NUJP Slams House Reso Restricting Access To SALN

NUJP slams House reso restricting access to SALN
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines protests House Resolution

2467, which will require majority consent before lawmakers’ statements of assets,
liabilities and net worth can be accessed.
We find it ironic that a document meant to help advance transparency in
government is now being subjected to so many rules and restrictions by the very
people entrusted to craft the laws of the land.
Even before heading to plenary for the majority approval or disapproval, a request
for SALN – which, by the way, will now cost P300, or up to P90,000 for all members
of the House – needs to be vetted by a committee on review and compliance.
And then there are still forms to be filled up like a sworn undertaking and
declaration listing the specific manner in which information from a SALN may or
may not be used. Members of media, on the other hand, must also submit proof
under oath of media affiliation and a certification of the accreditation of the media
organization, which essentially discriminates against freelance journalists.
Even when a request for SALN is granted, it is likely to be heavily redacted. Aside
from understandable omissions such as the address of the lawmaker and the
names of unmarried and minor aged children and household members, other items
that may be blacked out include businesses, financial interests, and relatives in
government, information that could prove crucial in weeding out conflicts of
interest and other anomalies.
Mind you, SALNs are public documents and should be accessible to everyone.
House Resolution 2467 and Congress’ continued failure to pass the Freedom of
Information Bill gives us reason to suspect this legislature intends to reverse
whatever advances in honest and transparent governance have been made
through the years.
Government officials are fond of saying that those who have nothing to hide should
not fear disclosure nor scrutiny. Why then should members of the House fear these
now?
The Constitution under the section Accountability of Public Officers, states:
“A public officer or employee shall, upon assumption of office and as often
thereafter as may be required by law, submit a declaration under oath of
his assets, liabilities, and net worth.”
NUJP beefs up alert system for media attacks ahead of mid-term polls
Jan 27, 2019
In a bid to be more efficient and effective in responding to continued attacks on media

practitioners, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has strengthened and
expanded its regional safety offices throughout the country.
As the country heads for mid-term elections in May, the NUJP media alert system and on-
call safety officers become doubly important and necessary as pens, laptops, cellphones
and cameras in news gathering.
It is during elections that attacks on media practitioners are unusually high.
The Ampatuan massacre that happened in 2009 was the worst election-related mass
murder of media persons in history.
From one safety unit in NCR until the middle of last year, NUJP has extended its reach to
four other regions, namely, Luzon, Visayas, Eastern and Western Mindanao.
The Regional Safety Officers form part of NUJP alert and response support services for
journalists in distress.
Incidents where reporters, photographers and other members of media are harassed,
threatened or killed in the line of duty are reported to NUJP through its hotlines.
The first responder verifies and documents reported incidents and issues alert advisory
to news media.
NUJP has also beefed up the number of media safety officers to a total of five, one for
each region.
Each responder is on call 24-7 and can be reached thru the hotline numbers:
The NUJP Safety office has also announced a series of safety trainings for media
practitioners up to 2019.
In November 2018, the Freedom for Media Freedom for All documented a total of 99
media attacks from July 2016 to October, 2018.
The Freedom for Media Freedom for All is composed of Center for Media Freedom and
Responsibility, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and NUJP.
Regional Safety offices
Eastern Mindanao
Globe 09453503459
Smart 09398475242
Western Mindanao
Globe 09453503455
Smart 09398475177
Visayas
Globe 09453503456
Smart 09398475195
Luzon
Globe 09453503454
Smart 09398475174
NCR
Globe 09175155991
Smart 09398475329
Better or worse? The state of Philippine media according to watchdogs
Kristine Sabillo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA - In 2018, Filipino journalists continued to face online harassment, violence

and various threats, according to local media monitoring groups.
At the top of the list are 12 cases of media killings under the Duterte administration,
four of which happened this year.
For four consecutive months, unidentified assassins killed radio broadcasters

Edmund Sestoso, Carlos Matas and Joey Llana, and publisher Dennis Denora.
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) Executive Director Melinda
Quintos de Jesus said that while the figures are not substantially higher than
numbers during previous administrations, they have monitored more attacks and
threats in other forms.
“Hindi puwedeng mag-cover (You are not allowed to cover),” she said, referring to
journalists who have been barred from covering news events. “Marami ring
(There's a lot of) physical assault. Digital threats.”
CMFR received 28 reports of various attacks against media workers, including

