MY SENTENCE
December 18, 2010
Statement of NPC President Jerry S. Yap
Murder of 4th mediaman killed under Noy’s watch bred by indecisiveness
The National Press Club is grieving over the loss of another journalist shot
dead on December 10, 2010 in Tabudok, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur while it is
feeling exceedingly disgusted over the continued inaction by the PNP and the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the case of another
journalist, a radio commentator in Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte who was
tortured and planted with shabu evidence to ensure imprisonment without bail to
stop criticisms against the local police.
Mindanao Inquirer’s columnist Edison Flamenia Sr. was gunned down in the evening
of the Human Rights Day while walking to his home in Zamboanga del Sur.
The count of the NPC shows that Flamenia is the fourth journalist killed since
President Noynoy Aquino took over last July 1.
Last July 3, Jose Daguio, a 75-year-old radio commentator, was having his dinner
inside his house in Barangay Tuga, Tabuk, Kalinga when he shot dead.
Last July 9, Miguel Belen was driving his motorcycle along Zone 3, Barangay San
Jose Pagaraon, Nabua, Camarines Sur when he was shot at 8:30 in the evening. He
was on his way home when motorcycle-riding men fired at him. He was rushed to a
hospital but died due to the injuries last August 28.
Edilberto Cruz, publisher of Salida tabloid, was shot dead in the evening of
August 1 while driving his motorcycle along Maharlika Highway in Barangay San
Juan Accfa, Cabanatuan City.
As in the case of Dipolog radio commentator Ryan D. Uy, the assaults against
these four slain mediamen occurred during the night.
The assaults against Uy and the four slain media men occurred despite the fact
that the main suspected perpetrators and masterminds of the November 23, 2009
Ampatuan Massacre have all been put behind bars and the fact that the new
president has brought forth overflowing hopes and promises that all crimes,
including murders against the journalists, shall be dealt with in the harshest
manner.
In fact, President Aquino and Justice Secretary Leila De Lima approved the
proposal of the NPC to create a “Super Body” versus media killing. But this was
eventually shelved and the NPC was promised a similar task force to be led by
the newly-created Death Investigation Division of the National Bureau of
Investigation. But this has yet to show its worth.
In totality, nothing has been seen as a decisive action on any of all
media-related violence thus far. Nothing has been done to prevent more violence
to occur.
In the case of Dipolog radioman, the NPC has written the President, the
Secretary of Justice, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the Office of the
Ombudsman, the DILG, and the PNP but nothing has also come out of it, except for
the CHR writing back that it has already conducted its own investigation into
the torture of Uy and the PNP chief Raul M. Bacalzo writing back that the
Internal Affairs Service of the PNP have conducted its investigation.
The NPC saw the hands of Dipolog City police chief Supt. Reynaldo Mendieta
Maclang manipulating everything that it has demanded for his immediate relief to
ensure that the documents are not tampered with and the witnesses are not
influenced in order to have a fair investigation into the matter. To the
contrary, DILG Usec. Rico Puno told the NPC president that it was a case of
politicking. As such, the Club wrote a stronger message to Puno telling him he
is wrong, that rather the case of the Dipolog radio commentator was one of
torture and suppression of the press. Any action of Puno on this has also yet
to be seen.
The NPC particularly points to the fact that the Dipolog radioman was mauled
black and blue during the alleged arrest for shabu buy-bust at 11:30 in the
evening of October 29 but Maclang did not bring the commentator to the nearest
hospital or doctor for the necessary medical attention. He also did not enter
the arrest data into the city police blotter. He also refused Mariano Uy, the
father of Ryan, and their lawyer Cres Palpagan to visit the son. These
circumstances compelled the father to seek help from an equalizing force such
that the governor of Zamboanga del Norte, Rolando Yebes, intervened at 8:30 in
the morning of Oct. 30, compelling Maclang to allow the visit, the medical
checkup, and the entry of the arrest report into the blotter.
In the case of the trial of the Ampatuan Massacre, where 33 journalists were
killed en masse on November 23, 2009, the NPC always knows that the President
and his cabinet and other officials have no control over how to speed up the
proceedings. As such, the biggest and oldest organization of newsmen filed a
petition before the Supreme Court asking to constitute the present court of
Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes into a special court relieved of all other cases and
duties to focus on the trial. The Highest Tribunal is yet to deliberate on the
petition.
Nevertheless, this indecisiveness has bred further the resolve of thick-faced
lords that it is still easy to silence the journalists.
Posted by Batas Internet Media. Posted In : BERTENI “TOTO” CAUSING
