M’danao newsmen tackle economic plight in Davao gab

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — More than 100 journalists from all over Mindanao are gathering in Davao City today to discuss their economic rights and welfare in the light of the recent killings of some of their colleagues.

The output of the one-day conference-workshop, organized by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), will be presented to the Senate and the House of Representatives to urge lawmakers to investigate the plight of journalists.

The conference-workshop, with the theme "Media in Society: A Conference on the Economic Rights and Welfare of Filipino Journalists," will be held at the South Gallery on the second floor of SM City-Davao.

In an e-mail statement, Carlos Conde, NUJP-Davao City coordinator, said the conference "is a milestone because it is the only one in recent years that tackles mainly the economic rights and welfare of journalists."

"The series of killings of journalists nationwide has dealt those of us in the media a painful realization — that it is necessary to tackle the matter of economic rights and welfare of journalists if we are to successfully defend press freedom and maintain a responsible and vigilant press," he said.

Carlos added: "We are convinced that, before we can even talk about press freedom, ethics and professionalism, we must deal first with the economic condition of the journalist. In our case, local journalists continue to receive low wages and get no benefits at all, among other violations of their economic rights."

The NUJP-Davao, he said, believes that poor pay and lack of benefits are "strong factors for the deterioration of ethical standards and responsibility in journalism and that there is a need to go to the root of the problem by knowing exactly how journalists live and cope under these circumstances and how exactly media employers treat their workers."

Speakers in the conference include Sen. Loren Legarda, Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and journalists-turned-Davao City legislators Angela Librado, Leo Avila and Mabel Sunga-Acosta.

Also invited to speak are Efren Elbanbuena, regional director of the Philippine Information Agency ("The State of the Davao Media"), Atty. Carlos Zarate of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines ("Media and Labor Laws") and Rowena Carranza ("The Philippine Press: A Situationer").

Inday Espina-Varona, NUJP vice chairman, will give a briefing on the NUJP. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was also invited to speak at the opening of the conference.

Co-sponsoring the assembly are the NUJP national office, SM City-Davao, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), DCT Printing, Mindanao Daily Mirror, Nanay Bebeng’s, Mandarin Restaurant, Nestle and Cortess Printing Corp.