|
|
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
House legislators alarmed by arrest try on journalist (2:10 p.m.)
MANILA -- House members are worried over the alleged harassment by the camp of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo following Monday's attempt by the police to arrest one of the 43 journalists he sued for libel.
House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who himself is facing libel and other various cases filed by the First Gentleman, said the attempt to arrest Mia Gonzales of Business Mirror was a clear message of the administration to its critics “not to mess with the administration.”
“People were promised hope by PGMA (President Arroyo) but the kind of hope we are getting is harassment, oppression, persecution and executions. All these, may it be against critics, media, congressmen, clergy or activists, are calculated moves, sending a message not to mess with the administration,” Cayetano said in a text message.
Aside from the P30 million libel case before the Quezon City prosecutor’s office, Cayetano was likewise charged by the First Gentleman with an expulsion case at the House committee on ethics when he claimed that the Arroyos have million-dollar accounts deposited in a German bank.
Cayetano said he was not surprised by the arrest attempt on Gonzales on libel charges leveled against her by the First Gentleman but said the move “was calculated to produce a chilling effect on the administration critics.”
“We should demand a free media, whether or not we like what is being reported or how it is reported,” the congressman said as he challenged the Arroyo administration to certify as urgent a bill seeking the decriminalization of libel.(DBP) |
|
|
|
