Prosecutor asks the media to help protect witnesses

Protect state witnesses by keeping their identities unknown to the public, regional state prosecutor Antonio Arellano recently appealed to the members of the media.

Arellano made the appeal after three state witnesses in the murder case of The FREEMAN photojournalist Allan Dizon were shown on television news, which unnecessarily exposed the witnesses to security risk.

The TV exposure saddened Arellano who said the media should have been responsible enough to protect the witnesses. If showing the video as support for the news item could not be avoided, then the faces of the witnesses could have been blurred to avoid recognition, he said.

Arellano added that even the names of the witnesses, already under the witness protection program, should not be published.

Arellano said the Department of Justice has been very careful in handling witnesses because they are not paid by the government to testify. They only volunteered to help in the dispensation of justice despite security and economic consequences, he said.

The prosecutor said that the financial assistance and security escorts these witnesses are getting from the government are not even enough to put their lives at risk.

The witnesses in the murder of Dizon, alleging that relatives and friends of accused Edgar Belandres were harassing them, have recently sought assistance under the witness protection program.

Dizon's widow Amelina accompanied the witnesses to Arellano's office last week when a TV news crew took footage of them.

Arellano said these witnesses were already under the witness protection program long before the trial started but he refused however to give further details on the matter due to its confidential nature.

The court originally set the promulgation of its decision on the Dizon case last December 29 but this was moved to January 19, upon motion of the defense citing the Christmas season. - Fred P. Languido