killings, online harassment, arrests and the removal of articles deemed critical of
influential people from news sites.
The group believes the number could have been much higher but that not a lot of
journalists report their experience of harassment.
“Ito nanggaling (Most of these came) mostly from law enforcement agents or
government officials,” De Jesus added.
“Ang aming pagtingin kumalat 'yung nakita nila na ginagawa ng presidente. 'Yung
pagmumura sa Philippine Daily Inquirer. Pagtawag ng pansin dito sa corporate
issues ng Rappler. 'Yung pagsabi na ang prangkisa ng ABS-CBN puwede niyang i-
cancel.”
(We think that what the president has been doing has an effect. How he cursed at
the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Calling attention to corporate issues of Rappler. Saying
he could cancel ABS-CBN's franchise.)
Last year, online news website Rappler faced the cancellation of its registration
with the Securities and Exchange Commission over alleged violation of foreign
equity regulations, a libel suit and, most recently, a tax evasion case.
Duterte, meanwhile, repeatedly blasted the Inquirer and ABS-CBN Corp in his
speeches.
The President's supporters, meanwhile, attacked journalists online, including

Pulitzer Prize winner Manny Mogato.
Mogato, who had just retired from news wire service Reuters, said his photo and
that of a colleague started circulating on Facebook like they were wanted criminals.
“Ang kasalanan namin sabi doon mali daw interpretasyon namin sa sinabi ni
Pangulong Duterte nang ihambing nya ang sarili niya kay Adolf Hitler,” Mogato said,
referring to remarks Duterte made in September 2016.
(It said there that our sin was our wrong interpretation of what President Duterte
said when he compared himself to Adolf Hitler.)
While he wasn’t fazed by the attack, he finds it worrisome that disinformation

continues to be rampant on social media.
“Ako’y lubos na nababahala na ang disinformation na ito ay sumisira sa ating

demokrasya (I am very worried that this disinformation is destroying our
democracy),” he said, adding that it also erodes public trust for the press.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) is just as concerned.

“In terms of news disinformation, ito ang pinakasagad (this is the worst). Organized
trolls, fake news,” said NUJP national media safety officer Sonny Fernandez.
Fernandez said “fake news” affects the credibility of the press and results in a
“chilling effect.”
CMFR’s De Jesus also claimed that the Philippine media have not performed as well
as they expected because of such chilling effect. She said self-censorship could also
be a factor that’s why a lot of important stories on corruption and illegal drugs have
not been properly pursued.
She said the fear and the caution is not only caused by online attacks but also the
President's criticism of the press.
The President has, for example, called Rappler a “fake news outlet.”
But the Presidential Task Force on Media Security denied that the President’s
comments have a negative effect on media.
“May napakalaking improvement talaga (There's really a huge improvement),”

Usec. Joel Egco, head of the task force, said.
Egco cited the improved rankings of the Philippines in some international media
watchdog reports.
“What we do here in the task force, we were able to identify problem areas and
formulate guidelines para maging [to become] proactive,” he said.
Egco said they even sent confidential letters to warn people tagged by journalists
as harassment suspects.
He said the body investigates each case of media killing and harassment while
protecting and helping victims file cases.
The Global Impunity Index of the Committee to Protect Journalists states that the
media situation in the Philippines has improved, but the country is among top 5
nations with unsolved murders.
The Philippines also ranked better in the Reporters without Borders World Press
Freedom Index, but the group expressed alarm over the President's comments
against the media.
In its report, the group said: “The line separating verbal violence from physical
violence is dissolving. In the Philippines (down six at 133rd), President Rodrigo
Duterte not only constantly insults reporters but has also warned them that they
“are not exempted from assassination.”
Besides online attacks and criticisms from the President, the Philippine media are
also becoming more vulnerable to harassment because of the practice of making
journalists sign as witnesses during drug raids.
“Meron diyan nag-witness nakatanggap ng death threat. Nag-witness, sinama sa

[drug] watchlist (There was one who served as a witness and then received a death
threat. There was another witness who was included in the [drug] watchlist),”
Fernandez said.
Some press clubs in the provinces have already refused to participate in the
practice, but Egco said it would require an amendment of the Comprehensive
Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
The NUJP has started a petition calling to halt the practice and seeking a dialogue
with the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
(PDEA).
If there is one thing that the Task Force and the media monitoring groups agree on,
it is that there is a need for journalists to unite and work together.

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NUJP slams House reso restricting access to SALN

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines protests House Resolution

In a bid to be more efficient and effective in responding to continued attacks on media

It is during elections that attacks on media practitioners are unusually high.

MANILA - In 2018, Filipino journalists continued to face online harassment, violence

For four consecutive months, unidentified assassins killed radio broadcasters

CMFR received 28 reports of various attacks against media workers, including

The President's supporters, meanwhile, attacked journalists online, including

While he wasn’t fazed by the attack, he finds it worrisome that disinformation

“Ako’y lubos na nababahala na ang disinformation na ito ay sumisira sa ating

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) is just as concerned.

“May napakalaking improvement talaga (There's really a huge improvement),”

“Meron diyan nag-witness nakatanggap ng death threat. Nag-witness, sinama sa

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