Roxas to file resolution vs police treatment of media during hotel siege

Sen. Manuel Roxas II will file a Senate resolution today denouncing the treatment by authorities of local and foreign journalists who covered the standoff at the Peninsula Hotel last Thursday in Makati City.

Roxas said his resolution aims to create clear rules of engagement regarding the role of the media in major events.

“We should remember that in EDSA 1 and EDSA 2, the support of the media was actively enlisted and extolled by the beneficiaries of a transfer of political power. Are we now changing the standard and rules of the game?” Roxas asked.

Roxas said the issue surrounding Sen. Antonio Trillanes’ takeover of the Peninsula Hotel must be separated from state decisions and actions in relation to the media.

“The custody of journalists and seizure of media materials and equipment by police authorities are outstanding issues that have to be threshed out openly, soberly, and truthfully.”

“I was told by my sources that a Philippine National Police official told the detained journalists that they were both victims and suspects. This is a matter that must be brought out into the open and clarified. Was that officer speaking on behalf of the state or was it just an off-the-cuff, personal remark?” Roxas said.

Roxas’ call came in the wake of criticisms that the National Capital Region Police Office under Chief Superintendent Geary Barias may have committed security lapses prior to the formal negotiations for the surrender of Trillanes, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and the rest of their comrades. Sources said Barias even placed the PNP in an embarrassing situation when he was bullied and driven away by Magdalo soldiers during his first attempt to negotiate with Trillanes and Lim.

Roxas’ resolution would also lay the basis for a Senate inquiry into the alleged processing of journalists by the authorities in the aftermath of a controversial event.

“The press is recognized by the Constitution as a counterbalance against the institutional abuse of power, through the transparent coverage of events to forestall deception or propaganda. The recent actions of the law enforcement authorities impose a chilling effect on this role,” Roxas said.

“Unless the rules of engagement between the media and law enforcers can be clarified, this conundrum can repeat itself and become the norm rather than an unlawful and therefore dangerous exception,” he said.

He said a Senate inquiry could provide invaluable insights on how the government, particularly the police and military, perceives the role of the media.

“Threats to press freedom and public access to official information have been a recurring theme under this administration and it is high time that we confront the question of whether these rights are now being systematically undermined,” Roxas said.