Filipinos thought they had put an end to electoral chicanery and governmental intimidation when they overthrew the Marcos dictatorship two decades ago. Unfortunately, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has completely lost touch with the ideals that inspired that 1986 "people power" movement.
Arroyo is no Ferdinand Marcos, at least not yet. But this onetime reformer is reviving bad memories of crony corruption, presidential vote- rigging and intimidation of critical journalists. Unless the Philippine Congress and courts find ways to rein in her increasingly authoritarian tendencies, democracy itself may be in danger.
and the editorial also talks about Arroyo's media crackdown:
Earlier this year she briefly declared a state of emergency in response to allegations of a coup threat that others disputed. Since then she has been intensifying pressure on a wide range of political critics and especially on the press. Government officials have warned news outlets that they will be held to restrictive new guidelines, the justice secretary talks darkly about a journalistic watch list, and the staff members of a well- known center for investigative journalism have been threatened with sedition charges. No Philippine government has made such efforts to muzzle the press since the Marcos era.
President George W. Bush has repeatedly hailed Arroyo as an important ally against international terrorism. He now needs to warn her that by undermining a hard-won democracy, she is making her country far more vulnerable to terrorist pressures.
And here's another NYT article on Arroyo: The Philippines Wages a Campaign of Intimidation Against Journalists (alternative link on the NYT article.)
MANILA, the Philippines — The Philippine news media, among the most exuberant and freewheeling in Asia, are coming under serious government pressure for the first time since the rule of Ferdinand Marcos more than 20 years ago.
Along with hints that the government may restrict public assembly, the campaign against the press strikes at the heart of the freedoms won in 1986 when Mr. Marcos was driven from the presidency by a popular uprising.
The pressure involves warnings, watch lists, surveillance, court cases, harassment lawsuits and threats of arrest on charges of sedition. No members of the press have been arrested, although three journalists have been charged with rebellion. No news outlets have been shut down, although troops surrounded several television stations for more than a week recently.
Journalists say the situation is particularly unnerving because of the uncertainty of what is happening or may happen to them.
"I have a number of people on my list," Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said in a recent television interview. "We are studying them."
This aggressive posture follows a one-week state of emergency imposed on Feb. 24 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in response to what she said was a coup attempt involving an array of enemies who have been calling for her resignation.
Since then, the police have broken up several gatherings that were seen as critical of the president and have briefly detained some participants.
The gatherings included an annual celebration of International Women's Day on March 8, in which a congresswoman who opposes Mrs. Arroyo was detained, in the words of the police, "to get her out of harm's way."
They included a mock beauty pageant in which each contestant was to be made up with a mole on her face in imitation of Mrs. Arroyo.
They also included something that at first seemed like a joke — small weekly protests at which participants did nothing more than buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The protesters got away with that one, but on March 19, the same group was dispersed by the police while walking through a park wearing T-shirts reading "Out Now," an evident reference to the president.
Officials have spoken of intelligence they received about planned gatherings in the same manner they have talked about monitoring reporters — vaguely, seemingly counting on the uncertainty to be more intimidating.
The director of the National Police, Gen. Arturo Lomibao, has told news outlets that they must conform to certain unspecified standards, which it will be up to the government to interpret on a case-by-case basis.
He referred to a new catchall regulation that bans "actions that hurt the Philippine State by obstructing governance including hindering the growth of the economy and sabotaging the people's confidence in government and their faith in the future of this country."
Apparently, the goal of all this is to promote self-censorship, said Maria Ressa, senior vice president for news and public affairs at the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network, the nation's largest.
"It's crazy," she said. "You don't know what's happening but you feel they can move on you at any time."
Ms. Ressa has been a leader in demanding clarification of the government's policies toward the press and in filing a class-action lawsuit to bar prior restraint.
"There is definitely fear and uncertainty," she said. "When government officials say, 'We have the power to shut you down, we have the power to look at your content,' it's intimidation."
Editors and news directors say they have prepared for possible searches or arrests by backing up computer files, setting aside bail money and instructing their staff members on their legal rights if the police enter their offices.
The government has singled out in its threatening statements the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, a small, aggressive group of journalists led by Sheila S. Coronel, a prominent journalist.
The center's exposés of corruption, presented during congressional impeachment hearings, helped bring down Mrs. Arroyo's predecessor, Joseph Estrada.
