Arrest of media gets widespread condemnation
The arrest of media covering the standoff at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in
Vice President Noli de Castro yesterday appealed to the police to immediately release the arrested members of the media after it is determined that they were not part of the rebellion or sedition.
Reporters, photographers, and other news personnel from television, radio and print media were arrested alongside the coup leaders.
Among those arrested were ABS-CBN technical team Norbert Calupitan, Alex Acuin, Emil Hao; production unit manager Mark Cadampog, dzMM radio reporter Noel Alamar; Manila Bulletin reporters Noel Selis and Mariane Bermudez; dwIZ reporter Raul Esperas; Bloomberg news reporter Nana Lucsani and Allan Gutierrez of GMA 7.
They were herded toward a police bus bound for National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) headquarters in Bicutan, Taguig.
The ABS-CBN technical team was told to leave their video cameras and other equipment. The arrested media men’s hands were even handcuffed.
Tordesillas is a feisty columnist of one of the long-running broadsheets in Metro Manila and a critic of President Arroyo.
Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. deplored the arrest and “rough treatment accorded to the media who were just carrying out their duties.
“This conduct clearly violates the rights of media practitioners and makes a mockery of the implementation of our laws. Due respect must be given to the least of our people, much more to journalists in line of duty, Villar said.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel lashed out at the Arroyo government for treating media “worse than the way international media covering war zones in
Senator Manuel Roxas strongly warned the authorities against taking custody of media or any of their videos or equipment without due process.
ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs head Maria Ressa strongly condemned the arrest of several media practitioners who were covering the
In an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel, Ressa said the arrest of journalists “crossed the line.”
“Regardless of motive, the act itself was illegal. In many instances, media would cooperate. By arresting journalists, the line was crossed,” Ressa said.
The former CNN correspondent said that press freedom should be protected in a democracy.
“The state of media is an indication of the state of democracy of a particular country,” she said.
Ressa also stressed that ABS-CBN “has no intention to use anything against the government,” adding that the network is only standing up for the bill of rights, specifically the right to cover a news event.
Officials earlier said that members of the media were arrested because they were witnesses to the siege, but later said that they were held for still unidentified violations.
“I can’t speculate about the motive, but the public does have the right to know,” said Ressa.
Ressa added she was puzzled about the difference between the government’s reaction to the
She cited that the illegal arrest was reminiscent of the martial law years.
Charrie Villa, head of news gathering of ABS-CBN said their photographers and reporters were not obstructing justice and “were just doing their jobs.”
Philippine Press Institute chairman Amado Macasaet, in a statement, condemned the arrest of media men.
“We see clear danger in the government’s seemingly hasty interpretation that the coverage of the standoff threatens national security as this maybe the only ground that government may use in rounding up those who took the risks to stay inside the hotel, “ Macasaet said.
The National Union of Journalists in the
But Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro defended the arrests citing intelligence information that some renegade soldiers might be posing as journalists.
He also assured that after the identities of those arrested are ascertained, they will be freed. – Christina Mendez, Marvin Sy, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jaime Laude, Patricia Estevez
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