causing estimated damage of P1Million,” the NUJP said.
The group said the incident was confirmed by Pat Lucero, former 99.9
RP-FM manager, by phone.
Lucero further told the NUJP the incident could be connected to
an attempt on his life on October 11.
Lucero is now in sanctuary for his safety.
He used to host a daily program and was station
manager of 99.9 RP-FM.
Authorities are investigating the incident, the NUJP
said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/99b.jpg692714Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-12 13:26:562019-12-12 13:26:58Arsonists attack radio station after slay try on manager
Human rights defenders, led by the Karapatan, vowed to fight Rodrigo Duterte’s fascism as they commemorated International Human Rights Day last December 10 in Manila.
Condemning various cases of human rights violations under Duterte’s three-year old rule, the activists held a program at Liwasang Bonifacio and later marched to Mendiola to burn an effigy of the president. (Video by Jek Alcaraz/Kodao)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/duts.png8891543Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-12 08:35:112019-12-12 08:37:03Rights defenders vow to fight Duterte
Red-tagging, intimidation vs. press: Du30, state agents behind 69 cases
By The
Freedom for Media, Freedom for All Network*
A network composed of the
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), MindaNews, Philippine Press
Institute (PPI), and Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ)
THE STATE
OF MEDIA FREEDOM in the Philippines under the Duterte Administration remains a
tragic story as new and more cases of attacks and threats continue, with marked
uptick for certain incidents.
The
situation highlights the unyielding reign of impunity, and the shrinking
democratic space in the country, even as the nation awaits next week, on Dec.
19, 2019, the promulgation of judgment on the Ampatuan Massacre case of Nov.
23, 2009 that claimed the lives of 58 persons, including 32 journalists and
media workers.
After
over nine years of trial, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, presiding judge of Branch
221 of the regional trial court of Quezon City, will decide on the case that
has been described as the “deadliest strike against the press in history.”
From June
30, 2016 to Dec. 5, 2019, or in the last 41 months, 154 incidents of attacks
and threats against the news media had been documented jointly by the Center
for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and the National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).
The 154
cases include 15 journalists who had been killed under the Duterte
Administration even as cases of intimidation and online harassment registered
the highest numbers, by category of incidents.
The most
worrisome numbers are 28 incidents of intimidation, 20 online harassment, 12
threats via text messages, 12 libel cases, 10 website attacks, eight slay
attempts, and eight cases of journalists barred from coverage.
Sixty
cases of attacks were made against online media — the highest by media
platform — apart from 41 cases against radio networks, 33 against print media
agencies, and 15 cases against television networks.
Of the
154 cases, at least 69 had linked state agents — public officials from the
Executive and Legislative branches, uniformed personnel, and Cabinet appointees
of President Duterte – as known or alleged perpetrators. Of these 69 state
agents, about half or 27 are from national government agencies.
Luzon
island logged the biggest number of cases at 99, including 69 in Metro Manila
alone. Mindanao logged 37 cases, and the Visayas, 18.
In the
last six months, however, the most disconcerting and fastest rising numbers of
attacks and threats include:
Multiple instances of public
broadsides and attacks by President Duterte and Foreign Affairs Secretary
Teodoro Locsin Jr. against certain journalists and media agencies, and
threats by the President to personally see after the denial of franchise
renewal for a television network. “Ayan. Nationwide man ‘yan.
Ikaw, ABS-CBN, you’re a mouthpiece of… Ang inyong franchise,
mag-end next year. If you are expecting na ma-renew ‘yan,
I’m sorry. You’re out. I will see to it that you’re out,” the President
warned ABS-CBN network;
Red-tagging of journalists
and media organizations as alleged fronts of leftist and communist groups
by officers of the Armed Forces, Philippine National Police, Philippine
Communications Operations Office, and other state agents;
Workshops conducted by the
National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) in the regions compelling
journalists to sign off to a “Manifesto of Commitment” to “wholeheartedly
support” the Administration’s “Whole-Of-Nation Approach In Attaining
Inclusive And Sustainable Peace, Creating A National Task Force To End
Local Communist Armed Conflict, And Directing The Adoption Of A National
Peace Framework,” as mandated by Executive Order No. 70 that Duterte
issued in December 2018; and
A case of mistaken arrest of
a journalist had also happened. In June 2019, Fidelina Margarita
Avellanosa-Valle, Davao Today columnist, was arrested at the
Laguindingan airport allegedly based on a warrant of arrest for murder and
other alleged cases. She was brought to Pagadian, held incommunicado for
hours, and later released in the evening with just an apology from the
Philippine National Police or PNP.
RED-TAGGING
More
cases of red-tagging or red-baiting of journalists by police or military
officers or their intelligence assets and allies have been reported.
· On Nov.
4, 2019, in an interview with the anchors of “The Chiefs” program of TV5,
Lorraine Marie T. Badoy, undersecretary for New Media and External Affairs,
tagged the National Union of Journalists and other media personnel as so-called
fronts of Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army. “Are they or
are they not part of the CPP-NPA? They are,” Badoy said. Asked if she was
saying that these groups are fronting or are part of terrorist organizations,
Badoy replied, “Unequivocally. Yes.” Badoy added, “I just don’t want a
reporting. I want a clear and unequivocal denunciation of the human rights
violations of the CPP-NPA.”
