Impunity continues to reign under Aquino

NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES (NUJP)
Statement
June 13, 2011

The murder of broadcaster Romeo Olea of dwEB-FM in Camarines Sur province early Monday morning again proves what we have said again and again – that the impunity with which journalists are attacked and murdered will never be brought to an end unless government unequivocally commits itself and acts resolutely to defend the rights and liberties of each and every Filipino.
Olea, of dwEB-FM, was riding his motorcycle on his way to work when he was shot in the back by what police say were three gunmen in front of the Holy Child Learning Center at the boundary of Iriga City and Nabua town around 5:30 a.m.
Rushed by concerned bystanders to the Rinconada Medical Center, Olea was declared dead 25 minutes later.
He was the fourth journalist murdered this year and the fifth since President Benigno Aquino III assumed office promising to protect human rights and bring good governance. He was the 145th journalist murdered since 1986.
Olea is also the second broadcaster of dwEB-FM to be killed in less than a year. His colleague Miguel Belen was also shot dead in July last year.
Police have yet to establish a motive for Olea’s murder and say there was no record of any threat against the broadcaster before the incident.
Nevertheless, the killing of Olea follows a pattern that has become all too familiar, especially in the provinces where warlords and crime lords who have bought, coerced and killed their way into public office continue to rule their turfs like their personal kingdoms, wielding virtual powers of life and death for their subjects and not hesitating to unleash deadly force on those they disagree with or perceive as threats to their hold on power.
Alas, it seems that, for all its pledges, this administration remains unable, or unwilling, to dismantle the system of governance that continues to rely on, and therefore turn a blind eye to the excesses of, these petty tyrants masquerading as elective officials.
We have said this before and we say this again – ensuring justice for media killings, as well as all violations of human rights, are a matter of state accountability. The continued failure of this administration to solve these cases, even as the bodies of the fallen continue to pile up, place the victims’ blood on Mr. Aquino’s hands.

Reference:
Nestor Burgos Jr., NUJP chairperson
Rowena Paraan, NUJP secretary-general and Media Safety Office coordinator

Let Ampatuan assets freeze warm up search for justice

More than 18 months after the horrific massacre of 58 civilians, 32 of them journalists, in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao, the Court of Appeals has finally frozen the questionable wealth of the Ampatuan clan, key members of whom are charged of masterminding and leading the slaughter of November 23, 2009.

Among the 28 members of the clan whose assets and accounts have been ordered frozen on a petition of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) are patriarch Andal Sr. and suspended ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan.

At the prodding of the families of the Ampatuan massacre, the AMLC said there was reason to believe, among other things, that the questioned wealth of the clan had been used for illegal activities and that there existed probable cause for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines certainly welcomes this decision. While it may still not level the skewed playing field, it will at least help minimize the use of what is believed to be ill-gotten wealth to subvert the cause of justice.

At the same time, however, we worry that this could end up being a case of justice delayed and, therefore, denied.

Considering that the decision comes more than a year and a half after the carnage, and that the case appears to have moved only after lawyer Harry Roque, who represents several of the journalists’ widows, threatened to sue the AMLC for inaction, there may have been time to, as the CA itself said in its ruling, “unless frozen, the funds in the subject accounts will certainly be withdrawn and the other identified properties disposed of, thereby placing them beyond the reach of the law.”

Given the short 20-day effectivity of the freeze order, it is incumbent on the government to immediately initiate action to ensure that all of the clan’s assets proven to be ill-gotten are forfeited.

More importantly, it should immediately exploit this window of opportunity to once and for all dismantle the Ampatuans’ still large, well-armed, and well-funded private army and arrest the more than 50 suspects in the massacre who remain at large.

This case has dragged on for too long.

To date, only two members of the clan – Andal Jr., who allegedly led the gunmen in the mass murder, and Andal Sr. – have been arraigned.

We challenge the Aquino administration to prove its sincerity when it said it would make justice in this case – the worst single incident of electoral violence in recent Philippine history and the deadliest single attack on the press ever – a priority.

