Whether a journalist has a good or bad reputation is no valid reason to warrant his or her death.
This was the strong appeal of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), voiced out by Chairman Nonoy Espina on Saturday during the National Media Forum at the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel.
He is strongly dismayed that the killing of journalists had been deemed acceptable for allegedly being corrupt or being biased on their profession.
“The point is, killing them is still not justifiable,” Espina said.
He also pointed out that there are even good journalists who have still been the target for impunity.
“Even good journalists have been targeted even if they were not corrupt,” He added, “People will always find you some loop holes or reasoning why you should be killed.”
According to a data gathered by NUJP, 154 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since 1986, making the country a dangerous place for the said profession.
Included on the figures are 32 journalists who were killed in 2009 in Maguindanao, making it the most gruesome election related killing in the Philippines.
The Maguindanao massacre will commemorate its ninth year, wherein NUJP and its media members will visit the grave site on Sunday, November 18.
Meanwhile 12 journalists had already been killed since President Rodrigo Duterte seated in 2016; seven of which are from Mindanao, making it the fastest rising of number for the killing of journalists.
Melinda Quintod de Jesus, Executive Director of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) said that the slow trial of the Maguindanao massacre proves how journalists are being oppressed by influential government officials who are the main perpetrators of the media killings.
“Since the start of the Ampatuan (massacre) trial, it is designed to fail,” she added, “Because they included every single name that was named by every witness and the DOJ (Department of Justice) at that time was broken in a debate.”
188 out 197 accused in the massacre were already charged by DOJ; however, 150 persons are at still at large.
The CMFR director also disclosed that most of the slain journalist are block timers or those on air personalities who are buying a specific airtime to a radio station for advertising or political cause.
“More block timers are being persecuted because they are being used by political sponsors,” de Jesus said.
The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KPB) has already crafted guidelines for block time users. However, not all media companies are members of the KBP.
