Tawi-Tawi broadcaster: 4th journalist killed this year

Tawi-Tawi broadcaster: 4th journalist killed this year
'The issue here is not just the safety and lives of journalists. A greater issue is whether this government is truly committed to democracy and freedom'


If anything, the brazen murder on Monday of Radyo ng Bayan reporter and operations supervisor Vicente Sumalpong in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi and the wounding of his colleague, Vema Antham, highlights once more the government's failure to act decisively to staunch the rampant bloodshed that has cast doubts on its ability and commitment to defend democracy and freedom.

Sumalpong was the fourth journalist murdered this year, the 53rd since this administration came to power in 2001 and the 90th since the supposed restoration of democracy in 1986. He is also the second member of the government-run network to be killed this year.

It is ironic that this latest assault on press freedom comes only 10 days after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asked media to "help" her build her legacy in the last three years of her term, going so far as to suggest how the press should spin reportage, commentary and even editorial slant to fit the image she wishes to be remembered by.

Doubly ironic because the deaths of our colleagues since 2001 have, indeed, helped Arroyo build a legacy - that of having the highest media death toll under any presidency, including the 14-year Marcos dictatorship, and more than the combined total of her three predecessors.

Again, we stress that we are not implying that the killings of journalists are part of any official policy.

But we also again reiterate our assertion that government inaction in stopping the killings and bringing those responsible - gunmen and masterminds both - to account makes it no less culpable than if it had actually pulled the trigger. For this inaction has bred the culture of impunity that has encouraged those who wish to silence press freedom in this country to carry out their attacks with increasing brazenness.

The issue here is not just the safety and lives of journalists. A greater issue is whether this government is truly committed to democracy and freedom.

Unless we see concrete action against journalists' killers and unless we hear an unequivocal order from the president to stop the deliberate targeting of the press, which we have long demanded from her, that commitment will ever be in doubt.


References:
Jose Torres Jr., NUJP chair
cp.no. 0920-9010013
Rowena Paraan, NUJP secretary-general
cp. no. 09104950095


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Alert
June 25, 2007

Gov't Radio broadcaster killed in Tawi-Tawi ambush, two others wounded

A reporter of the government-run Radyo ng Bayan was killed in an ambush in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, around 8 a.m. today (June 25).

Based on reports received by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Vicente Sumalpong, a reporter of Radyo ng Bayan, was killed on the spot. Two others were wounded: Vema Antham, RnB reporter, and Ruelan Hope Borja, RnB staff.

The three were on board a motorcycle and were leaving the Sea Orchid Housing Project in Bongao after picking up Antham when fired at by unidentified gunmen. Sumalpong sustained five gunshot wounds and died immediately.

Earlier, Sumalpong and Antham reportedly asked Radyo ng Bayan management that they be transferred from Tawi-Tawi because of fears for their safety.

Sumalpong is the fourth journalist killed this year and the 53rd under the admnistration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.


Reference:
Rowena Paraan
IFJ-NUJP Safety Office

Police identify suspect behind broadcaster's slay

53rd journalist killed in the Philippines under Arroyo

Philippine radio journalist shot dead

In the Philippines, one journalist killed, nother wounded in a shooting spree, CPJ

JOURNALIST RELEASED AFTER 10 HOURS IN DETENTION

Journalist released after 10 hours in detention

Journalist Jofelle Tesorio, who was ordered jailed by a local judge yesterday morning, was released after almost ten hours in detention.

Tesorio was brought to a women's detention facility in Camp Karingal in Quezon City shortly after posting a P20,000 bail bond about 9 a.m. Thursday morning.

Tesorio, former correspondent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and editor of Bandillo ng Palawan, is facing a libel suit after writing a series of articles dating back to 2003 relating to former Palawan congressman Vicente Sandoval Sr.

The libel case was filed by Sandoval over Tesorio's article on the Camago-Malampaya Natural Gas Project in Palawan, which came out in the Jan. 20-26, 2003 issue of Bandillo ng Palawan.