And we dare it to go even further and let this be the beginning of the dismantling of a system of governance that has allowed warlords to amass tremendous wealth and power and reign over their bailiwicks and wreak havoc on our people with impunity.

References:
Nestor Burgos Jr., NUJP chair
Alwyn Alburo, NUJP vice chair

38 freedom of expression groups urge Court of Appeals to withdraw contempt resolution

Members and partners of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) today urged the Court of Appeals to withdraw contempt charges against National Union of Journalists of the Philippines secretary general Rowena Paraan and Monette Salaysay, widow of Ampatuan massacre victim Napoleon Salaysay. (Please see joint letter below)

The charges stemmed from Paraan and Salaysay’s statements questioning the inconsistency of Associate Justices Banton Bueser and Marlene Gonzales-Sison. Bueser and Sison inhibited themselves from the deliberations on a petition of former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. to exclude him from the list of accused, but not in a similar petition filed by his son, suspended ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan. Both are primary suspects in the November 23, 2009 massacre.

“We accept that there is a need to protect the courts against statements that might undermine the fairness of proceedings, such as intimidation of witnesses. But we feel confident that the Philippine courts are able to withstand strong, even unfair, criticism and yet render justice,” IFEX wrote.

The global network of free expression organizations also expressed alarm over the chilling effect the contempt resolution would bring to journalists and other advocates of justice for the Ampatuan massacre victims.

“We urge the Justices to instead recognize the obligation of the judiciary to uphold the right to freedom of expression, in accordance with the international and constitutional obligations of the Philippines.”

Signed by 38 members and partners of IFEX, the joint letter expressed their firm support for the families of the massacre victims and Filipino journalists in the quest for justice and freedom of expression. #

References:

Nestor Burgos, NUJP Chairperson, 0917.725.6333

Alwyn Alburo, NUJP Vice Chairperson, 0918.921.3712

Rowena Paraan, NUJP Secretary General, 0910.495.0095

—–
Joint Action Letter: Philippines – Freedom of Expression and Justice in the Ampatuan Massacre Trials

Joint Action Letter: Philippines

June 2, 2011

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) alongside the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and 35 members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) signed on to the following letter on the occasion of the 16th IFEX General Meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, on May 30 and 31.

Presiding Justice Andres B. Reyes, Jr.

Court of Appeals of the Philippines

Associate Justices (see Annex)

Court of Appeals of the Philippines

Court of Appeals
Ma. Orosa St, Ermita
1000 Manila
Philippines

Tel: +63 (02) 524 1241 to 52
Email: ca_manila@yahoo.com

CC:

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President, Republic of the Philippines

Malacañang Palace

1610 J.P Laurel St.

San Miguel

Manila, Philippines

Fax:+63 (2) 736-1010

Email: opsnews2004@gmail.com

Hon. Renato C. Corona

Chief Justice, Supreme Court

c/- Clerk of the Court

3rd Floor, New Supreme Court Building Annex

Padre Faura St., Ermita, 1000 Manila.

Philippines

Fax: +63 (02) 525-3208

Email: pio@sc.judiciary.gov.ph

Hon. Leila M. De Lima

Secretary, Department of Justice

Email: lmdelima@doj.gov.ph

Hon. Loretta Ann P. Rosales

Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights

State Accounting & Auditing Center Bldg.

Commonwealth Ave., U.P. Complex

1101 Diliman, Quezon City

Philippines

Fax: + 63 929 0102

chair.rosales.chr@gmail.com

June 2, 2011

Dear Justice Reyes and Associate Justices,

RE: Freedom of Expression and Justice in the Ampatuan Massacre Trials

We the undersigned members and partners of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) are writing to express our deep concerns about the 12 April 2011 Resolution of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines, Manila Special Division of Five, requiring Monette Salaysay and Rowena Paraan to explain why they should not be held in contempt for comments attributed to them in an article in thePhilippine Daily Inquirer regarding the Ampatuan Town Massacre trials.

The Resolution against Salaysay, whose husband Napoleon Salaysay was among 32 journalists and media workers murdered in the massacre of 58 people on 23 November 2009, and Paraan, the General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), leaves both women at risk of a jail term and financial punishment.

