Press Release
April 21, 2010

As RP rises in global media slay impunity index:
Jinggoy wants full protection, justice for journalists

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada today vowed to push his legislative proposals seeking full protection and welfare for journalists, as well as justice for those coerced, harassed and killed while performing their duties.

"It is imperative that we enact and implement journalist-oriented measures, especially as the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that the Philippines ranked third in its 2010 Global Impunity Index - up from sixth place in 2009 - with the group noting an increasing number of media murders in the country and our government failing to solve these crimes," the senator declared.

In its report published on its website, the CPJ said, "Deadly, unpunished violence against the press has soared in the Philippines..." adding, "the November 2009 massacre of 30 journalists and two media support workers in Maguindanao province more than doubled the country's impunity rating from the previous year."

The group, hinting that the Philippines may find itself moving further up the index with Justice Secretary Alberto Agra's decision to clear two Ampatuan clan members in the case, said, "Given the Philippines' abysmal record of impunity in the killings of journalists, President Arroyo's government has given little reassurance that history will be reversed with this surprise move," in reference to Agra's decision to drop the murder charges against detained Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Vice Governor Akmad Ampatuan Sr. "The Philippines' rank number three in the CPJ index should not be taken a bit as a consolation, because the index's rank number one (Iraq, with 88 unresolved media murders since year 2000) and number two (Somalia) are immersed in deep internal conflicts. Thus, this ranking effectively places the Philippines, among all proclaimed freer societies in the world, as the country with the worst case of media murders - 55 in all - which the government fails to resolve," Estrada said.

Also included in the 12-country CPJ Index are Sri Lanka, Colombia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

Estrada said he supported the statement by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) that the country's third place ranking in the CPJ 2010 Index "all the more crystallized the real situation of the Philippine press" as he noted the "many attacks against journalists" in the country.

Estrada said if he wins in his re-election bid, he would definitely push in the Senate his bills calling for full protection and welfare for journalists, and more especially, justice for media workers attacked while in the performance of their duties.

Among Estrada's journalist-oriented bills which he filed in the current 14th Congress are:

Senate Bill Number 9: AN ACT PROMOTING THE WELFARE OF AND PROVIDING PROTECTION TO JOURNALISTS;

SB No. 524: IMPOSING AN ADDITIONAL PENALTY ON ALL PERSONS WHO COERCE, INFLICT INJURY OR KILL ANY BONAFIDE MEMBER OF THE MEDIA IN THE COURSE OF OR IN THE PEFORMANCE OF HIS OR HER DUTIES;

SB No. 538: AN ACT QUALIFYING THE KILLING OF MEMBERS OF BROADCAST AND PRINT MEDIA ON THE OCCASION OF THE EXERCISE OF THEIR FUNCTIONS AS SUCH, AS A CRIME OF MURDER; and

SB 515: the MAGNA CARTA FOR JOURNALISTS.

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