Jose Torres Jr, chairman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said Tesorio's detention proved that the country's libel law "is being used by people in power to intimidate journalists and curtail press freedom."

The NUJP reiterated its call to decriminalize libel, a criminal offense under the country's Penal Code.

"Journalists should not be thrown behind bars for doing their job," Torres said.

The International Federation of Journalists on Thursday also called on the Philippine government to decriminalize libel.

"The libel laws in the Philippines are outdated, excessive and unreasonable, and they are too often abused by those with power to silence journalists," said IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park.

"The IFJ again calls for an overhaul of libel laws in the Philippines to remove defamation from the criminal code," Park said.

In April this year, radio journalist Alex "Lex" Adonis was jailed for four years after he was convicted for libel. Another radio reporter, Jun Alegre, was also jailed for libel early this year.

NUJP's Davao chapter, in a separate statement issued Thursday afternoon said, Tesorio "is a victim of repression and she does not deserve one single moment in jail."

"We lament that a lot more corrupt politicians in the country remain unscathed while the brave watchdogs who are supposed to remain free to perform their duties in the service of democracy are one by one being hurled behind cold bars because of the onerous libel law in the country that is now being used as a tool at the disposal of the powerful," NUJP-Davao said.

Reference:
Joe Torres
Chairman, NUJP
0920-9010013

NUJP chair elected adviser of world's largest media group

Jose Torres Jr, chairperson of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) was elected as general reserve adviser of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) during its recent World Congress in Moscow. Torres is managing editor of GMA News.tv.

The IFJ, which speaks for journalists within the United Nations system and the international trade union movement, is the world's largest organization of journalists. First established in 1926, the federation represents around 500,000 members in more than 100 countries.

The IFJ promotes international action to defend press freedom and social justice. It is opposed to discrimination of all kinds and condemns the use of media as propaganda or to promote intolerance and conflict.

NUJP is the IFJ affiliate in the Philippines. The NUJP seeks to promote and safeguard the economic interests of Filipino journalists, upgrade professional skills, raise the standards of journalistic ethics, carry out welfare program for its members and foster fraternal solidarity with all journalists everywhere.

Torres was elected NUJP head in 2006.

Reference:
Rowena Carranza-Paraan
Secretary-General, NUJP
cp: 09104950095
email: nujphil@gmail.com
rcparaan@gmail.com

2 MILLION CHILDREN DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL IN 2006

MEDIA RELEASE

IBON Foundation, Inc.,

Reference: Mr Sonny Africa (IBON research head)

June 2, 2007

2 MILLION CHILDREN DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL IN 2006

Declining number of school children reflects harder economic times

Worsening economic conditions in the country have denied millions of children the right to a decent education as shown by increasing dropout rates, according to independent think-tank IBON Foundation.

Data from the Department of Education show that dropout rates, which had been steadily improving during the 1990s, have reached 10.6% in the elementary levels and 15.8% in the secondary levels in school year (SY) 2005-2006. Comparing these rates to enrolment in the same year, as many as 2.4 million children may have dropped out of school last year.

Majority of those who dropped out came from public schools as indicated by sharp falls in enrolment there. Enrolment in public elementary schools fell by 106,903 in SY 2005-2006 while that in public secondary schools fell by 64,746.

Many of these children might have been forced to leave school to earn a living. In 2006 some 2.5 million children aged 5 to 17 were working either to augment family income or simply to survive. The number of children in school is also dropping: in SY 2005-2006 only 84% of children aged 6-11 was able to attend elementary school, a sharp decrease from 90% in 2001-2002.

The declining number of children able to go to school reflects their vulnerability to economic times which have been getting harder under the last six years of the Arroyo administration. Among the country’s basic sectors, the biggest number of poor is found among the children, with some 14.1 million of them considered poor.

CA JUNKS PLEA VS NTC's 'ANTI-PRESS FREEDOM' ORDERS

NUJP Media Statement

CA junks plea vs NTC's 'anti-press freedom' orders

06/04/2007 09:04 PM

The Court of Appeals dismissed the petition filed by at least 12 groups of broadcast and print journalists led by the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP) that questioned the prohibition of the airing of news that tend to have subversive content, GMANews.TV learned on Monday.

