Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has joined calls for authorities to investigate the death threats received by a newspaper reporter, who recently testified at the House hearing on the impeachment against the chief magistrate.
“The Chief Justice joins the call for concerned authorities to investigate the act of intimidation against Mr. Jomar Canlas, and ensure that he and other journalists are protected and are able to work without fear of reprisal,” Sereno said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Canlas, a Manila Times senior reporter, said that on December 1, he received two identical text messages from anonymous persons threatening to kill him.
The text message reads: “P******** mo jomar canlas, 3 kmi ang papatay syo, marami ka na kasalanan sa amin, magbilin ka na sa asawa mo at anak mo, bago ka mamatay. Hdi to pananakot, ds time talagang patay ka jomar.”
“The Chief Justice and the entire Supreme Court have consistently upheld the freedom of media practitioners including their right to be secure in their persons, as with every citizen,” Sereno said.
She also emphasized that it was the duty of the courts to “ensure that the media may shine a light, where and when needed, by protecting the crucial freedoms that ensure independence of the press.”