BY ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO

PRESS FREEDOM FOR EMPOWERING PEOPLE: Dakak Park, Zamboanga del Norte---Press freedom and freedom of speech are no longer just the freedom to write and talk about anything without the usual restrictions imposed by libel laws and other existing rules on prior restraint.

Under current circumstances, these Constitutional guarantees have become necessary and indispensable tools instead to empower our people to live a life that is blessed, protected and guided, and free from debilitating poverty arising from the curses occasioned by godlessness and absence of spiritual direction.

Consequently, mediamen across the country, whether from print or broadcast or even from non-traditional platforms should now endeavor to use their articles, columns, and any other media output to achieve this empowering of our people by instilling godliness and renewed spiritual re-awakening among them, so they could turn around their lives for the better.

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15TH NATIONAL PRESS CONGRESS AT DAKAK PARK: This is the gist of the 30-minute presentation which I gave Monday, December 6, 2010, to the 250 or so publishers, editors, columnists and reporters from different mainstream and community media who have been attending the 15th National Press Congress at the Dakak Park, Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte since Sunday, December 5, 2010.

I spoke upon the invitation of veteran newsman Johnny Dayang, the president of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI), under whose direction the congress is being held with the theme “Media Re-engineering towards Climate Change Adaption and Tourism Development.”

PAPI has been spearheading the congress which, by law, is to be held every December of every year, after its declaration as the “the Philippines’ National Press Congress Month and the Month of the Community Press in the Service of the Nation.”

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MEDIAMEN MUST NOW HELP BRING BACK PINOYS TO GOD: In my speech, I took note of the fact that almost all of the problems that our countrymen have been encountering and reeling from are problems which God warned, in many passages of the Bible (especially Deuteronomy 28:15-68), would be visited upon mankind as a result of man’s collective refusal to read His Word and obey His commands and decrees.

I pointed out that the problems of poverty, corruption, marital infidelity, our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) suffering abroad, aliens dominating us, defeat and failures, and climate change and global warming, the subject of the congress in Dakak, are specifically mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy.

Hurling a challenge to the members of PAPI and all other mediamen attending the congress, I said the time has come to use our collective license and freedom to write and broadcast so that Filipinos could be brought back to God by reading the Bible and obeying Him, and redeeming themselves form the Biblical curses that are now upon us.

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Media, dapat ibalik ang Pinoy sa Diyos


    PRESS FREEDOM PARA SA PAGPAPALAKAS NG SAMBAYANAN: Dakak Park, Zamboanga del Norte---Ang kalayaan sa pamamahayag at sa pagsasalita ay hindi na lang kalayaan para sa pagsusulat o pagpapahayag ng kahit anupamang bagay ng walang pagbabawal na ipinapataw ng mga batas sa libelo o ng mga kasalukuyang batas sa pagbabawal sa pagpapahayag.

Sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon, ang mga garantiyang ito ng Konstitusyon ay kailangan at epektibong kasangkapanin na para palakasin ang taumbayan upang makapamuhay sila na puno ng pagpapala, proteksiyon at may gabay, at malaya sa anumang kahirapan na mula sa mga sumpa na dala ng kawalan ng Diyos at kawalan ng direksiyong pang-espiritwal.

Dahil dito, dapat gamitin ng mga mediamen sa buong bansa, ke sila ay nasa print o broadcast, o maging sa non-traditional platforms, ang kanilang mga artikulo, kolum, at iba pang gawa, upang mapalakas ang taumbayan sa pamamagitan ng pagtuturo ng pagiging maka-Diyos, at muling pagbuhay ng aspetong pang-espiritwal upang mabago ang kanilang buhay para sa ikagaganda nito.

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15TH NATIONAL PRESS CONGRESS SA DAKAK PARK: Ito ang buod ng 30-minutong presentasyon na aking ibinigay noong Lunes, December 6, 2010, sa 250 o higit pang publishers, editors, columnists at reporters mula sa iba’t ibang mainstream at community media na dumalo sa 15th National Press Congress sa Dakak Park, Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte, simula pa noong Linggo, Disyembre 5, 2010.

Nagsalita ako dito batay na rin sa imbitasyon ng beteranong mamamahayag na si Johnny Dayang, pangulo ng Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI), kung saan nasa ilalim nito ang ginagawang pulong na may temang “Media Re-engineering towards Climate Change Adaption and Tourism Development.”

Pinangungunahan ng PAPI ang nasabing pulong, na ayon sa batas ay gagawin tuwing Disyembre ng kada taon, kasunod ng deklarasyon ng buwang ito bilang “the Philippines’ National Press Congress Month at Month of the Community Press in the Service of the Nation.”

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MEDIAMEN DAPAT TUMULONG PARA MAIBALIK ANG MGA PILIPINO SA DIYOS: Sa aking talumpati, aking binigyang diin ang katotohanan na karamihan ng mga problema na nararanasan ng ating mga kababayan ay mula sa mga problema na ibinabala ng Diyos, sa maraming talata ng Bibliya (lalo na sa Deuteronomy 28:15-68), na ihahataw sa sangkatauhan bilang resulta ng pagsuway ng tao na basahin ang Kanyang Salita at sundin ang Kanyang mga utos.

Ipinunto ko na ang problema ng kahirapan, katiwalian, pangangaliwa, paghihirap ng overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sa ibang bansa, pagdomina ng mga dayuhan sa atin, pagkatalo at kabiguan, climate change at global warming, siya  namang usapin sa congress sa Dakak, ay nabanggit sa aklat ng Deuteronomy.

Bilang hamon sa mga miyembro ng PAPI at iba pang mediamen na dumalo sa pulong, sinabi ko na dumating na ang panahon upang gamitin ang lisensiya ng mga mediamen para magsulat at mag-broadcast, upang maibalik ang mga Pilipino sa Diyos sa pamamagitan ng pagbabasa ng Bibliya at pagsunod sa Kanya, daan upang maalis ang mga sumpang binanggit ng Bibliya.

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