“In their quest for truth, they spilled blood.”
This statement, along with the names of all 63 Filipino journalists killed in the line of duty since 1986, was printed prominently on a 10-foot tall canvas unveiled yesterday at the opening of Press Freedom Week in Cagayan de Oro City.
1986 is the benchmark year for the listing, Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC) president Jerry Orcullo pointed out, because it was the year that democracy was restored in the country.
Orcullo lamented that the Philippine government, from the Aquino to the Arroyo presidencies, had done little to prevent or solve the recurring murders of mediamen in the country.
The COPC leaders who spearheaded the annual commemoration are planning to put up a memorial in one of the parks in the city to immortalize the 63 journalists.
Mindanao Gold Star Daily editor-in-chief Herbie Gomez disclosed that the memorial could be erected either at the Divisioria Plaza in the city center, or at Gaston Park near City Hall, both operated by the city government, or at the Vicente de Lara Park that is operated by the Misamis Oriental provincial government.
With the opening of Press Freedom Week yesterday, about a hundred journalists from northern Mindanao joined in a Mass and offered lighted candles for their felled colleagues.
Press Freedom Week was institutionalized by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. in 1982.
COPC, founded in 1951, is the oldest organization of journalists outside Metro Manila. – Mark Francisco