Can the Senate defend media?

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor ERIC T. LORETIZO Sports Editor (On Leave) RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Unless something else comes up, the Senate will seek an explanation today from the chief of the Philippine National Police and officials of the National Telecommunication Commission why the "crackdown" on the media apparently continues, despite the fact that the President has already magnanimously lifted Proclamation No. 1017 that they had obviously perceived to have granted them extraordinary powers or authority.

The initiative for the explanations came from Senator Joker Arroyo, who appears very concerned about the implications to our democracy of the recent actions of these two agencies. The raid and the "monitoring" of the Daily Tribune was bad enough, but no less disturbing are reports that the NTC is still breathing down the necks of broadcast entities and drawing up its own version of standards and guidelines for the practitioners.

Citing the Constitutional guarantees against the curtailment of the freedom of the press, Senator Arroyo particularly referred to the imposition of such guidelines and the proposed installation of monitors to - what else - but control the media in this country.

Arroyo also disclosed that the Senate Committees on Justice and Human Rights and on Public Services have formed two sub-committees, one of which will investigate the crackdown on the media, and the other to probe the warrantless arrests made by the police, the cancellation of rally permits and dispersal of rallies, clear cases also of the curtailment of the freedom of assembly.

He also said this is very important because, to all appearance, the proclamation had been lifted, but continues to be in effect.

We in the media are grateful to Senator Arroyo and his colleagues, but what if the heads of the two agencies - the police and the telecommunications office - refuse to come and invoke the shield of Executive Order 464 which, by the way, must have been forgotten by the Supreme Court already?

That is what we fear may come up to confront the Senate today.*