Journalists told: Stay clear of fighting in South

AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday reminded journalists to be extra-cautious while covering the military operations against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao after the crew of three television networks narrowly escaped being hurt in a bomb by the insurgents on Tuesday.

“Safety is paramount over any story,” Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, chief of the AFP public information office, told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday.

But Zagala said the military would not try to restrict the movements of members of the media reporting from conflict areas in

Mindanao.

He advised journalists to always look out for their personal safety and coordinate with the local military before venturing into communities under the influence of the Muslim hardliners.

Safety first

He also reminded them to always wear protective gear and undergo safety training.

“Our Constitution guarantees freedom of the press. Our Armed Forces will not curtail that freedom. But we would like to appeal to (the members of the) media to think of safety first before (pursuing) any story to avoid incidents such as that of TV5,” Zagala said.

He was referring to the Feb. 1 incident involving a reporter and cameraman of TV5 who were hit by shrapnel after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off while they were taking footage of government troops conducting clearing operations in Datu Piang, Maguindanao.

“As much as possible, we will advise media when it’s safe or unsafe (to go). We hope they will follow. We cannot dictate whether they should go or not to go,” Zagala said.

On Tuesday, crew members of ABS-CBN, GMA7 and TV5 were almost hit by a bomb which exploded while they were following a military convoy in Mamasapano town.

Zagala noted that during the media coverage of the Zamboanga City standoff between the military and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), journalists closely coordinated with the AFP after the coastal villages which were attacked by the MNLF rebels turned into battle zones.

Meanwhile, Zagala said Army units had set up its own detachments in the BIFF camps which were captured by the military during the weeklong “Operation Darkhorse.”

He said soldiers had been scouring the areas for improvised explosives and firearms of BIFF fighters.

“We are now occupying the captured camps. We are continuously clearing them. There could still be IEDs there. Our concern now is the stability in the area,” he said.

“We are just going into a new phase of law enforcement operation. Even if we terminated Operation Darkhorse, it doesn’t mean that the follow-up operations… will not continue,” he said.