It remains unclear whether the petition was initiated by defence lawyers or independently by five justices of the Court of Appeals. We note however that the resolution is remarkably similar in argument and tone to a paid advertisement which had been placed in national dailies by the accused, Zaldy Ampatuan, whose case gave rise to the statements which are the subject of the Resolution.

The Resolution accuses Salaysay and Paraan of “foisting bias and corruption upon the members of the court” through their statements. In substance, the statements attributed to Salaysay and Paraan noted that although Associate Justices Danton Bueser and Marlene Gonzales-Sison recused themselves in the case of Andal Ampatuan Senior, they did not do so in the case of Zaldy Ampatuan. The statements questioned this apparent inconsistency.

As we gather in Lebanon for the bi-annual conference of IFEX, the international community of freedom of expression and press freedom defenders, we are alarmed at the chilling effect of the contempt Resolution, along with separate contempt claims against several prosecutors.

We note that the right to freedom of expression, as protected by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and by the Constitution of the Philippines, imposes strict limits on the ability of courts to restrict freedom of expression to protect the administration of justice.

As the (then) three special international mandates on freedom of expression – the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, and the Organisation of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression – stated in a Joint Declaration of 10 December 2002:

Special restrictions on commenting on courts and judges cannot be justified; the judiciary play a key public role and, as such, must be subject to open public scrutiny.

No restrictions on reporting on ongoing legal proceedings may be justified unless there is a substantial risk of serious prejudice to the fairness of those proceedings and the threat to the right to a fair trial or to the presumption of innocence outweighs the harm to freedom of expression.

Courts in many countries have distinguished between statements which are critical and paint courts and/or judges in a bad light (known in common law jurisdictions as “scandalising the court”), and statements which undermine the fairness of judicial proceedings. While historically, courts responded to criticism through contempt proceedings, in many countries this is effectively a thing of the past.

In the United States, the offence of “scandalising the court” is effectively a dead letter. The Supreme Court has made it clear, in a series of cases, that only statements which create a “clear and present danger” to the administration of justice (i.e. the fairness of proceedings) may attract sanction.[1]

In Canada, the situation is similar. The standard was set in a 1987 case involving the most stringent possible criticism, alleging that the courts were “warped” in favour of protecting the police, made not by a journalist but by a lawyer, an officer of the court. In response, the Court stated:

But the courts are not fragile flowers that will wither in the hot heat of controversy…. The courts have functioned well and effectively in difficult times. They are well-regarded in the community because they merit respect. They need not fear criticism nor need to sustain unnecessary barriers to complaints about their operations or decisions.[2]

We note that the Resolution of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines appears at points to confuse the two objectives of the contempt power, noted above (protection against criticism and protection of the fairness of justice). Thus, on page five, the Resolution states:

In appropriate cases, the court in order to preserve its dignity, can be forced to wield its inherent power to punish for contempt persons responsible for any abuse of or unlawful interference with the processes or proceedings of a court….”

We accept that there is a need to protect the courts against statements that might undermine the fairness of proceedings, such as intimidation of witnesses. But we feel confident that the Philippine courts are able to withstand strong, even unfair, criticism and yet render justice. This is particularly true where, as is the case here, no jury is involved.

We therefore call on members of the Court of Appeals of the Philippines to withdraw the Resolution immediately. We urge the Justices to instead recognise the obligation of the judiciary to uphold the right to freedom of expression, in accordance with the international and constitutional obligations of the Philippines.

Like many members of the broader Philippine public, we are distressed by the manner in which hearings into the massacre continue to be vexed by stalling tactics and unacceptable delays and distractions in prosecuting the accused on charges related to the murders of 57 of the 58 victims of 23 November 2009.

More than 18 months since the massacre horrified the world, it is imperative that the judiciary and courts of the Philippines ensure that the focus of judicial actions is the prosecution of all those responsible for ordering and undertaking this horrendous crime, rather than permitting continued distractions.

Meanwhile, we continue to stand firmly with the families of the victims and with our colleagues in the Philippines in their honourable quest for justice and defence of the right of all peoples to speak out on matters of grave public importance.

