Senate condemns
arrest of newsmen

Sometimes, surprises come around the corner, although some actually follow a certain trend.

And that's what happened yesterday. Senator Francis Escudero, chair of the committee who conducted the hearings onto the Manila Pen incident, told the mediamen present that the Senate had already approved a resolution condemning, with all voting in its favor, the arrest of mediamen.

Precisely that absence of three Cabinet secretaries plus the police officers invited by the Senate to yesterday's hearings into the issue of press freedom elicited a reprimand from the two Senate committees. The other one was chaired by Senator Gringo Honasan.

The cabinet secretaries were Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, DILG Secretary Rony Puno, and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez. The top PNP officials were led by PNP chief Avelino Razon, PNP NCPRO head Gen. Geary Barias, and others.

What happened yesterday at the hearings was that Sen. Escudero pointed out that the Constitution virtually assures that no law shall be passed abridging freedom of the press and the freedom of information.

In effect, he pointed out that the proposed PNP regulation governing media coverage during crisis situations, actually amounts to restricting the mediamen.

Tony Lopez, president of the Manila Overseas Press Club, pointed out that the arrest of mediamen during the Peninsula incident was the first time that it occurred here. Not even during Martial Law did it ever happen, Lopez pointed out.

Senator Jamby Madrigal interjected and said that the item should land in the Book of Guinness.

The point raised was why mediamen were hauled off to Bicutan with several of them handcuffed, some with plastic cuffs.

But, as pointed out by Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, no mediamen had been charged with anything by the police.

Earlier Wednesday night, Inday (Salvacion Espina-Varona) and Jose Jaime (Nonoy) and I were discussing the proposed guidelines being drawn up by the police.

We took the position that media cannot agree to rules and regulations governing their movements during a crisis situation. In short, the guide rule will be the call by individual mediamen on the ground.

This was later the same idea aired by Escudero and the mediamen at the Senate hearing. ABS-CBN's Maria Ressa pointed out that there never had been a similar round-up of newsmen in any other country, including the Soviet Union , during the Breslan incident where rebels slaughtered scores of school children.

In short, the most important point raised was the right of franchise by the State to radio and television stations. Tony Lopez stressed that the study should be done on the right of the state to airlanes. In which case, because of the rise of telephony and other modern communications technology, that ceases to have relevance.

Escudero said the Senate will study thoroughly the proposals on airwaves.

Anyway, Ellen Tordesillas, one of the media persons at the hearing, pointed out that she and her companions were informed that they will study the proposal.

One thing sure, though, the government cannot anymore treat media as an extension of its propaganda machine. And the point raised by mediamen is that what happened at the Peninsula may have a chilling effect on the Philippine Press.*

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