EV media hits PRO-8 for 'curtailing' press freedom

A group of journalists–from six provinces in Eastern Visayas—has filed a complaint to the PNP Chief Director General Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa against the leadership of the Police Regional Office-Region 8 for alleged curtailment of press freedom.

The group, consisting of at least 60 media practitioners—of local and national dailies or weeklies, radio stations and television networks, and social media bloggers—also furnished to the media outlets its statement accusing PRO-8, and its Regional Director Chief Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, for alleged suppression of the press in Eastern Visayas.

The public statement, a copy of which also reached the Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility headed by John Paul Omac, presented a series of incidents, particularly on the PRO-8 Press Corps issue, which the journalists said prompted them to file their complaint to dela Rosa:

Omac stated: "As part of our thrust to promote press freedom, we are monitoring threats and attacks against journalists. … We are writing a press freedom on the issue … which we will forward to our network of other press freedom organizations. We will also relay your situation to the Presidential Task Force on Media Safety who might be able to extend additional help on your situation."

Yesterday, Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Marie Rafael Banaag, and Philippine Information Agency Director-General Harold Clavite, along with a number of officials from Manila were in Tacloban City to meet the press and tackle this complaint, among a number of related issues on the local media.

Banaag told the local journalists, in a press conference that Cruz was supposed to attend but did not, that he and his party will meet with the PRO-8 director about the complaint, among others. "Hindi pwede itong accreditation (requirement). You need to have ready access to information from the police," he added

The local journalists' group narrated that, on September 24, almost a month after Cruz was installed as the new PRO-8 regional director, a media security and safety training for local journalists was conducted at the PRO-8 headquarters.

During the event, the journalists also discussed with Cruz the possibility of holding a new election of officers of the PRO-8 Press Corps, which at the time allegedly consisted only of six members and was headed by Vicky Arnaiz, Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent.

Cruz, they said, was amenable to the new election of officers to give a fresh mandate to the press corps, as it was customary whenever a new regional director assumes office. They said that Cruz told them to "just proceed with the election and, when a new set of officers are elected, to inform him so that they shall be acknowledged" via an induction ceremony.

In October, the election of officers for the PRO-8 Press Corps was conducted–presided by broadcaster Mark Morallos of IBC-6–and participated in by 46 journalists around Eastern Visayas. They elected Miriam Desacada, correspondent of The FREEMAN and The Philippine STAR as their president, and then ratified the group's constitution and by-laws.

The new set of the PRO-8 Press Corps officers on October 12 met with Cruz to inform him of the election results and discuss plans for their induction and oathtaking rites, as the latter had promised them on September 27.

But they said they were surprised when Cruz told them he will no longer recognize "any press corps, and he would call instead for another election on a date he will decide on and that he will draft the press corps' constitution and bylaws himself."

On October 29, the PRO-8 wrote the radio station managers and newspaper editors requesting for a list of their reporters covering the PRO-8, and that they must be accredited first as official media representatives, before getting access to information from the police command.

On top of the accreditation requirement, the new press corps accused Cruz of breaking again his previous statement–of not recognizing any press corps unless an election is held upon his direction–and declared that he "still recognizes the PRO-8 Press Corps headed by Arnaiz and its officers elected on October 21, 2016."

This raised a howl from the newly elected press corps officers and members. They immediately wrote dela Rosa about this new twist of conflicting declarations, insisting that the PRO8 Press Corps is an independent body, which could not be under the control and alleged "manipulation" by the police command.

"The decision of RD Cruz to dictate the conduct of the PNP press corps election and the formulation of its constitution and by-laws" by himself, "is a blatant affront to the independence of the media. This is totally unacceptable," the journalists' group said.

They also complained to dela Rosa about the accreditation requirement before a journalist could conduct interviews or ask for information from the PRO-8. "We call on the general public to support the call of the local media for indepence from the control of the PNP," it added.

Meanwhile, no statement from the PRO-8 leadership could be obtained so far on this issue, considering that this correspondent could not get access yet for lack of accreditation. —