In a 17-page decision penned by Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes, the CA's 12th Division found nothing illegal on the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)s' issuance of directives banning the press from airing or broadcasting news and commentaries that "tend" to incite treason, rebellion or sedition.

The same ruling upheld NTC's prohibition of the airing of comments, information, interviews and other similar or related materials that tend to contain "rebellious and/or terrorist propaganda."

The court also recognized the commission's power to promulgate rules and regulations for the effective use of communications, radio and television broadcasting facilities under Executive Order No. 546.

"It bears to stress that the clear intention of the law is that no prior restraint can be imposed on the exercise of free speech and of expression, and that the freedom to communicate one's views and discuss any matter of public concern should remain to be so without fear of punishment or liability unless there be a clear and present danger of substantive evil that the State has a right to prevent," the CA said.

The petition was filed by the NUJP, Philippine Press Institute, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility , Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism; Newsbreak Magazine, Probe Productions, Center for Community Journalism and Development, and ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs; Maria Ressa, head of News and Current Affairs of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network; Jessica Soho, Vice President for News and News Director of GMA-7; Ed Lingao, Vice President for Operations of ABC-5; Arnold Clavio of GMA-7 and dzBB; Pia Hontiveros of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network and ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC); Ricky Carandang of ANC. - GMANews.TV

PROTEST HERALD ARROYO AUSTRALIAN VISIT

Protests herald Arroyo's Australian visit

SYDNEY (AFP) - Human rights activists Tuesday protested a visit to Australia by Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, accusing her government of carrying out political killings and abductions.

About 30 protesters rallied in "alarm and indignation at the continuing assaults on civil liberties and human rights in the Philippines," a representative for the Philippine-Australia Youth Organisation said.

The noisy but peaceful demonstration outside the Philippine consulate in Sydney came a day ahead of Arroyo's arrival for a one-day visit during which she will sign a military cooperation and aid pact with Australia.

But opponents of the Manila administration claim the government of John Howard is cooperating with a regime that commits "acts of terror" and which "continuously violates human rights."

Protesters brandished banners proclaiming "Arroyo butcher, Arroyo killer" and "President Arroyo, violator of human rights and the rule of law, step down."
They also chanted slogans including: "Gloria is a killer, Gloria is a thief, Gloria is a liar, Gloria is a dictator."
Speakers denounced Arroyo's government and quoted sources such as Amnesty International and the United Nations Rapporteur on Extrajudicial killings as saying it had overseen the political killings of more than 850 Filipinos, 300 attempted murders and 200 recorded abductions.

"Victims of those massacres came from various sectors of the Filipino society, from trade union activists to farmers, journalists, lawyers, priests, human rights workers, women and kids," said Edwin Subijano of Migrante Philippines-Australia.

"Our simple demand is to stop the killing," another speaker said, demanding "justice for the impoverished people of the Philippines."

Arroyo arrives on Wednesday and during her trip she will meet Howard in Canberra and the two nations are expected to ink the military agreement.

The protesters in Sydney called on Australia to halt military aid to Manila to send a signal that it would not tolerate "state-sponsored acts of terror in the Philippines," Subijano said.

A larger protest is due to take place Wednesday outside the Philippine embassy in Canberra.

ELECTION AND POVERTY

ELECTIONS AND POVERTY

Will Arroyo Beat the Odds?

The Arroyo administration consistently asserts that voting for its candidates will mean an improvement in the economy. But will this election really put an end to poverty?

By Joseph Yu

IBON Features-- “Wala rin mangyayari” (Nothing will change).

This was the reply of Bong, 30, a pahinante (helper) when IBON Features asked him if he thought the upcoming May national and local elections would improve the condition of poor people like him.

Bong had been voting since he reached 18 and is currently a registered voter in Mangahan, Pasig City . Still, he expressed support for an opposition senatorial candidate with a youthful image.

