DOJ chief: ABS-CBN interview on Bravo violates broadcast code

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Wednesday cried foul over ABS-CBN's airing of an exclusive interview with wanted Moro rebel leader Abdurahman Macapaar alias Kumander Bravo. In a telephone interview with GMANews.TV, Gonzales said he is set to file a complaint before the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) to determine if the interview, aired Monday and Tuesday nights, violated the 2007 Broadcast Code. KBP has jurisdiction and authority to sanction erring broadcast companies. "I think there's a violation. We recommend it to the KBP to determine if there's a violation," Gonzalez said, adding that ABS-CBN could be sanctioned for airing the interview with Bravo without editing its propaganda content against the government. Gonzalez said Bravo, who has a P10-million bounty on his head, clearly used the Lopez-owned television network to disparage the government and to encourage subversive acts, which he said is a stark violation of Article 21 of the Broadcast Code. Article 21 of the Code states that "broadcast facilities shall not be used or be allowed to be used for advocating the overthrow of government by force of violence. Broadcast materials that tend to incite, treason, sedition, rebellion, or create civil disturbance is prohibited." The Justice chief said the interview shows Bravo as "actually challenging the President." "Criminals should not be glorified. Crime shall always be condemned. Speech or any action that will incite any person to violence or anti-social behavior is prohibited," he said, adding that the interview only made Bravo "greater than life." Gonzalez said one of the sanctions that can be meted on ABS-CBN is a possible review of its franchise to operate. He also said that news reporter, Jorge Cariño, who went to Central Mindanao to interview Bravo, may be invited for questioning. "It seems to me that there is a violation of the franchise of ABS-CBN. Jorge Cariño… was practically opening up the thought of Bravo by asking him what he intends to do if he does not get what he wants,” Gonzalez said. Asked if sanctioning ABS-CBN based on the interview would mean a curtailment of press freedom, Gonzalez said the move will be justifiable since the government has already spent millions of pesos in public funds to go after Bravo and his comrades, who attacked several towns in Lanao del Norte in August. For its part, ABS-CBN defended the interview, saying it “adhered to the ethical standards of journalism.” "It is our responsibility as journalists to report on people and events that affect public interest. The public has the right to know," said ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs chief Maria Ressa in a statement. "Abdullah Macapaar alias Commander Bravo is one of the country's most wanted men, a key figure in the collapse of the peace process in Mindanao. He's a legitimate story, and our interview with him aired Oct. 20 and 21 adhere to ethical standards of journalism," Ressa added. The network said that because it has been covering Bravo for many years now, even during peacetime, "we will continue to report on what he says and does with the same zeal and professionalism that we would use when covering his arrest - if and when that happens." - GMANews.TV