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Monday, January 31, 2005
Violent culture blamed for journalists killings
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- A violent culture and the open support of some public officials on the proliferation of death squads were blamed for the increasing attack against journalists here in the country.
The international fact-finding mission organized by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) found that a widespread culture of violence is tolerated and even condoned by Philippine government officials.
The mission, which included representatives from Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines, visited this week the cities of General Santos in Mindanao, Iloilo and Cebu in the Visayas and Legazpi in the Bicol region.
The mission was funded by the IFJ after the international journalist organization reported in its annual review of journalist safety this month that the Philippines had a record of deaths of journalists second only to Iraq in 2004.
The NUJP had recorded the deaths of 13 Philippine journalists in 2004.
Since 1986, more than 50 journalists have died violently.
In the almost two decades, there has been only one conviction for the murder of a journalist.
In a statement, IFJ representative from Australia Gerard Noonan said the mission discovered instances of senior government officials, including "mayors in two major cities in the south of the country, who openly supported the use of death squads in dealing with unruly elements in their towns".
"When such a culture is allowed to flourish at an official level, it is little wonder that aggrieved local strongmen or political figures turn to hitmen to get even with the media," Noonan said.
"The IFJ treats this matter as one of utmost seriousness. It is completely unacceptable in a country with democratic credentials like the Philippines," he added.
NUJP chair Inday Espina-Varona said poor working conditions in the industry make journalists more vulnerable to such attacks.
"The vast numbers of journalists are receiving a pittance or nothing at all for their work. They are being exploited and sometimes forced into conflict-of-interest situations," Varona said.
"They do not receive safety support from their employees either," she added.
Rustam Fachri Mandayun of the Indonesian magazine Tempo and the Alliance of Independent Journalists of Indonesia said news organizations "should pay serious attention to educating their audience on grievance procedures to allow a venue for complaints against journalists."
Family members of murdered journalists met the mission in each of the locations, telling their heartbreaking stories to the delegates.
In all, the mission met with the widows, brothers and sisters or children, and colleagues of at least 12 murdered journalists.
The NUJP is documenting each of these cases and is seeking to pressure the Philippine government to reopen a number of the cases.
In Iloilo, the mission heard representatives of the police and the Department of Justice, while in Legazpi, it met with families of the victims as well as the governor of Albay province, police representatives and a representative of the Commission on Human Rights.
Noonan said the mission will prepare a detailed report on its findings and recommendations which will be presented to the IFJ secretariat in Brussels next
month.
"This is a record the Philippines definitely doesn't want," Noonan said. "But journalists around the world simply won't tolerate inaction when so many of their fellow practitioners are being gunned down in the course of their work," he added.
The IFJ and NUJP statement was released just as another publisher from Tagum City was shot by three unidentified gunmen Saturday morning. He survived the attack.
The victim was identified as one Maximo "Max" Quindao, in his late forties, former Bombo Radyo reporter.
Quindao recently became publisher of Mindanao Truck, a weekly publication in Tagum City.
Reports gathered by Sun.Star showed the victim was on his way out from his office in Mabini, Tagum City around 9:15 a.m. Saturday when the assailants approached and shot him three times.
Witnesses claimed the gunmen have been seen following the publisher before the incident happened.
Quindao managed to run back to his office and asked for help while the assailants immediately fled onboard a motorcycle.
The victim is known for his no-nonsense commentaries against two public officials in Tagum City.
Quindao's wife was quoted to have said that during the past days a high-ranking public official was the subject of the victim's hard-hitting commentaries in his weekly paper.
Quindao is now at the Tagum Doctor's Hospital recuperating.
Police are still investigating the incident and has not identified the assailants as of Sunday.
(January 31, 2005 issue)
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