In a
statement, NUJP said that Badoy clearly painted the NUJP as enemies of the
state. “This is essentially an open call for state forces to threaten, harass,
arrest, detain and kill journalists for doing their job,” NUJP said.
“Clearly,”
added NUJP, “the intent of this red-tagging spree and all other assaults on
press freedom is to intimidate the independent media into abandoning their
critical stance as watchdogs and become mouthpieces of government.”
· On
Sept. 17, 2019, at a public forum at the Don Honorio Ventura State University
in Bacolor, Pampanga, Rolando Asuncion, regional director of the National
Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) claimed Pampanga TV manager Sonia Soto
was among 31 identified media personalities in the NICA’s list of alleged rebels.
“Sa CLTV36, kilala niyo ba yun? Si Sonia Soto, ‘yong maganda?
Iyon.(Do you know Sonia Soto? The pretty one in CLTV36?)”
A report
by SunStar said that in a Facebook post, Soto denied the accusation in
no uncertain terms. “I cannot accept this label or tag because I am neither a
communist nor a terrorist,” the report quoted Soto as saying. “I am a
professional TV station manager and a Kapisanan ng Brodkaster ng Pilipinas
(KBP)-licensed TV broadcaster. I have never allowed CLTV36 or any of its shows to
be a mouthpiece for anyone advocating terrorism or to raise arms against
government in the course of my work as a broadcaster and general manager of
CLTV36.”
“As a
matter of fact,” Soto added, “like all TV stations, we use a standard
disclaimer to caution the viewers should anyone among the guests in a TV show
utter words that may be misconstrued as reflective of the Management’s views on
a specific topic being discussed. Please know that I am concerned for my
safety.”
Soto, a
student leader at the Lyceum of the Philippines, was a signatory to a 1982
agreement between the League of Filipino Students and the Ministry of National
Defense that bars state security forces from entering state universities.
The
incident allegedly happened during a “Situational Awareness and Knowledge
Management” briefing, which Asuncion described as “pursuant to the mandate of
NICA in implementing Executive Order 70 calling for the creation of a National
Task Force specifically in the adoption of a National Peace Framework to end the
local communist armed conflict,” according to those who were invited to the
event.
On
multiple occasions, various state agents and pro-Duterte groups have tagged
independent and critical journalists and media agencies as supposed fronts or
supporters of the leftist and communist groups, via social-media posts and in
press statements.
Those who
had been targeted include journalists from Mindanao Gold Star Daily,
MindaNews, Visayan Daily Star, Davao Today, radyo Natin Gumaca, the PNP
Press Corps, Rappler, Vera Files, the NUJP chapter members in Cagayan de Oro,
and PCIJ.
COMPELLED
CONSENT
Statements
by military officers and forums conducted by the National Intelligence
Coordinating Agency (NICA) in the regions compel journalists to sign off to a
“Manifesto of Commitment” declaring their “wholehearted support and commitment
to the implementation of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Executive Order No. 70
to the Regional Task Force To End Local Communist Armed Conflict.”
On Nov. 19, 2019,
journalists in Eastern Visayas were invited to a forum organized by NICA’s
Region 8 Task Force in Tacloban City. “Partnering with the Media in
Winning Peace and development in Eastern Visayas” was the theme of the
forum conducted by the Task Force’s “Strategic Communications Cluster” and
“Situation Awareness and Knowledge Management Center.” Some participants
said that NICA’s invitation for journalists to sign off to the “Manifesto
of Commitment” was practically compelled and demanded. To decline could
have been interpreted as going against the Task Force’s supposed goal of
ending the “communist armed conflict.”
On Dec. 6, 2019 in Butuan
City, Agusan del Sur, the Philippine Information Agency reported the
conduct of another meeting with journalists by the Strategic
Communications Cluster of the Regional Task Force To End Local Communist
Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) with NICA Regional Director Manuel Orduña.
In May 2019, members of the
Defense Press Corps took exception to a letter to editors and social-media
posts by Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy
chief of staff for civil-military operations.
The Philippine
Star reported that Parlade had accused reporters of being “biased and of
colluding with communists” when they failed to carry the statement made by
Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, about the writs of amparo and habeas data
that the Supreme Court had granted the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers.
“These
media are allowing their government to be punched and bullied without giving it
an opportunity to air its side, or more appropriately, to express the truth,”
Parlade had said. The reporters “do not want to expose the truth about these
front organizations” of the Communist Party of the Philippines, Parlade added.
The
Defense Press Corps said that not one of its members carried the AFP’s
statement because “it was, to put it bluntly, a rehash of a written statement
he issued three days earlier.” It stressed that DPC is an organization
“indebted to no one—not to the AFP, the Department of National Defense, the
NUPL, the left and other state and non-state actors.”
