Violence against media in the context of human rights violations
(This statement was signed by Dean Roland B. Tolentino, 31 faculty members, 14 staff, CMC Student Council and 14 CMC-based student organizations.)
23 June 2010 (7th month of the Ampatuan massacre)
The rage is very understandable as the act is obviously condemnable.
That three journalists were killed in one week is by itself sufficient evidence that the outgoing Macapagal-Arroyo administration has utterly failed to provide an atmosphere conducive to a free press. Even if there is no evidence to prove that any high-ranking government official actually pulled the trigger and consequently killed journalists Desidario Camangyan (June 14), Joselito Agustin (June 15) and Nestor Bedolido (June 19), the Macapagal-Arroyo administration remains accountable for the killings since 2001.
That there are now 104 journalists killed from 2001 to the present only shows the magnitude of impunity that characterizes the Macapagal-Arroyo administration. It also proves the conclusion of many local and international media and human rights that the powers-that- be are indeed hostile to press freedom.
As in the past, the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) joins the local and international media community in condemning this recent spate of violence, and stands in solidarity with all like-minded individuals and organizations in calling for an end to the violence against media.
No words can describe the anger brought about by the manner in which the three journalists were killed. Camangyan was shot dead by an assassin as he emceed a singing contest. Agustin, on the other hand, was shot at least four times while on his way home. Bedolido, meanwhile, was buying a cigarette when he was shot. As regards Bedolido’s murder, a police officer was quoted as saying that the assassin just “casually walked into a waiting motorcycle driven by another unidentified man.”
The treachery is very apparent, and images of the aftermath of the Maguindanao massacre last November 23 which left a carnage of at least 57 deaths, including that of 32 journalists, come to mind. The violence against media is by itself condemnable based on two factors: (1) the sheer number of deaths under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration – an average of one killing every month from 2001 to 2010 – and; (2) the manner in which the killings were carried out, usually either in broad daylight or in full view of witnesses.
Then again, the anger and condemnation intensify as one remembers the thousands of activists who have fallen prey to the culture of impunity. According to human rights group Karapatan, the victims of extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances from January 21, 2001 to March 31, 2010 numbered 1,190 and 205, respectively.
Aside from that, there are countless other incidences of human rights violations, as in the case of the arrested health workers known as the Morong 43 who continue to be detained under questionable circumstances. The UP CMC considers itself directly involved in the issue and lends its voice to the cry for justice. One of the 43 health workers arrested, Ms. Jaqueline M. Gonzales, was a UP CMC student and she was even elected chair of the CMC Student Council during Academic Year 2004-2005.
In this context, and on the occasion of the 7th month of the Ampatuan massacre on June 23, the UP CMC denounces not only the ongoing violence against media but also the continuing violations of people’s rights. Much as the UP CMC considers as a political victory the rejection of most of the allies of the Macapagal-Arroyo in the recently concluded elections, the College remains vigilant of the future. The culture of impunity, after all, knows no administrations as the violence knows no bounds.
