QUEZON CITY – New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) slammed the Arroyo administration’s failure to solve killings of journalists saying the country ranks first among peace time democracies with highest impunity rating at 90 percent.
Shawn Crispin, the Southeast Asia Coordinator of the CPJ said there is a need to reform the judiciary in the provinces, creation of special courts to address the killing of journalists and establishment of a quick response team among media groups that will document attacks on journalists.
Based on CPJ’s Global Impunity Index for 2009, the Philippines rank sixth among 14 countries with the highest number of unsolved journalists’ murder with 24 unsolved killings from 1999 to 2008.
Iraq is number one with 88 cases of unsolved journalists’ murders followed by Sierra Leone with 9, Somalia (6), Sri Lanka (9), Colombia (16), Philippines (24), Afghanistan (7), Nepal (5), Russia (15), Pakistan (10), Mexico (6), Bangladesh (7), Brazil (5), and India with seven unsolved murder cases.
The CPJ’s “impunity index” also showed that 523 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1998
Elisabeth Witchel, impunity campaigner of the CPJ, said that the ratings are based on the numbers of journalists killed in a country divided by its actual population.
She said that only countries with five or more cases of unsolved journalists’ murders were included in their list.
Witchel also noted that the index can be divided between countries in conflict or at war, and democratic countries at peace.
She also defined impunity on journalists as non-conviction of suspects on the cases of journalists’ murders.
“Our records shows that countries undergoing conflict like Iraq recorded the highest number of unsolved murder cases and majority of countries in our list belongs to peace time democracies where there is actually a working judicial system,” she said.
On the other hand, Crispin stressed that the Philippines ranks number one among peace time democracies with highest number of unsolved cases.
He also said that the country has almost 90 percent on impunity index over the last 10 years.
“We believe journalists murders in the Philippines will remain as long as the current administration is in power,” he said.
REFORMS
Crispin also called for the creation of special courts to address journalists’ murders and to reform the judiciary in the provinces.
He said that based on records, prosecutors have to ask for the Supreme Court to transfer hearing of cases to urban areas like Cebu and Makati City just to get justice.
The same was echoed by Prima Jesus Quinsayas, the legal counsel of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ) who has been working in different cases of slain journalists in the provinces, especially the case of Marlene Esperat of Sultan Kudarat.
Quinsayas said that local prosecutors and judges are facing pressures from local politicians involved in journalists’ murders.
A writer for the Midland Review, Esperat was gunned down in front of her children on the night of March 24, 2005 in Sultan Kudarat.
Her case is only one of the two cases of journalists’ murders in the country that were decided by the court where suspects were convicted.
The other case is that of Edgar Damalerio, the managing editor of the Zamboanga Scribe who was murdered in Pagadian City on May 13, 2002. A police officer was convicted for his murder.
In the case of Esperat, Judge Eric Menchavez of the Cebu Regional Trial Court sentenced to life imprisonment suspects Randy Grecia, Gerry Cabayag, and Estanislao Bismanos in 2006.
Despite the conviction of suspects in both cases, the FFFJ believe that is not enough as the mastermind in the journalists’ murders remain free.
Based on recent data released by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), both Esperat and Damalerio belongs to the list of 100 journalists killed in the country since 1986 when democracy was restored, until this year.
The latest victim was Ernesto Rollin, broadcaster from Oroquieta City who was gunned down last February 23.
Shawn Crispin, the Southeast Asia Coordinator of the CPJ said there is a need to reform the judiciary in the provinces, creation of special courts to address the killing of journalists and establishment of a quick response team among media groups that will document attacks on journalists.
Based on CPJ’s Global Impunity Index for 2009, the Philippines rank sixth among 14 countries with the highest number of unsolved journalists’ murder with 24 unsolved killings from 1999 to 2008.
Iraq is number one with 88 cases of unsolved journalists’ murders followed by Sierra Leone with 9, Somalia (6), Sri Lanka (9), Colombia (16), Philippines (24), Afghanistan (7), Nepal (5), Russia (15), Pakistan (10), Mexico (6), Bangladesh (7), Brazil (5), and India with seven unsolved murder cases.
The CPJ’s “impunity index” also showed that 523 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1998
Elisabeth Witchel, impunity campaigner of the CPJ, said that the ratings are based on the numbers of journalists killed in a country divided by its actual population.
She said that only countries with five or more cases of unsolved journalists’ murders were included in their list.
Witchel also noted that the index can be divided between countries in conflict or at war, and democratic countries at peace.
She also defined impunity on journalists as non-conviction of suspects on the cases of journalists’ murders.
“Our records shows that countries undergoing conflict like Iraq recorded the highest number of unsolved murder cases and majority of countries in our list belongs to peace time democracies where there is actually a working judicial system,” she said.
On the other hand, Crispin stressed that the Philippines ranks number one among peace time democracies with highest number of unsolved cases.
He also said that the country has almost 90 percent on impunity index over the last 10 years.
“We believe journalists murders in the Philippines will remain as long as the current administration is in power,” he said.
REFORMS
Crispin also called for the creation of special courts to address journalists’ murders and to reform the judiciary in the provinces.
He said that based on records, prosecutors have to ask for the Supreme Court to transfer hearing of cases to urban areas like Cebu and Makati City just to get justice.
The same was echoed by Prima Jesus Quinsayas, the legal counsel of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ) who has been working in different cases of slain journalists in the provinces, especially the case of Marlene Esperat of Sultan Kudarat.
Quinsayas said that local prosecutors and judges are facing pressures from local politicians involved in journalists’ murders.
A writer for the Midland Review, Esperat was gunned down in front of her children on the night of March 24, 2005 in Sultan Kudarat.
Her case is only one of the two cases of journalists’ murders in the country that were decided by the court where suspects were convicted.
The other case is that of Edgar Damalerio, the managing editor of the Zamboanga Scribe who was murdered in Pagadian City on May 13, 2002. A police officer was convicted for his murder.
In the case of Esperat, Judge Eric Menchavez of the Cebu Regional Trial Court sentenced to life imprisonment suspects Randy Grecia, Gerry Cabayag, and Estanislao Bismanos in 2006.
Despite the conviction of suspects in both cases, the FFFJ believe that is not enough as the mastermind in the journalists’ murders remain free.
Based on recent data released by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), both Esperat and Damalerio belongs to the list of 100 journalists killed in the country since 1986 when democracy was restored, until this year.
The latest victim was Ernesto Rollin, broadcaster from Oroquieta City who was gunned down last February 23.