Poverty will undoubtedly be a major campaign issue in the elections. Administration “Team Unity” senatorial candidates said they are undertaking campaigns in barangays to present the Arroyo government’s 10-point “Beat the Odds” anti-poverty agenda to local leaders and residents.

But as the past elections have shown, Bong’s statement rings a sad truth: the elections will have no effect on the lives of the poor.

Poverty, Defined

The present administration’ s lack of understanding- - or deliberate deceit-- of the root causes of poverty, were highlighted yet again by its responses when confronted by the growing problem of involuntary hunger among Filipino families. First, the president ordered concerned government agencies to alleviate the hunger problem within six months. Then, it released P1 billion for “emergency hunger mitigation”.

These are predictable responses for a government that views poverty in terms of manipulating figures to get desired results.

People should be considered poor if they have insufficient resources to maintain a decent standard of living and to develop to their fullest potential. But under the Arroyo government’s poverty framework, people are poor if their incomes fail to come up to an unreasonably low poverty threshold (defined as the income an individual or family needs to meet their basic food and non-food needs and thus, be considered no longer poor).

According to 2007 poverty threshold figures from the National Statistical Coordination Board, a worker in Metro Manila who earns all of P1,612 a month or P53 a day already has enough to meet his or her basic food and non-food needs, and therefore government no longer considers them poor. For an average family with six members, the poverty threshold would be P9,672 a month or P318 a day.

But these amounts are clearly just enough-- at best-- to maintain the barest physical existence. This is validated by the National Wages and Productivity Commission’s own “living wage” figures, which show that, as of January 2007, a family of six needs at least P721 a day, or more than double government’s poverty threshold, to meet its food and non-food needs. IBON estimates that 8 out of 10 Filipinos are poor.

Using the poverty threshold, the government claimed that it had reduced the number of poor Filipinos from 25 million in 2000 to 20 million at present. But poverty cannot be alleviated, much less addressed, by such numerical manipulation. Poverty in the Philippines is deep-rooted and results from the unequal character of the country’s economic system, which is structured for the benefit of the interests of local and foreign elite. This inequitable structure has resulted in weak agricultural and manufacturing sectors, lack of jobs and livelihoods for the people.

Such situation is further exacerbated by the implementation of neoliberal economi c p olicies starting in the 1980s, which opened the country’s markets to cheap imports, turned over public services to profit-oriented private companies and opened to foreign investors sectors previously restricted to local entrepreneurs and the state. In the process these policies have also destroyed livelihoods, led to widespread closures and retrenchments of local firms and driven thousands of farmers off their lands.

Thus, it should not be surprising that poverty continues to be a lingering social problem that has only gotten worse under an administration that does not even appreciate its root causes. In fact, it makes the problem worse by continuing to implement such damaging economi c p olicies instead of those that would bring about genuine national development.

Beating the Odds

This lack of understanding is reflected in the aforementioned 10-point poverty alleviation strategy, which instead of addressing the roots of poverty, hews to the foreign investment-driven strategy Arroyo has been pursing since she came into power.

Beat the Odds is an acronym that stands for: a balanced budget; education for all; automated elections; transport and digital infrastructure to link the country; terminating hostilities with the New People’s Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front; healing the wounds of EDSA; electricity and water for all barangays; opportunities to create six to eight million jobs; decongest Metro Manila through the decentralization of government offices and new transport infrastructure systems; develop Subic and Clark as globally competitive logistic hubs in partnership with the private sector.

A closer examination of these strategies reveals that, devoid of a genuine national development strategy that addresses the country’s lack of industrialization and agricultural backwardness, they will not alleviate poverty and will even worsen it.

Take, for example, the goal to achieve a balanced budget. Economic planners recently announced that, with the declining budget surpluses, government might reach its goal by next year. And indeed, the Arroyo government’s budget surplus has fallen from a peak of P816.2 billion in 2005 to P62 billion last year.

But government achieved this by squeezing Filipinos through the double whammy of higher taxes and declining spending on social services. The most onerous of these taxes is the reformed value-added tax (RVAT), if only because of its sheer regressive nature. The RVAT increased the VAT rate from 10% to 12% and removed exemptions on gas and electricity. As a result, the tax generated P77 billion in net revenues in 2006, mostly by increasing the prices of basic goods and services.