“It is a
very unfortunate that MGen. Parlade, who is supposed to bridge the gap between
the AFP and the ordinary people as the military’s top civil military operations
officer, is shooting the messenger by falsely and randomly accusing DPC members
of transgression on our core values,” the reporters said, adding that Parlade’s
intention of spreading his letter in social media is questionable.
“To be
accused of bias, merely by not carrying a stale statement, sends a chilling
message to media practitioners to parrot the military line or else, be
discredited,” the Defense Press Corps said. – Freedom for Media, Freedom
for All Network, 10 December 2019
DATA
TABLES:
By the numbers, here are the cases of attacks and threats on media freedom in the Philippines covering the period from June 30, 2016 to Dec. 5, 2019. Some numbers/data may have changed from previous reports after some cases, upon further investigation/consolidation of data, were proven to be not work-related.
INCIDENTS, BY CATEGORY, PLATFORM, GENDER:
INCIDENTS, BY LOCATION:
INCIDENTS, BY ALLEGED PERPETRATOR:
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/media.jpg395900Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-11 12:07:012019-12-11 12:19:41State of Media Freedom in PH
Led by KARAPATAN, human rights defenders and peace advocates in the Philippines marked International Human Rights Day 2019 with a protest rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila condemning extra judicial killings and other rights violations.
They marched to Mendiola fronting Malacanang Palace and burned a huge effigy of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte as they called to end tyranny and struggle for a just and lasting peace. (ILPS-Philippines video)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/hands.jpg557931Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-11 11:46:362019-12-11 11:46:37Activists vow to defeat Duterte's fascism on human rights day 2019
The promulgation of judgement on the
Ampatuan Massacre trial shall be broadcast live on December 19, the Supreme Court
(SC) ruled Tuesday, December 10.
The High Court shall allow two People’s
Television (PTV) cameras inside the courtroom
which other media outfits could hook into, SC assistant court administrator and
public information office chief Brian Keith Hosaka said.
Citing space
limitations, the Court also decided it would only allow a limited number of
reporters inside the court who would not be allowed to bring their own cameras,
smart phones and other video and audio recording equipment inside.
The SC Public
Information Office shall prepare a list of “accredited media” to be allowed
inside the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology compound in Camp Bagong Diwa
in Taguig City.
The High Tribunal
decided on the petition for live coverage filed last week by the National Union
of Journalists of the Philippines, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility,
and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
“The live
coverage/streaming of the promulgation would allow the families and relatives
of the 58 victims who may not be able to attend the promulgation in Metro
Manila to hear live the reading of the court’s decision on the killing of their
relatives,” the media groups wrote Supreme Court Chief Justice Diosdado
Peralta.
Government communication and media offices also
asked to be allowed to cover the event.
Before the groups’ petition, the Court,
through Hosaka, wrote to PTV requesting for airtime and technical support, including
cameras and video footage that would be provided to other media groups, for the
live coverage of the verdict set on December 19.
“Because of
the paramount public interest involved in this case, the Supreme Court, which is
overseeing the matter, would like to have live television coverage of the
proceedings,” SC Assistant Court Administrator and Public Information Office
chief Hosaka told PTV. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/nujp-2.jpg13652048Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-10 13:26:222019-12-10 13:26:24Ampatuan Massacre promulgation of verdict will be broadcast live--SC
Nagtungo sa Kamaynilaan noong nakaraang buwan ang ilang residente ng Samar para ang paglabag sa kanilang karapatang pantao sa ilalim ng Memorandum Order No.32 ni Pangulong Duterte na tinatawag din nilang ‘de facto martial law’.
Narito ang kwento nina nanay Bienvenida Cabe na pinatay ang kanyang anak habang nangangaso sa kagubatan noong Mayo at si nanay Prescila Lebico na ang asawa ay isang barangay captain na pinatay noong Abril.
Panawagan nila ang hustisya at pagbasura sa naturang Memorandum na lalong nagpapatindi ng pang-aatake sa mamamayan hindi lamang sa Samar kundi sa Bicol at isla ng Negros.
Bidyo ni: Joseph Cuevas/ Kodao Waray-Pilipino translation: Frenchiemae Cumpio/ Eastern Vista Background music credit Title: The End Type of music: Chillstep Mood: Sad / Emotional Download: https://soundcloud.com/day7official/
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/navas.jpg10801920Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-09 09:52:502019-12-09 09:52:51Paglabag sa karapatang pantao sa ngalan ng Memo 32 ni Duterte
Groups continue their countdown 10 days before the promulgation of judgement on the decade-long trial on the Ampatuan Massacre on December 19. Groups such as the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Photojournalists Center of the Philippines, Altermidya, College Editors Guild of the Philippines , Justice Now and others are expected to be present when Quezon City Regional Trial Court 221 hands down its verdict. (Video by Jek Alcaraz/Kodao. Background music credits: Haunting Sadness – Scary Background Music For Creepypastas – Mediacharger)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/nujp-2.jpg13652048Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2019-12-09 09:30:032019-12-09 09:30:04Media groups demand justice as promulgation nears
