Stop violence vs media, group tells Noynoy

President-apparent Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III would soon be in the position to stop the culture of impunity behind violence against media practitioners, and he should do so, a Southeast Asia media group said in an open letter on its website. The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) urged Aquino to show the political will that it alleged was “sorely lacking" under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s outgoing administration. The May 10 elections, the Philippines’ first nationwide automated polls was an exercise in democracy, the same democracy that should end the impunity with which hundreds of Filipino journalists had been killed since 1986, the group said. [See Nov. 23 carnage pulls RP up in CPJ impunity index] The group said Philippine democracy will not thrive or survive in the absence of a healthy environment for press freedom. Such an environment demands that journalists be allowed to work without having to fear for their lives or liberty, SEAPA said. Aquino, whose late mother Corazon was credited for restoring Philippine democracy in 1986, enjoys a wide lead over his rivals in the presidential race. [See Eleksyon 2010 Dashboard for the latest count of the May 10 elections] SEAPA told Aquino he has an opportunity to set his incoming administration “apart from, and in stark contrast to" what it alleged as “the apathy and ineptitude" of the Arroyo government. “We urge you to seize this opportunity to honor a free press that has done much and well to restore and protect Philippine democracy. May that same democracy that brings you to power be allowed to protect the free press in turn," the group said. —VS, GMANews.TV