KIKO HITS DILG, PNP ON MEDIA ARREST, SEEKS MEDIA
COOPERATION IN UPCOMING SENATE INVESTIGATION

"We must do everything to ensure that the rights to free speech and of the press are not so lightly trampled upon by the executive department." --- KIKO

Senate Majority Leader and Independent senator Francis Pangilinan criticized the position taken by Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno when he said that media shall be apprehended if they refuse to follow police orders in a situation similar to what happened at the siege of the Manila Peninsula Hotel last week.

"We must do everything to ensure that the rights to free speech and of the press are not so lightly trampled upon by the executive department," Pangilinan said.

At yesterday's dialogue between representatives of media and the executive department spearheaded by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP) ended nowhere, it is time now for both the judiciary and legislature to step in to serve as check and balance on the executive.

Meanwhile, Puno and other police authorities insisted the action taken by police was part of normal police operations.

"Media should bring the matter to the court in order to get a definite ruling. The courts must step in to prevent a repeat of the incident," Pangilinan stressed.

"We in The Senate will likewise look into what can be done to protect the constitutionally granted rights, such as free speech and access to information, against any unreasonable intrusions of the government," Kiko ended.