ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) violated the Law of Armed Conflict when its troops detained 52 journalists who were on their way to an evacuation center in central Mindanao on Tuesday, according to Human Rights Commissioner Jose Manuel Mamauag.

Double black eye

“It’s a violation of the working press’s rights. It’s clear harassment,” said Mamauag in response to reports that members of the 601st Army Brigade manning a checkpoint held a busload of journalists for about an hour.

“It’s a double black eye for them (soldiers),” said Mamauag. Not only did they violate press rights, they also violated the right of civilians to express their grievances. It is through the working press that their situation could be shared with other people, he said.

He reminded the military of two provisions in the Law of Armed Conflict: “Those excluded from war should not be included in the armed conflict, and those reporting and monitoring the war and its effects must not be hampered.

Mamauag urged the journalists to file a report on the incident with the local Commission on Human Rights office in Koronadal City.

Arbitrary detention

“We are awaiting your story so it can be put on record,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned the incident, describing it as an “arbitrary detention” and accused the Army of trying to prevent journalists from visiting an evacuation center in Maguindanao.

In a statement, NUJP director Rowena Paraan said the incident was “an apparent act to stifle substantial reportage on the state of internally displaced persons or evacuees in Cotabato and Maguindanao.”

Jaime Espina, NUJP vice chair, was among those held by soldiers of Bravo Company of the 46th Infantry Battalion as the journalists’ 11-vehicle convoy passed through Bagan village in Guindolongan town.

At least 24 Manila-based and 28 Mindanao-based journalists took part in a three-day “State of Bakwits (evacuees)” tour which aimed to look into the actual conditions of the people displaced by the ongoing conflict between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The tour was organized by various peace groups and media organizations with logistical help from USAID, the Asia Foundation and the Canadian International Development Assistance.

Col. Medardo Geslani, commander of the Army’s 601st Brigade countered that there was nothing wrong with briefly holding the journalists while the troops secured the road.
High-risk area

“Is trying to enforce security in a high-risk area tantamount to a violation of the Law of Armed Conflict or arbitrary detention? I don’t think so,” Geslani said in a phone interview.

“We are risking the lives of our troops in conducting clearing operations of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for the safety and convenience of the journalists,” he added.