Government officials have said they may charge Ms. Coronel and members of her staff with sedition, but they are imprecise about who may be charged and on what evidence.
"It's very insidious," Ms. Coronel said. "They say they are studying filing sedition charges. They say they have lists, but they don't say who is on them. This is not how the game should be played. We know our rights, and we should not be harassed by psychological pressure."
Ms. Coronel was one of a group of young women who were reporters and became well known for defying Mr. Marcos in the early 1980's, a time when journalists were being harassed and arrested.
"People went to prison, people died for this freedom," Ms. Coronel said, "and if you give it up it is a betrayal of all the sacrifices that people have made in the past, people I know personally. It really makes me mad."
Of course, not everybody agrees with the NYT. there were many pro-Arroyo bloggers who either supported such media crackdowns, or minimized and pooh-poohed what the Arroyo admin did vs. the Tribune, PCIJ and other critical media outlets.
UPDATE: This comment made after the media crackdown by Bong Austero, typifies that attitude I'm talking about.
I think history will not look kindly on them.
UPDATE: Here are more austero-like statements from people who approved of Arroyo's media crackdown.
from imlearning18:
this is my opinion. im not pro-arrovo, pero ok lang naman ginawa nila since hindi lang naman sa kanilang admin ang favor kungdi sa mga susunod pang admin or president. mas mabuti na ung may ginawa silang hakbang kaysa wala. at least the message has bn delivered, na dapat magrespectohan ang gobyerno at ang media, at least may katapat rin ang media at ganun din sa governemnt, at least nagkakaroon ng boundary hanggang saan ba talaga ang freedom ng media.
from thehitman:
What, the Daily Tribune can't receive as much as they can dish out? I'm sure that the Daily Tribune is ready for this; they've been taking potshots at GMA all this time. I certainly hope they were expecting any retaliation LOL
If you want some, come get some! - John Cena
from spy1:
not a fan of tribune at all. puro basura ang nakaprint sa tribune. parang puro halucination lang ng mga writers at editor. pero tama lang na maituloy ang kaso ng malaman kung nagkasala ba talaga ang tribune. kung guilty, dapat ikulong ang editor at writers. kung hindi, sapat tanggalin sa puwesto ang mga nang-raid sa tribune.
For more of these kinds of comments, basahin ang thread na ito.
UPDATE: american pro-arroyo blogger Marcus Aurelius comments on the NYT editorial:
Always remember the New York Times was the employer of Jayson Blair.
Being a reader of instapundit, andrew sullivan, and kuya belmont etc, I’m familiar with Jayson Blair (and other sins of the US MSM like Rathergate), but what has Jayson Blair got to do with the current NYT Editorial on the PHilippines this time, Marcus Aurelius?
Can you point out to me where they got their facts wrong on their assessment of GMA?
it’s easy for rightwingers to cry “jason blair” everytime the NYT reports something negative about bush, but this is getting a little old, marcus… I say this as someone who still supports the Iraq intervention.
UPDATE: PCIJ: Palace replies to the NYT. Read the reactions on the comments section.
From MLQ3:
Fallout from the New York Times editorial continues: Bunye says NY Times buying opposition lies and the Philippine ambassador to the UN writes a letter: RP envoy refutes New York Times editorial: Invites NYT editors: ‘Visit the Philippines’. The problem is, the NYT reporters have been here. During the lead up to the state of national emergency in particular.
New York Times under opposition influence? So destabilizers na rin pala ang NYT.
Read this too.
Philippine Commentary: Uh Oh, the New York Times 'Withdraws Support' for GMA
He cites Dean Contreras, who makes a good point about the current media situation in our country today:
But Dr. Antonio Contreras, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the leading Philippines academic institution, De La Salle University in Manila, also excoriated Bunye's position on ABSCBN News this afternoon, saying that it was because the Media and civil societies are resisting the Palace pressures and fighting back to preserve press freedom and other democratic rights. Dean Contreras is absolutely right and I believe his views are representative of academe throughout the Philippines. DLSU, along with the Christian Brothers that run the De La Salle system of schools all over the archipelago, deserve a lot of credit for being on the front lines of the fight. Dean Contreras is right! Are we supposed to thank the Palace that Democracy is still alive in the Philippines?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment