Nograles: Senators' prodding may force House to pass Right of Reply bill

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Prospero Nograles believes the House of Representatives would pass the Right of Reply Bill upon the insistence of senators.

“The senators have been following it up from us,” he said.

“We have no choice but to take it up, especially because 19 senators have endorsed that bill.”

Nograles said the senators, led by Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., have been inquiring about the status of House Bill 3306.

The House leadership is determined to act on the bill, which the media assailed as being confiscatory in nature, he added.

The bill is under Committee Report 207, which is up for consideration on second reading.

Its main author is Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella.

Several senators, particularly Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda, have withdrawn their support for the controversial measure after media opposed it as violative of the Constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of the press.

Deputy Majority Leader Juan Edgardo Angara, a lawyer, has asked for a review of the current list of authors and co-authors as he reiterated that he has already withdrawn support for the bill.

The representative from the lone district of Aurora said he withdrew authorship after realizing the overwhelming unity of campus press, media practitioners and concerned groups over the bill’s threat to press freedom and freedom of expression.

“I have listened to feedback from different media groups around the country and their position seems to be that media groups, as a matter of practice and self-regulation, already extend this right of reply to persons who are the subjects of a negative story or article,” he said. “This has led me to a decision to no longer pursue the bill.”

Angara said he realized “there may be some practical difficulties” in the implementation of the Right of Reply Bill once enacted into law. “Nonetheless, we still appeal to our friends in media for fairness, as we believe that editorial functions are privately exercised prerogatives,” he said.

Last May 25, the House began its debate on the Right of Reply Bill that aims to compel media entities to give persons maligned in newspapers, radio or TV a chance to defend themselves by providing them space and airtime.         – Delon Porcalla