Saturday, November 08, 2008 Journalists not banned from reading blotters
WITH the directive drawing flak from national media organizations, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos yesterday assured reporters that the local media can still have a look at blotters in police stations in Central Visayas.
An Oct. 20 memorandum caused a stir among reporters covering the Philippine National Police after it reportedly said police blotters nationwide “shall not be made accessible to the public or media” unless cleared by the unit commander “or unless the disclosure is in compliance with a lawful order of the court or any pertinent
authority.”
This drew the ire of reporters at the capital, who were barred from seeing the police blotters last Thursday.
In Cebu, local media sought local officials’ clarification on the directive.
Both Roderos and Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador admitted that they have not received such a memorandum.
Comendador begged off from commenting on the directive because he has not read it and could not say what its provisions were.
Clarification
Roderos, instead, presented a press release from the Public Information Office of Camp Crame clarifying it was not prohibiting media access to official reports “including police blotters in police stations.”
The press release was signed by Chief Supt. Nicanor Bartolome, spokesperson of the PNP.
He said some lower units only “misinterpreted” the directive and that some members of the media “misconstrued” its meaning.
“The national headquarters approved the decentralization of the public information function with pure good intention of allowing media to get better and more efficient access to information on police concerns,” the statement read.
Decentralized
“The PIO decentralization now defines the responsibility of unit commanders to assist media and facilitate access to official reports and other public documents. The same policy also defines the levels of approving authority for release of information to the public and the media,” it further said.
The program, Bartolome added, required local unit commanders to be able to make public announcements or hold a press briefing within two hours of a major crime incident in their area.
Roderos said there were no guidelines from Camp Crame prohibiting the media from reading police blotters, and that they would not be banning reporters from reading the entries. (MEA)
