NUJP wants Noynoy to act promptly on killings

President-elect Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, who will assume the presidency on June 30, should "hit the ground running" when it comes to solving the spate of media killings in the country, a media watchdog said on Wednesday. "Nothing makes a stronger case for our contention that there can be no honeymoon on justice for President-elect Noynoy Aquino. [He] has to hit the ground running not just on media killings but on extrajudicial murders in general," the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said in a statement. "Unless it becomes clear that justice can be expected under his watch, we can kiss all his promises goodbye," the group added. NUJP issued the statement following the killing of broadcasters Desidario Camangyan and Jovelito Agustin in Davao Oriental and Ilocos Norte, respectively. According to the NUJP, 139 media practitioners have been killed since Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, restored democracy in 1986 — 102 of these under the nine-year tenure of outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The number includes the 32 journalists murdered in the infamous Nov. 23 massacre in Maguindanao province last year — a carnage blamed on the powerful Ampatuan political family who has links all the way to Malacañang. No lip service Sought for comment, Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the next administration's efforts to solve the rampant killing of journalists would be "markedly different" from the Arroyo administration. "He [Aquino] will be serious about protecting the rights of the journalists. It will not be just lip service," Lacierda said, noting that Aquino himself was a victim of human rights violations when his father, Senator Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr., was gunned down in 1983 upon his arrival from the United States. "His family's a victim of human rights [violations] so it’s natural for him to ensure that the rights of every individual will also be protected," said Lacierda, adding that Aquino would order full investigations into the spate of journalist killings in the country. The NUJP, in its statement, said Aquino should take a firm stand on telling law enforcers and those involved in the country’s justice system "to end the killings, arrest the perpetrators, convict and jail them." Hold Gloria accountable The NUJP also said President Arroyo should be made accountable for her administration’s supposed apathy toward the Maguindanao massacre, which prompted international media organizations to consider the Philippines the deadliest country for journalists. Malacañang, on the other hand, defended itself from NUJP’s allegations. Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza said the Arroyo government had been doing all it can to keep the members of the media safe and protected. He however said that some attacks, especially those that resulted in deaths, could not be helped. “We treat attacks on a case to case basis and while of course it happens, we always see to it that our media practitioners are amply protected," he said at a press briefing in Malacañang on Wednesday. - with Jam Sisante/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV