2 lawmakers seek live media coverage of court proceedings

Two lawmakers from the House of Representatives have filed a bill seeking the live media coverage of all court proceedings in the country. House Bill 3936, filed by Reps. Rufus and Maximo Rodriguez Jr. (Cagayan de Oro and Abante Mindanao party-list, respectively) and early this month, proposed to allow the photographing, electronic recording, broadcasting or televising to the public of any court proceeding. According to the lawmakers, the measure was filed to give “speedy, impartial and public trial" to all accused, and to enable the public who cannot go to courtrooms to observe the proceedings. “By allowing full media coverage, the public itself would get first hand information on what is happening or how the trial is proceeding," the congressmen said in the bill. The measure, however, states that it is up to the judge or justice presiding the case to approve live media coverage. The bill, which is currently pending with the House committee on justice, also mandates that the court can order broadcast networks to disguise or obscure the face or voice of a witness so that the public could not recognize him or her in special cases. Some journalists have been pushing for the live coverage of the hearing on the Maguindanao massacre where among those accused were members of the powerful Ampatuan clan. A total of 57 people, 32 of them journalists, were mercilessly killed in the Nov. 23, 2009 violence. - GMANews.TV