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Friday, June 30, 2006
Press Council backs 2 media bills
The Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) Wednesday expressed support for two House-approved bills affecting the media and strongly urged the Senate to pass the bills.
The bills, already transmitted to the Senate after they were approved in the House on third and final reading are:
(1) HB 2960 which seeks to include broadcast, wire, and internet journalists under the protection of the Sotto Law; and (2) HB77 which limits the venue of civil and criminal libel against community print and broadcast journalists and newspapers and broacast stations to the principal office of business of the publication or station.
Both bills were introduced by Rep. Raul V. del Mar of the north district of Cebu City.
Sotto Law
The 15-member CCPC, meeting en banc at the MBF Cebu Press Center, said the Sotto Law, which grants journalists the right not to divulge his news sources except when the security of the state requires, applies only to print journalists. The amendment will correct a long-standing anomaly.
As to the change of venue in libel, the CCPC noted that the present venue, which includes the office or residence of the complainant, has been used to oppress community journalists, publications and broadcast stations. For a cause of action that arose in Cebu, one can be sued for libel in, say, Quezon City or Paranaque if the complainant lives there or has his office there.
In the same en banc meeting, the CCPC adopted the committee report on principles on identifying crime suspects that the Press Council may issue as advisory to Cebu journalists.
More dialogues will be held by the committee with reporters and their news sources. The committee is headed by Mayette Q. Tabada of the UP in the Visayas Cebu College.
The CCPC’s second quarterly en banc meet-ing was presided by vice president Sabino Dapat. President Pureza Onate was out of the country.
Website
Other matters taken up included:
* Incorporation of the Press Council, handled by Atty. Jonathan Capanas;
* Setting up of the CCPC website, reported by Sun.Star’s Cherry T. Lim (separate story);
* Handling of complaints and the pending bills affecting media, reported by Sun.Star’s Pachico A. Seares.
Present
Those who attended the meeting were Sabino Dapat, Fr. Aloysius Carta-gena, Eilleen G. Mangubat and Lino Gilbert Parone of Cebu Daily News, Mayette Tabada and Mia Embal-zado (St. Theresa’s College), representing the academe; Ed Abad and Leo Lastimosa of KBP, John Rey Saavedra of Freeman Banat News, Anol Mongaya of Sun.Star Superbalita [Cebu]; Juan L. Mercado of Philippine Press Institute (guest), and Cherry T. Lim and Pachico A. Seares of Sun.Star Cebu.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 30, 2006 issue)
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