AFP ASKED TO STOP SURVEILLANCE ON JOURNALISTS

NAGA CITY -- Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Nene Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today asked Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), to order the military to stop harassing or conducting surveillance on journalists, particularly those that are covering the activities of farmers and workers belonging to militant, progressive groups.

Pimentel was reacting to the complaint of Mindanao mediamen that they were being subjected to surveillance operations by the military for no justifiable reason.

Newsmen in Misamis Oriental decried that the surveillance occurred twice. The first was on Feb. 14 during the burial of a militant leader and the second on Feb. 23 during an indignation rally led by mediamen in Cagayan de Oro City.

On both occasions, the newsmen said soldiers took photos of them while covering the events.

Pimentel told the AFP to refrain from conducting surveillance and other unreasonable activities directed at journalists which may be tantamount to intimidation, harassment or undue interference in their work.

However, he said this is part of the risks that journalists face in performing their duties in a conflict-ridden country like the Philippines.

Surveillance of persons who the administration do not like is part or the price that those who stand for freedom, justice and peace like crusading journalists must be prepared to pay, he said.

Pimentel said the harrowing experience that the Misamis Oriental journalists went through should serve as a forewarning about the possible abuse of the newly-approved Human Security Act (formerly Anti-Terrorism Act) by the military and police in dealing with members of the media who have maintained contacts or communicated with terrorists or suspected terrorist group for information purposes.

Indeed, the possibilities are the Human Security Act would be abused by those in power whose main purpose in life is to stay in power forever, he said.

However, he emphasized that the new legislation specifically provides that journalists could not be compelled by the authorities to reveal information or their sources of information in the course of their media coverage of persons wanted by the authorities for terrorist activities.

The Human Security Act exempts the correspondence, messages, and records of journalists from being monitored, bugged and recorded or subpoenaed for use under legal compunction in investigation or terrorist trials.