MANILA—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to ensure the safety and respect for the rights of the members of the press covering the elections.
Signing the MOA on behalf of the commission was Chairman George Erwin Garcia while PTFoMS executive director, Usec. Paul M. Gutierrez, signed on behalf of the task force.
“This MOA is part of the continuing effort by the Marcos government to create a safe media environment for members of the press all over the country, especially during elections,” said Gutierrez, recalling Pres. Marcos Jr.’s instruction for the PTFoMS to work for a safer media environment for everyone.
The MOA is the first of its kind between the Comelec, an independent constitutional body, and the PTFoMS, the government’s mechanism to address all violations on the right to life, liberty, and security of all members of the press, since the latter’s creation under Administrative Order No. 1 (AO1) in 2016.
It recognizes the important role of the press in scrupulously reporting and interpreting the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis.
The agreement also seeks to provide media practitioners with a safe and protected space, free from any unnecessary interference in order to perform their duty to report truthful election related news.
Among others, the MOA seeks to consider any act of threat, harassment, illegal detention, torture, or physical violence to any member of the press a violation of the media’s role under the Fair Election Act or RA 9006, the Omnibus Election Code, or the Revised Penal Code, as the case may be.
Chairman Garcia, for his part, said, he agreed to the MOA considering that poll workers also suffer from the same level of threats, harassments and loss of life being experienced by journalists during elections.
“Ang dinaranas ninyo (journalists) tuwing eleksyon ay dinaranas din ng aming mga tauhan, partikular yung mga nasa field,” Garcia said.
He also repeatedly stressed the important role played by the media in achieving the poll body’s mandate of conducting a clean, credible, free, honest, and orderly elections.
Both officials said the provisions of the MOA would take effect this October, the start of the filing of certificate of candidacy (COCs) and would last until the end of the election period, or until June 11, 2025.
“While violent incidents cannot be prevented especially during elections, we hope this MOA would serve to deter those contemplating to do harm against the media from doing so, especially among the candidates and their supporters,” they added.
Any media practitioner whose rights are violated during the covered period must report the incident immediately to the PTFoMS, which would then immediately coordinate with the COMELEC on the appropriate measure to be taken to address the incident.The PTFoMS shall also be responsible in attesting that the victim is a legitimate member of the press and assist the victim in the filing of a formal complaint before the poll body. (PR)
Slip
It seems that the kind treatment by the senate on suspended mayor Alice Guo was the beacon for her to evade the delayed issuance of arrest warrant. The tactical move of using her unwell condition to justify her absence from subsequent senate hearings had good precedents from former presidents Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
The two former presidents suddenly got ill when ordered jailed, getting luxurious hospital accommodation under the best physicians who failed to treat their ailments. The two former presidents enjoyed their confinement in luxurious accommodation and their unhealed condition that their doctors failed to cure.
The suspended mayor begun declaring that she is suffering purportedly from trauma and hypertension. Such claim could be checked by government physicians of the senate, unfortunately, the suspended mayor could no longer be found for her illness to be verified.
Attempts to locate the suspended mayor had been futile. The raid aimed to nab the suspended mayor resulted in the arrest of her accountant only. It would take more surveillance efforts by the authorities in order to pinpoint the lair where the suspended mayor is hiding. Despite assertions of her lawyers that the suspended mayor is just sick and is not hiding, there are no indications that the authorities would succeed in arresting her.
The public is waiting for developments as government authorities had issued warnings on all ports of exit to ensure that the suspended mayor would not be able to get out of the country. A hold departure order had reportedly been issued in order that the suspended mayor could be nabbed by the authorities once spotted in any port. These measures are made in reaction to the sudden disappearance following the order for her arrest. But if her illegal acts of subverting the country’s late registration system as well as existing election laws would be taken as indicator of her capacity to subvert our laws, it could end up in the power of money dictating the outcome.
In a recent interview, her lawyer disclosed that he advised the suspended mayor to surrender to the authorities as she could not be hiding forever. This statement contradicts the previous where the lawyer asserted that the suspended mayor is not in hiding. If the advice is heeded, the authorities would be relieved of the unnecessary time, efforts and expenses to arrest the suspended mayor. Indeed, it is the most practical thing to do, for the suspended mayor to surrender and face the consequences of her actions.
The need for her to remain influential is to retain her post through reelection. She could only do that if she is able to defend herself, mainly, the cancellation of her certificate of live birth which would result in her true identity as Chinese citizen. That would disqualify her from running for elective office. But if she choses to use the gargantuan money that slipped notice from government authorities, then she could easily as she had done now, just slip.
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