NEWSFLASH

PRESS FREEDOM DEBATE RAGES

Manila, July 27, 1999 - The hottest issue in the Philippines today is the series of events which allegedly constitute threats to press freedom.

One is the pullout of advertisements of movie producers from the newspaper Phil Daily Inquirer, which has been publishing stories critical of President Estrada, a known ally of the producers’ group.

The second is the sale of the Manila Times by the Gokongwei family to Reghis Romero, a contractor and builder of the tenement houses at Smokey Mountain. Romero is reportedly not serious about re-opening the Manila Times.

The board of directors of the National Press Club (NPC) adopted yesterday the position that the pullout of ads by movie producers from the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) is not an act to curtail press freedom.

The board said the movie producers were just exercising their freedom to choose which newspaper they would like to place their advertisements in.

The NPC board noted that despite the cancellation of the ads placements, the PDI still enjoys its freedom to publish whatever it wants to publish and is still doing it.

The board believed that the revenue loss resulting from the ads pullout is not so substantial that it could cause the closure of the PDI.

The fears that the ads cancellation is an indirect threat to press freedom are baseless because it can not be established with certainty that the pullout came as a direct result of the critical reports about President Estrada, it said.

At the Senate, the NPC sentiment was echoed by Senator Ramon Revilla, who said "news censorship, an element which we should be wary of, is missing" in the howl over the closure of the Manila Times and the ad pull-out of movie producers from the Inquirer.

Revilla, chairman of the Senate public information and mass media committee, assured that the Senate will thwart any attempts to curtail or suppress press freedom because Congress is morally bound to shield the fourth estate from attacks that will breach the foundations of our democracy,

"As long as the legislature remains an independent and co-equal branch of government, I believe the present batch of senators and congressmen, regardless of party affiliation, will rally to defend the right to free expression and speech as guaranteed in the Constitution once there is clear evidence that press freedom is being curtailed or stifled in any manner," Revilla added.

"The Gokongweis' decision to sell the Times was a business one, similar to PJI's (Philippine Journalists Inc.) decision to cease publication of the Journal. I'm sure the Inquirer is still profitable despite the ad pullout of some movie producers who are also exercising their freedom of choice," he said.

He pointed out that a recent survey by the Hong Kong Political & Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) showed the Philippine press is the freest in Asia and the most boisterous. The Philippines beat Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Revilla encouraged journalists to continue being guardians of truth and adhere to the principles of fairness in reporting.

"Constructive criticisms are welcome, it is just the manner of saying or writing it that sometimes pierces the skin of public officials. A formula for harmony and mutual respect between Malacañang and media must be found before the situation deteriorates and projects a negative image of the country abroad."

Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi