Presidential Communications and Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar urged the members of the media to support the passage of the Media Welfare Act which was submitted to both chambers of Congress by the PCOO and the Presidential Task force on Media Security (PTFOMS).
Secretary Andanar claimed one of the reasons why media personalities in some parts of the country are being assassinated or killed by hired killers is because of economic vulnerability wherein mostly radio blocktimers are usually the victims because of their being partisan to their advertisers and their sponsors.
He added the recent decision of a Quezon City-based court that convicted some 43 individuals linked to the brutal Maguindanao massacre 10 years ago is a victory for press freedom, the freedom of expression and human rights and helped in removing the international tag of the Philippines as one of the most dangerous countries for media practitioners.
The PCOO chief pointed out one of the salient features of the Media Welfare Act which was a product of extensive research by the PCOO and PTFOMS is the significantly improved benefits for the members of the media which must be provided by the different media organizations aside from being assured of their security to prevent them from being harassed and threatened by self-styled politicians, among others, who are criticized for their wrong deeds.
According to him, President Rodrigo Duterte is mindful of the welfare of the media thus one of his first issuances was the creation of the PTFOMS to look after the security of the members of the Fourth Estate who have been harassed and threatened by the supporters of people that they criticize, apart from providing needed assistance for the handing down of the long overdue decision on the Maguindanao massacre case that has been pending in court over the past 10 years.
Andanar is the first PCOO chief to visit the site of the Maguindanao massacre when he assumed his post and initiated the visit of the families of the victims of the massacre in Malacañang one year later where the President assured them that his administration will closely monitor the developments of the case.
Andanar emphasized the decision of the court that convicted some 43 individuals directly involved or served as accessories in the Maguindanao massacre case was only partial thus the need for concerned sectors to continue to be vigilant on the latest developments in the said case so that the families of the victims will achieve justice for what happened to those who were brutally murdered in the celebrated massacre case in the country.
He stated that with the partial decision of the court on the case, the international tag of the country as one of the unsafe nations for media will surely improve in the perception of the public and foreigners alike.
Earlier, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes rendered a partial decision on the celebrated Maguindanao massacre case involving the Ampatuan clan members that convicted some 43 individuals who were directly involved or served as accessories in the brutal murder of some 58 individuals, including 32 journalists, which got the attention of the global community.
By Dexter A. See
