Youth council chief: Lift ban on journalist

SANGGUNIANG Kabataan Federation (SKF) president Brenden Kim Quintos will move to lift the declaration of journalist Jimmy Laking as persona non grata to bring peace to a rift, which spanned almost three years.

Quintos said in his proposed resolution, “In the spirit of my becoming a future journalist, I move for the lifting of the resolution declaring Mr. Jimmy Laking persona non grata in the municipality.”

Quintos said the move is aimed at bringing peace in the council and the warring camps of Laking and the local legislative body.

Laking was declared persona non grata by the council in December 2009, banning him from entering the local council since. The council accused him of breaching responsible journalism and ethics.

As a result of the resolution, media groups at that time raised a howl, defending their colleague tagging the move as excessive.

Laking, in turn, brought the matter to the courts by filing a graft case against the entire legislative branch, making history when Judge Danilo Camacho decided the fate of local councilors here.

Camacho ordered a 90-day suspension to Vice Mayor Romeo Salda, presiding officer of the La Trinidad town council and Councilors Jim Botiwey; Henry Kipas; Arthur Shontogan; Roderick Awingan; Horacio Ramos Jr.; Estrella Adeban; Francis Lee; Von Tauli and Robert Namoro, who in December 2010 declared journalist Jimmy Laking “personan non grata” for his alleged biased reporting at the more than 50-year-old Baguio Midland Courier regional weekly newspaper.

Laking was earlier favored by the Benguet prosecutor William Bacoling in a six-page resolution, saying, “All the elements of graft were present which including their being public officials who acted with manifest impartiality, evident bad faith or inexcusable negligence which action caused undue injury to (Laking).”

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

Quintos said it is time for the persona non grata order to be lifted.

The resolution will be proposed during Monday’s regular session.