1 month after massacre, RP govt hit for ignoring UN reso vs impunity

One month after the massacre of 57 people – 30 of them journalists – in Maguindanao province, the Arroyo administration got a scolding Wednesday for failing to implement a United Nations resolution that could have prevented the slaughter. Belgium-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) said that had the government heeded Resolution 1738, the impunity that led to the November 23 massacre would not have existed in the Philippines. "Resolution 1738 (precisely) provided for all elements (that could have prevented) the Philippines slaughter. It demanded ‘all parties to armed conflict to comply with their obligations under international law to protect civilians in armed conflict.’ 57 civilians died, most cruelly and deliberately murdered," INSI director Rodney Pinder said. Pinder added the resolution also urged all parties to "respect the professional independence and rights of journalists...as civilians." The resolution likewise said media professionals engaged in dangerous professional missions in conflict zones "shall be considered civilians, to be respected and protected as such." Yet, Pinder lamented neither the gunmen who mowed down the victims nor their leaders care for any of that, or pause for thought as they killed their victims. On the other hand, he noted the resolution emphasized states were obliged "to end impunity and to prosecute those responsible" for such grave violations of international law. "The responsibility of meeting that demand of 1738 now lies squarely with the Philippines government. It was reminded of its duty by a statement from an international media mission (6-10 December) to the scene of the massacre," he said. But Malacañang branded INSI's claims as baseless, saying that the group has not presented a single evidence to support its accusations. In a telephone interview with GMANews.TV, deputy presidential spokesman for economic affairs Gary Olivar said "ang problema sa mga accusation na yan ay palaging wala silang maipepresentang kahit anumang batayan (the problem with all these accusations regarding the Maguindanao massacre is these are baseless, not a single evidence has been presented." Olivar added, "President Gloria Arroyo had imposed martial law in Maguindanao to pin down those who perpetrated the bloodbath, yet critics continue accusing the Arroyo administration of doing nothing." 'Worst single atrocity vs news media' Interestingly, Pinder said, the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1738 on December 23, 2006 – three years ago. Now, he said the world’s news community mourns the deaths of at least 30 journalists in the Philippines, "slaughtered in the worst single atrocity perpetrated against the news media and a free press in recorded history." Pinder also cited data compiled by INSI that 347 journalists and support staff have died trying to bring us the news around the world since our highest international political body issued that landmark call for action to stem the bloodshed. "That is an average of two a week, a grim statistics that has persisted unchanged for at least the past 13 years, before and after the resolution," he said. He lamented the slain Filipino journalists in Maguindanao died simply for doing their job, covering a convoy of politicians and supporters to nominate a gubernatorial candidate for the May 2010 elections. "It might be said by some that we journalists indulge in special pleading, that the news media in this instance died by way of collateral damage in a political onslaught which also claimed 27 other civilian lives. But we might reasonably assume the slaughter was so dreadful and so complete because the killers wanted no witnesses to survive to testify to the political murder -- especially no professional reporters," he said. RP record on impunity On the other hand, Pinder said INSI’s investigation into the deaths of 1,000 news media staff between 1996 and 2006 showed that in almost 9 out of 10 cases of murder no one had been brought to justice. He added the Philippines’ record on impunity is worth noting, as at least 75 journalists have met a violent death since President Arroyo took power in 2001. Only four convictions have been obtained during that time. As such, he said that while the Philippines was a vibrant democracy in so many other respects, it "has become the bloodiest country in the world for the news media outside Iraq." - LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV