Gov’t should address media killings

No more ningas cogon after every murder of a journalist. 

Malacañang routinely condemns each instance of violence against media, with the police telling us that they are looking into every possible lead to bring the assailants to justice.

But that's about it. After the initial furor lasting a few days at the most, the case is all but forgotten. 

Meanwhile, the statistics are grim: a total of 14 journalists died in the. Philippines in 2013 alone. The number of arrested suspects: Zero.

So it's good that lawmakers and the international community are bringing pressure to bear on government to take firmer action.

Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez pointed out after the murder of Batangas-based journalist Melinda Magsino on April 13 that “the poor handling of cases regarding killings of journalists is very evident and we should do something to solve the problem.”

Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez says "suspects should be prosecuted with dispatch while the strong arm of the law should be applied.”

For his part, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. demands that government “make accountable the perpetrators of media killings.”

The media killings in this country have also been noted with grave concern by international organizations.

The London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) considers the Philippines as the third most dangerous country in the world for journalists in 2013 after Syria and Iraq. In these two countries, there's fierce armed conflict going on daily. The Swiss-based Press Emblem Campaign ranks the Philippines as the seventh most dangerous country for reporters in 2012.

The lack of political will in going after the perpetrators and is what makes them strike with impunity whenever they like. That has got to end.

                                    

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