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Saturday, November 15, 2008
No total blotter ban: police chief
DAVAO CITY -- A top police official clarified Friday that there is no total prohibition being imposed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) hierarchy on police blotters throughout the country.
PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa said there was simply confusion on the matter.
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"We have already issued a clarificatory statement and that there is no prohibition on the public's access to police blotters," Verzosa said. "Except for those cases involving children and other cases which are prohibited, the public can have access to the blotters."
Verzosa was in this city, together with Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), for the turnover ceremony at the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Southern Mindanao and the activation of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations of Eastern and Western Mindanao.
In an interview, he said the PNP is now mulling the assignment of one public information officer (PIO) in every police station who will facilitate the release of information to the public and media.
"At least one PIO per station," Verzosa said. "They will conduct regular media briefings."
Verzosa also set out new guidelines for the minimum number of media briefings that the various PNP offices should hold in a month.
"For the Police Regional Office, it's at least four times a month, while provincial offices at least twice a month, and police stations at least once a month," he said.
However, he said that if significant events occur, the media briefing should be conducted within two hours after the occurrence of the incident.
The PNP has stood last week by its new policy limiting media access to the police blotter.
Police Community Relations head Leopoldo Bataoil continued to defend the policy, which he said is meant to "protect" the privacy of women and children.
"There is no change... While it's true it is a public document, we admit that we have to ensure the gathering of information will afford us (compliance with) the norms of society," he said over government-run dzRB radio.
Bataoil also maintained the PNP merely wants to "empower" units in the provinces to speak on incidents that happen there.
"It is a matter of explaining... We had a fellowship with our media friends, there was a wider understanding," he said.
Media groups and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) meantime scored the new policy that requires media practitioners to seek permission from a "pertinent" officer before accessing the contents of a blotter.
The CHR had told the PNP to at least review the said order since a blotter is a public document and limiting access to it will be a violation of the right to information. (CPM/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Davao. (November 15, 2008 issue)
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