Govt warned vs haling media to court over hostage tragedy

A group of journalists in the Philippines has warned the Aquino government against filing charges against several media practitioners over the August 23 hostage tragedy that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead. In a statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said members of the media should not be used as a “scapegoat" for the government’s lapses in handling the incident that has caused tension between the Philippines and China. “To equate these lapses in judgment with criminal liability and haling journalists to court and threatening imprisonment, are making media the scapegoat for what essentially was government incompetence on all levels," the statement read. Members of the media have come under fire for supposedly fueling the tension that led to the bloody end of the hostage crisis through their blow-by-blow accounts and live interview of the hostage-taker, Rolando Mendoza, a dismissed policeman seeking reinstatement, during the coverage of the 11-hour hostage crisis. Senators, during their own investigation on the hostage tragedy, even threatened broadcast media executives that they would impose a law restricting press freedom if “limitations" on coverages of crisis situations would not be set. Justice secretary Leila de Lima, head of the inter-agency panel that investigated the hostage-taking incident, said last week that some media men were included in the 12 personalities recommended to face charges in connection with the tragedy.

Shortcomings The NUJP said media outfits have acknowledged their shortcomings in their coverage of the hostage-taking incident, and have made initiatives to correct them in future reportage of similar situations. “The Philippine media have, by and large, acknowledged these lapses and have begun discussing ways to individually and collectively ensure that more care and sensitivity are taken in future coverage of similar delicate situations," the NUJP stated. GMA Network, for its part, earlier released new guidelines for crisis coverage, which include avoiding interviewing or even talking to hostage-takers, and ensuring that the movements of law enforcers will not be revealed during the live coverage. The NUJP noted that the media’s lapses were committed in the course of fulfilling their duty to inform the public of developments in a significant event. The group likewise said filing charges against journalists would set a “terrible precedent that would ever dangle like Damocles’ sword over the head of media whenever they strive to fulfill their duties." Courtesy A report on GMA News’ “24 Oras" on Sunday, meanwhile, said Malacañang has denied that it is delaying the release of the report of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) because of the media personalities who may be charged for the hostage crisis. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning head Ricky Carandang said that as a sign of respect, the Chinese government must be the first to know of the investigation’s recommendations. “Kaya namin ginagawa ito, as a courtesy to them kasi sila ang namatayan (We did this as a courtesy to the Chinese government because they are the aggrieved party)," Carandang said in the report. The IIRC report was supposed to be transmitted to the Chinese government through its embassy in Manila Sunday or Monday, but Carandang said that as of 5 p.m. Sunday, the report has not been delivered to the Chinese embassy. The IIRC has officially turned over its final report on the incident to President Benigno Aquino III on Friday, identifying 12 people as accountable for mishandling the operations to solve the hostage crisis. The report, however, has yet to be publicized. Report out Monday? Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Herminio Coloma said President Aquino is expected to make some announcements about the report before he leaves for his working trip to the US Monday night. “Nasa kanya (Aquino) ngayon [ang report]. Pinag-aaralan siguro. Mabuti pa, hintayin natin ang anumang pahayag na gagawin dito bago siya umalis (President Aquino is still studying the report, so maybe we should wait for his announcement before he leaves for the US)," Coloma said. Aquino has said he was halfway through the 83-page report as of Friday noon. He discussed the findings of the report with the IIRC members from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on that day. Coloma assured that the Aquino government will make public the results of the investigation as soon as possible, as part of its guiding principles of transparency and accountability. - KBK, GMANews.TV