Yours Respectfully,

1. Centre for Law and Democracy

2. International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

3. National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)

4. Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (Alliance of Independent Journalists)

5. Arabic Network for Human Rights Information

6. ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression

7. Association of Caribbean Media Workers

8. Cambodian Center for Human Rights

9. Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

10. Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations

11. Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility

12. Center for Media Studies & Peace Building

13. Centre for Independent Journalism

14. Centro de Reportes Informativos sobre Guatemala

15. Egyptian Organization for Human Rights

16. Foundation for Press Freedom

17. Freedom Forum

18. Freedom House

19. Free Media Movement

20. Globe International

21. Hong Kong Journalists Association

22. Independent Journalism Center

23. Index on Censorship

24. IPS Communication Foundation

25. Maharat Foundation (Skills Foundation)

26. Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance

27. Media Foundation for West Africa

28. Media Institute of Southern Africa

29. Media Rights Agenda

30. Media Watch

31. Mizzima News

32. National Union of Somali Journalists

33. Norwegian PEN

34. Observatoire pour la liberté de presse, d’édition et de création

35. Pacific Islands News Association

36. Pakistan Press Foundation

37. Southeast Asian Press Alliance

38. South East European Network for the Professionalization of the Media

ANNEX

Associate Justices – Court of Appeals of the Philippines

Associate Justice Portia Aliño Hormachuelos

Associate Justice Remedios Salazar Fernando

Associate Justice Bienvenido L. Reyes

Associate Justice Josefina Guevara Salonga

Associate Justice Rebecca De Guia Salvador

Associate Justice Juan Q. Enriques, JR.

Associate Justice Amelita G. Tolentino

Associate Justice Mario L. Guariña III

Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang

Associate Justice Hakim S. Abdulwahid

Associate Justice Noel G. Tijam

Associate Justice Rosalinda Asuncion Vicente

Associate Justice Jose C. Reyes, JR.

Associate Justice Fernanda Lampas Peralta

Associate Justice Magdangal M. De Leon

Associate Justice Vicente S. E. Veloso

Associate Justice Isaias P. Dicdican

Associate Justice Japar B. Dimaampao

Associate Justice Celia C. Librea- Leagogo

Associate Justice Pampio A. Abarintos

Associate Justice Estela M. Perlas- Bernabe

Associate Justice Mariflor Punzalan Castillo

Associate Justice Sesinando E. Villon

Associate Justice Ramon M. Bato, Jr.

Associate Justice Romulo V. Borja

Associate Justice Edgardo A. Camello

Associate Justice Rodrigo F. Lim, Jr.

Associate Justice Normandie B. Pizarro

Associate Justice Apolinario D. Bruselas, Jr.

Associate Justice Ramon R. Garcia

Associate Justice Ricardo R. Rosario

Associate Justice Francisco P. Acosta

Associate Justice Stephen C. Cruz

Associate Justice Jane Aurora C. Lantion

Associate Justice Michale P. Elbinias

Associate Justice Elihu A. Ybañez

Associate Justice Franchito N. Diamante
Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro- Javier

Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda
Associate Justice Florito S. Macalino

Associate Justice Edgardo T. Lloren

Associate Justice Edgardo L. Delos Santos

Associate Justice Manuel M. Barrios

Associate Justice Samuel H. Gaerlan

Associate Justice Danton Q. Bueser

Associate Justice Leoncia R. Dimagiba

Associate Justice Edwin D. Sorongon

Associate Justice Ramon A. Cruz

Associate Justice Agnes R. Carpio

Associate Justice Socorro B. Inting

Associate Justice Angelita A. Gacutan

Associate Justice Myra G. Fernandez

Associate Justice Eduardo B. Peralta, Jr.

Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando

Associate Justice Nina G. Antonio- Valenzuela

Associate Justice Gabriel T. Ingles

Associate Justice Victoria Isabel A. Paredes

Associate Justice Abraham B. Borreta

Associate Justice Pamela Ann Abella Maxino

Associate Justice Carmelita Salandanan Manahan

Associate Justice Melchor Quirino C. Sadang

Associate Justice Zenaida T. Galapate Laguilles