Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER/Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines—Members of the Justice Reporters Organization (JUROR) called on the Department of Justice (DoJ) to release the report of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) that branded the media as a security risk.
In a statement, the group which was founded in the mid-80s after the Edsa people power revolution said tagging the media as a “security risk” makes them the “enemy” instead of being a partner of the government in information dissemination.
The NICA report, according to the DoJ officials, is one of the main reasons for its reorganization that would relocate the media offices to another building away from the executive officials.
“We call on the DoJ to release the alleged report of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) that tagged us as “security threat.” We take offense in such a tag because it shows that from partners, we are now regarded as an enemy,” JUROR said in a statement.
Meanwhile, AGHAM Party list and former broadcaster Angelo Palmones is calling on De Lima to reconsider her decision to move out of the department’s main building in Manila the offices of the two press groups.
Palmones made the call after meeting the members of both JUCRA and JUROR to hear their side of the reported transfer
“I would like to appeal to the Secretary of Justice, who used to be the Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to reconsider and ponder on the human rights of media practitioners,” he said.
Palmones also denounced the DoJ for using the report from NICA in coming up with the decision to relocate the media offices.
“The media [are] never a threat to public officials,” he said.
“The media [have] been a very active part of what is democracy. [R]eal democracy is working in the Philippines simply because we have a free media; we have a media that is accessible; we have a media that is responsible. The media has been policing its ranks over the years,” he said.
“If they (DOJ officials, employees) are hiding something there’s a reason for imposing restrictions but if the Department of Justice believes in the administration’s straight path slogan why relocate your partners that promote transparency in the DOJ?” he said.
Palmones added that the move is not consistent with the Aquino administration’s pronouncements that it is stepping up its campaign on transparency and public accountability.
“This will [defeat] the principle about unhampered media access to public documents so that the public will know what’s going on in government offices — that’s the wisdom of transparency,” he pointed out.