Poe calls for review of gov’t actions to end media killings

Sen. Grace Poe. FILE PHOTO

MANILA,  Philippines – A resolution calling for a review of government efforts to end media violence in the country has been filed by Senator Grace Poe.

In filing Senate  Resolution No. 533, Poe  urged the two committees in the Senate—public information and mass media, and justice and human rights –  to inquire into government interventions to address media killings and protect journalists.

“Media killings have no place in a democratic country like the Philippines,” said Poe, who chairs the committee on public information.

She then pointed to France-based Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders) report, which ranked the Philippines 149th out of 180 countries in its Global Press Freedom Index for 2014.

“The country’s current press freedom situation must be seriously addressed in elevating democracy in the country,” Poe said.

Based on a non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch, 12 media practitioners were killed in the Philippines in 2013 alone, bringing the number of deaths to at least 72 since 1992.

In 2009, 32 journalists were among the 58 who were kidnapped and massacred in what is now known as the “Maguindanao Massacre.” The case remains pending in court.

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