Press Release
July 20, 2007

Jinggoy warns Palace of using HSA to harass mediamen

OPPOSITION leader Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada warned the Arroyo Administration not to use the controversial Human Security Act (HSA) or the anti-terrorism law to harass journalists and other government critics.

Estrada, who re-filed his bill in the Senate that seeks to establish a Magna Carta for Journalists to protect media practitioners, said various sectors have expressed fear that the HSA will be implemented to harass and silence administration critics. He said the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based independent and non-profit organization dedicated to protect press freedom, had also expressed grave concern over the new anti-terrorism legislation recently enacted in the Philippines.

The CPJ cited a top government official's statement that in certain circumstances the HSA would allow the government to wiretap journalists.

While the HSA specifically prohibits the surveillance and interception of communications between journalists and their sources, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez recently told reporters in Manila that he may recommend the wiretapping of journalists.

Estrada said that even the international community is alarmed with the implementation of the HSA.

"The administration should be aware of the backlash from the continued threats and intimidation exerted on journalists who are critical of the administration's anomalous activities," Estrada said. He said the people should be more vigilant and protest the questionable provisions of the HSA that might violate human rights. Several groups have alsready asked the Supreme Court to declare certain provisions of the HSA as unconstitutional.

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