JDV boosts Press Freedom fund by P1 M

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. turned over two checks worth P1 million each yesterday for the Press Freedom Fund, increasing his donation to P2.2 million.

Jose Pavia of the Philippine Press Institute, which administers the fund, received one check for P1 million, while Philippine National Police chief Director General Arturo Lomibao received the other check.

De Venecia said the P2 million came from his priority development assistance fund (PDAF), otherwise know as the congressmen’s pork barrel.

He said the checks augmented his previous donation of P200,000, which he added came from "personal funds."

"The money is my small contribution to preserving press freedom," he added.

He also announced that President Arroyo would contribute an equal amount of P2 million to the fund.

He told journalists that the P1 million that Pavia received would be used for "quick reaction" purposes, including the search for witnesses who could lead authorities to attackers or killers of media practitioners, and for assistance to the families of victims.

It would also be a seed fund for a "modest scholarship program" for the children of victims, he said.

On the other hand, De Venecia said the P1 million that went to Lomibao would be used as "reward money" to facilitate the solution of cases involving slain journalists.

Pavia and Lomibao thanked the Speaker for his donation.

The PNP chief said there have been 10 media practitioners killed since he assumed leadership of the police organization.

"Of those 10, we have solved nine cases. We consider an attack on a journalist as an attack on press freedom. The Speaker’s donation will in no small measure help us accomplish our task of preserving press freedom, protecting journalists and solving cases of killings," he said.

Lomibao had created a task force to help those in media protect themselves and solve killings.

Those who witnessed the turnover of the checks included Tony Lopez of the Manila Overseas Press Club, Jose Torres of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, and Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, former chairman of the House committee on public information.

Remulla said he and his House colleagues would pass the hat around to raise additional contributions to the Press Freedom Fund.

"People are not supposed to shoot the messenger. But in our country, which is the second most dangerous place in the world after Iraq for journalists, they kill not only the message but the messenger as well," he said.

De Venecia said the fund was a step in defense of press freedom and would provide a "strong deterrent" to the wave of violence against Filipino journalists.

"We are providing a deterrent fund, and we hope to augment this with contributions from other citizens," said De Venecia.

Remulla said individual House members have donated P220,000, which he will turn over to the Fund next year.

De Venecia signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the PNP and the Freedom Fund providing for the financial grant from his Priority Development Assistance Fund — the first such fund to bolster the Filipino journalists’ fight against what he said were "assaults on press freedom."

Lomibao signed on behalf of the PNP, Pavia signed for the Freedom Fund, which will be jointly administered by five Philippine press organizations of print and broadcast journalists.

"With this Fund we will now send a strong signal to our people and the international community that we are determined to go after the killers of Filipino journalists and to stop the killings altogether," De Venecia, a former correspondent, said.

The Speaker said he hopes that other organizations "would join us to augment this Fund so that we can effectively pursue the objectives for which the Fund has been created."

Lomibao hailed De Venecia’s initiative, saying it would help the police in solving the various cases of violence against journalists. "I have given a special concern to these cases," he said.

Lomibao also created "Task Force Newsman" to be headed by Chief Superintendent Pete Tango, who was also present at the turnover rites.

Pavia thanked the Speaker, and said the 2003 killing of a journalist in Mindanao had been solved when a policeman accused in the shooting was convicted by a trial court in Cebu City two months ago. — Jess Diaz