Ban on newsman to be lifted today

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) Federation president and Councilor Brenden Kim Quintos is confident that the ban against journalist Jimmy Laking will be lifted today, February 12.

Quintos said talks about lifting the declaration of Laking as persona non grata have been a topic among his peers.

He said, through the year no one dared to author a resolution and when his colleagues in the Council asked him if he wanted to do it, he immediately said yes.

Quintos said the reading in the regular session today, Tuesday, will be supported by the entire legislative body.

The move is aimed to bring peace in the council as well as the warring camps of Laking and the local legislative body, Quintos said.

It is yet to be determined if the resolution will affect the ongoing case against the legislative body.

Laking was declared persona non grata by the council in December 2010 for alleged bias reporting.

The entire council has completed the preventive suspension ordered by the courts and is undergoing mediation proceedings with the camp of Laking.

By order of the motion to be filed by Quintos, the ban against Laking will be lifted, allowing him to enter again the local council and to cover the sessions.

Laking has been covering the La Trinidad beat as part of his duties for the local weekly newspaper he works for. The ban has since prevented him from covering the La Trinidad legislative beat.