Media urged: Support each other

CEBU, Philippines -  Members of the senate are seeing the significance of fortifying the clusters of tri-media in the country to help protect those in the profession from the risks brought about by the job to them and their families.

Last Friday, Senator Gregorio ‘Gringo’ Honasan met with some members of the media in Cebu for a consultation on bills and laws concerning the media like the Freedom of Information bill and the proposed amendment of Republic Act 53 or the Sotto Law.

Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto, who was not able to attend due to other commitments in the day, sent his message through Honasan on his commitment to the amendment of the law his grandfather, the late Senator Vicente Yap Sotto, passed in 1946.

Sotto is pushing for the inclusion of members of other mediums like TV and Radio in the Sotto Law, which currently protects the print media practitioners from revealing their sources of their news.

This has been backed by media organizations in the country, including the Cebu Citizen’s Press Council, who mentioned during the consultation their position in advocating for the amendment.

In line with the Sotto Law, Senator Honasan said that it would be beneficial to tri-media members to be organized as one whole group, so that guidelines, procedures and code of ethics in the industry would be outlined well.

At present, media personnel working for TV and Radio are under the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas.

Manny Rabacal, a TV news anchor, mentioned that KBP ensures that code of ethics are practiced by TV and Radio personalities which is also being guarded by the National Telecommunications Commission.

Honasan agreed of the responsibilities of the two offices but pointed out if the regulations are being applied consistently.

The Senator, who is advocating on the passage of the Freedom of Information Act, said that having a group of tri-media professional would help eliminate “hao-siao”(fake) journalists.

In an interview with The FREEMAN, Honasan said that if the code of ethics would be in position, schools offering media-related studies would also be able to discuss and understand the industry.

He added that through this, protection tri-media practitioners on job-related risks would be intensified and would be extended to the families of the members.

Further, Honasan said that they are pleased to know that media practitioners in Cebu are organized and guided well.

Aside from the CCPC which includes the media and the public, tri-media practitioners in Cebu are under the Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists. —FPL (FREEMAN)