Meanwhile, even as government was busy counting tax revenues, it failed to deliver social payback to Filipinos in the form of increased basic services. Real spending per capita on education of P1,508 in 2006 is 22% lower than when Arroyo came into office in 2001, per capita health spending of P159 is 25% lower and on social security, welfare and employment of P532, 9% lower.

Thus, it should not be surprising that government is far from its stated goal of providing “education for all”. Millions of Filipino children, in fact, are unable to obtain a decent education. Of every 100 children who enter Grade 1, only 66% will finish elementary school, 43% high school and 14% college. As a consequence, in 2006, some 2.5 million children aged 5 to 17 were working either to augment their family’s incomes or to survive on their own.

Creating transport and digital infrastructure between the country’s islands also sounds like a laudable goal. But given such problems as widespread poverty in the countryside, and overall low computer ownership in the country (only some 2 out of every 100 Filipinos owns a computer) such infrastructure development may be designed primarily attract foreign investors such as agri-business enterprises and business process outsourcers.

The government’s stated goal of “opportunities” to create six to eight million jobs also seems doubtful, given the absence of a national industrialization program or moves to address problems of peasants in the countryside. It seems clear that the Arroyo government will once again rely on foreign investors for job creation even if decades of foreign direct investments coming in have not contributed substantially to solving the employment crisis in the Philippines . In this context, it should not be surprising that the president has continuously reiterated her intention to pursue the removal of economic sovereignty provisions in the current constitution, even in the face of widespread public disapproval of such moves.

Clash of elite

When IBON Features asked Bong why he believed that elections would not bring about change, he wisely replied, “Ganoon pa rin yung nakaupo” (Those in power are still the same people)”.

His reply showed a discerning grasp of what elections in the Philippines are all about, namely a clash of various elite factions. Whichever group wins, administration, opposition or even independent, it is still the interests of the local and foreign elite that will be promoted over those of the poor Filipinos who make up the majority of the population. Elections in the Philippines will not bring about the kind of fundamental economic and social changes that the country badly needs to truly progress.

That said, the upcoming polls are still viewed as a referendum on the performance of the Arroyo government. And with the consistent majority win of opposition bets predicted in various surveys, it seems that voters are set to reject Arroyo, if only because they see that her policies have only worsened their lives over the past six years. IBON Features

RAPU-RAPU REOPENING A GO SIGNAL FOR MORE DAMAGING MINING INVESTMENTS

MEDIA RELEASE
IBON Foundation, Inc., IBON Center 114 Timog Ave., Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. (632) 927-7060 * Fax (632) 929-2496 * E-mail: media@ibon.org * www.ibon.org
May 31, 2007

In the wake of the reopening of the controversial Rapu-Rapu polymetallic mine in Albay last February, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources recently announced that investments in the mining sector are expected to hit $348 million this year. But whatever benefits such investments supposedly bring would be cancelled out by the severe social and environmental costs of large-scale mining, according to independent think-tank IBON Foundation.

It should be recalled that DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes allowed the permanent re-opening of mining operations in Rapu-Rapu last year amid outcry from residents. Since then, Rapu-Rapu residents dependent on fishing for their livelihoods have complained of declining fish catch. Local farmers also said that blasting in the course of mining activities of Australian firm Lafayette, which operates the mine, has loosened the foundations of their lands, making them vulnerable to landslides.

Despite the many documented social and environmental costs of mining, the Arroyo government is apparently using Rapu-Rapu’s reopening as a “welcome mat” to investors. In her state visit to Australia , Arroyo is reportedly set to enter into formal talks with Melbourne-based BHP Billiton to push ahead with its planned multi-billion dollar-nickel project in Pujada Peninsula , Davao Oriental province.

Mining has a major role to contribute in national development but such activities must be done in the context of the welfare of local communities and other stakeholders. Such social considerations are not in the agenda of large foreign mining companies, which only care about exploiting resources for mega-profits.