9 March 2005
MEDIA UNDER PRESSURE IN ANTI-TERRORISM CAMPAIGN
As Philippine military forces step up their offensive against armed rebel groups in the country, authorities are pressuring journalists not to give such groups access to the media, report the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).
On 5 March 2005, President Gloria Arroyo told media not to broadcast interviews with "terrorist groups." This came days after the army called for legislation that would penalise media for doing so. Arroyo has vowed to crush the rebel group Abu Sayyaf for carrying out a series of bomb attacks in Manila and on the southern island of Mindanao in February which killed 11 people and injured 150 others.
In recent months, Philippine authorities have been complaining that the press has been too accommodating to Abu Sayyaf and other outlawed groups such as the New People's Army (NPA), notes SEAPA. Leaders of both groups have well-established access to the country's leading stations and programmes and rebel spokesmen are regularly interviewed on morning radio shows. A radio station broadcast a statement from Abu Sayyaf claiming responsibility for the February bombings.
Abu Sayyaf and NPA have been classified by the United States as "foreign terrorist organisations" for having alleged links to al-Qaeda.
The National Union of Journalists in the Philippines says media should not be penalised for disseminating news about terrorists that would be of interest to the public.
The warnings to news media come at a time when journalists are already feeling anxious about the state of press freedom in the country. Last year, a record 13 journalists were killed, making the Philippines one of the world's most dangerous countries for media, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
On 28 February, Arnulfo Villanueva became the latest casualty. The newspaper columnist was found murdered in Naic, a town not far from Manila, reported the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR). Villanueva was a columnist for "Asian Star Express Balita", a community newspaper. Police are investigating whether he was killed because of his work. The journalist reportedly criticised local officials for illegal gambling in Cavite province.
RSF reports that six other journalists have been attacked or threatened since the beginning of the year, including two reporters from the weekly magazine "Deretso Balita" who exposed local corruption (see: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12724).
Meanwhile, witnesses in journalists' murder cases are finding themselves in greater danger. Two witnesses in the high-profile murder in May 2002 of journalist Edgar Damalerio have been killed and the third has been placed under government protection after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt in February, says RSF. An ex-police officer, Guillermo Wapile, is to stand trial on charges of murdering Damalerio (see: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12446).
Visit:
- SEAPA:
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/65166/
- RSF:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12781
- CMFR on the Damalerio Case: http://www.cmfr.com.ph/fffj/fffjcountdown.html
- IFJ:
http://www.ifj-asia.org/page/philippines050131.html
- BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4266283.stm
- Guide to the Philippines Conflict: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1695576.stm
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