Saturday, September 15, 2007 Be responsible: Gwen to media
AS PRESS Freedom Week celebration kicks off tomorrow, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia calls on members of the media not just to invoke freedom but also to “assimilate responsibility and obligation.”
“I’m just asking for a sense if responsibility. While you demand that from us, we just hope that it will be reciprocal and that you do not use columns as sounding board for personal venom,” said Garcia.
Recognizing the media’s role in a democracy, the Cebu City Council declared the whole month of September as “Cebu Media Month” in the city.
The council passed a resolution expressing their support to the annual celebration of the Cebu media and the activities they will be holding.
Every third Sunday of September, employees of all newspapers, television and radio stations come together to kick off the 13th Press Freedom Week celebration.
The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) is also observing KBP month this month.
Media workers will walk from the City Hall to the Cebu Capitol early morning tomorrow, which will be followed by a mass at the Capitol Social Hall.
“The media—print, broadcast and TV—is a vital element in a functioning democratic society. Most if not all of the media practitioners in Cebu including Cebu City have always been at the forefront in keeping the people abreast with the flux of the times, especially on matters of public concern,” Councilor Edgardo Labella said in his resolution.
“It cannot be denied that Cebu’s media are at par with the country’s best in promoting the people’s right to information and the twin constitutional tenets of transparency and accountability in public service,” he continued.
The council passed the resolution during their session last Wednesday.
Also tomorrow, a photo exhibit of journalists and photojournalists in action will be launched at the Ayala Center Cebu.
On Monday, members of the Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists will convene for their annual assembly, and will hold a forum on the various issues that affect the media.
The Cebu Press Freedom Week is also a time for journalists to unwind, with several parties being held on some nights of the week.
Sun.Star Cebu is the lead convenor for this year’s celebration. (LCR/JPM)
