NUJP slams persistent impunity

BAGUIO CITY  , Philippines  —   Impunity reigns in the country and the present administration is not doing any better despite its repeated promises of ending this social malady, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said as the group marked International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists last Nov. 2. 

Remembering the day “with sadness but with an undimmed sense of determination to help end media killings in our country and the whole world and bring perpetrators to justice,” the NUJP cited that “it was also in November that the worst killing of journalists in history happened.” 

NUJP chair Jo Clemente said the murder of 32 journalists, along with 26 other civilians, on Nov. 23, 2009 in Ampatuan, Maguindanao is called by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) as the single deadliest event for journalists in the world.    

The NUJP believes the Ampatuan massacre substantially contributed to the global advocacy to protect journalists and freedom of the press. 

The fact that the no one has yet been convicted nearly eight years after the massacre shows that impunity reigns in this country, Clemente said. 

“Despite repeated promises to bring the perpetrators to justice, the past (Aquino) administration utterly failed,” added Clemente.

Andal Ampatuan Sr. died before defense witnesses could be presented. 

Andal Sr.’s son, Sajid Islam Ampatuan, who was Maguindanao governor at the time of the massacre, was granted bail by the Court of Appeals in January last year, just in time for the election campaign where the younger Ampatuan ran for mayor of Shariff Aguak. 

‘Rody no better’ 

The NUJP believes that “impunity exists to this day under the Duterte government, which is not doing any better than his predecessors.” 

President Duterte himself has justified the killings of journalists, Clemente said, adding that just last week, Surigao del Sur broadcaster Christopher Lozada was gunned down near his house in Bislig City. 

“We note that Administrative Order No. 1 created the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS ) which now investigates media killings and harassment. However, these killings and harassment continue to this day,” said Clemente. 

PTFoMS Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, a former journalist, vowed that the agency will continue to fulfill its mandate of ensuring the protection of the life, liberty and security of all media workers in the country. 

The NUJP noted as “no surprise” the Philippines ranking fifth in the world in terms of impunity against journalists as shown in the 2017 Global Impunity Index of the CPJ. 

In its report, “Getting Away with Murder: 2017 Global Impunity Index” published on Oct. 31, CPJ said “no convictions have been achieved” despite the formation of a task force on media killings. 

Egco said the present rank of the country is an improvement. 

“With what little we have at present, we were able to extend assistance to a number of journalists in distress,” he said, adding that “we were able to solve new cases too.” 

Egco said the PTFoMS is aiming for the country “to be removed from the list.” He added that it is “a good sign that we are dropping, albeit slowly, from the top spots.” 

NUJP said the group will “demand that (Duterte) orders a stop to media killings and impunity in this country. He can start by not encouraging others to kill journalists and direct the prosecution of those who are accused.”

The UN has chosen Nov. 2 to commemorate the killing of two French journalists in Mali on the same day in 2013.