Plan to file electoral sabotage raps vs journalists slammed

By INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines--A major media organization assailed reported plans of the Commission on Elections to file charges of electoral sabotage against two media personalities the poll body accused of cooking up stories meant to discredit i ts reputation. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said it was âappalledâ by the threat voiced by election commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer and called it âan as sault on press freedom and freedom of expression.â In a statement signed by chairman Jose Torres Jr., the NUJP called âridiculous and outrageousâ Ferrerâs reason for filing the case -- to "cleanse the (journal ism) profession" -- and his equating the alleged false news and comments of the unnamed journalists to electoral sabotage, a non-bailable offense punishable w ith life imprisonment. It also said Ferrerâs threat to file the charges âbetrays once more government' s penchant for shooting the messenger instead of addressing the message.â âThis is the same mindset that is behind the official inaction that has worsene d the culture of impunity in this country and emboldened those within and witho ut government who would seek to cow the Philippine media into silence to contin ue their assaults, physical and otherwise, on journalists,â it said. Since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came to power in 2001, 53 journalists h ave been murdered, the highest media death toll under any presidency, including the 14-year Marcos dictatorship. They NUJP said it did not dispute Ferrerâs claims against the media personaliti es, saying this was for the poll official to prove. âBut to insinuate that the âmany things they have manufactured...may involve el ectoral sabotage,â is stretching credulity too far for an agency whose credibil ity has already been badly tarnished by the âHello Garciâ scandal and the curre nt brouhaha over Lintang Bedol, an agency, in fact, that many critics contend h as practically sabotaged the very democratic institution it is sworn to uphold, â it added. The group said Ferrerâs failure to name the allegedly errant journalists, âwhil e hinting they are ranking media practitioners with his reference to âaircondit ioned rooms,â is a misbegotten and limp attempt to sow fear among opinion maker s and media executives.â

7 Comments

abe | August 12, 2007 6:49 PM

Sweep out the COMELEC!!!! It's a very very useless institution. It's very very
ugly! Disgusting! A kind of institution that we would not believe and listen
to, certainly a kind of institution that should not belong in our polite societ
y!!!!

I liking all the commissioners to a crocodile. Buwaya!!!!

Kabayan | August 13, 2007 8:23 AM

Ayan ang prinsipyo ng kasulukuyang administrasyon at kanilang mga kaKAMPI, pagt
akpan ang mga hangal at ipahuli ang ang sumisiwalat ng mga pangyayari hinggil s
a dayaan.

Di lang nakuntento na pakawalan si Garci at Bedol, may kakapalan pa ng mukha na
ipitin ang taga media.

Tsk, tsk, naaawa lang ako sa mga masasamang tao diyan sa COMELEC. Di niyo ba al
am na maaari kayong singilin sa inyong kasamaan sa madaling panahon?

Delrey | August 14, 2007 10:20 AM

Let's be honest about it. There are also abuses committed by some media pract
itioners especially those with biased opinion and prone to sensationalism.

romy | August 14, 2007 12:14 PM

OLD BOYS CLUB. NUJP HAS BECOME A FRATERNITY.

Arsing | August 16, 2007 4:04 PM

It taxes the imagination no end what reputation the Comelec is talking about.
If the Comelec is really concerned about preserving what little, if any at all,
remains of its reputation, all it has to do is impeach itself!

Peter Loo | August 17, 2007 6:57 PM

Comelec is mad to journalists? If so why? If they are hiding something fishy th
en they have reason to get mad. Take a look what is going on in the 1st Distric
t of Lanao del Norte that until now we don't have a law maker because a loser w
ant to be a winner so she has to tampered the "COC's to make it appeared that s
he won. Comelec is like a "pagong" in solving the problem. All news are sealed
. Just wondering whether journalist are intimidated in order to sealed all news
about Lanao del Norte or is the Administration involved because the cheater is
a very close friend of the Administration and just paying the "Utang na Loob"
last 2004 election?

Pian | August 31, 2007 3:53 AM

TO ALL
I know this to be out of place. Please bear with me. I just want to create aw
areness by choosing the busy forum or the latest.
Do consider Dr. Martin Bautista for the next elections obviously (a senatorial
candidate of âAng Kapatiranâ together with Adrian Sison and Zosimo Paredes). H
eâs a 44-year-old gastroenterologist in the US who came home after 17 years. Y
ou can see from his background that he truly means service. For those who find
him to be a hypocrite for working abroad, do understand heâs a family man who
needs to sustain his family, that he will be able to keep his independence by n
ot relying on public funds to support his family. He helps his countrymen in h
is capacity but itâs just not enough for there are millions of Filipinos. Itâs
a good start in Philippine Politics to have him and his party around.
I urge you to forward/text/inform all your contacts about them. I believe they
only lack exposure thatâs why Iâm doing this. But I canât do it alone so Iâm
appealing to everyoneâs help. If all will inform their contacts about them and
urge them as well to forward, we might hit a million.
We cannot afford to be indifferent now if we want meaningful change. Otherwise
we only have ourselves to blame. BUT TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

BTW, Iâve posted this on the different topics just to be sure.

Plan to file electoral sabotage raps vs journalists slammed

Categories:

No TrackBacks

7 Comments

Categories

Monthly Archives

Pages

Search

About this Entry