Duterte orders creation of body to look into media killings

Philippines’ president-elect Rodrigo Duterte AFP FILE PHOTO

The creation of a task force that would look into the killings of journalists in the country is now underway, Malacañang said on Saturday.

“The President has already ordered the creation of a task force on media killings,” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement.

“The Presidential Communications Office, together with the Office of the Executive Secretary , is currently drafting an administrative order to define the parameters of the Presidential Task Force,” Andanar added.

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The Palace official said they hope to submit the draft before President Rodrigo Duterte’s addresses a joint session of Congress on July 25.

“We hope to submit it to the desk of the President before his State of the Nation,” he said.

In an earlier interview with Inquirer, Andanar has said that the task force would include various law enforcement agencies and representatives from different media organizations.

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He said the task force would determine the motives behind the attacks on journalists and host a regular media summit to discuss their concerns.

“It will let us ascertain the reasons why reporters are being killed—if they’re crusaders or just extortionists,” he said.

He added that the task force would also be a medium in providing assistance to the families of slain journalists.

In June, Duterte boycotted the media after international press group Reporters Without Borders urged its Filipino counterparts to stop covering the President because of his remark that some journalists dare legitimate targets of assassination because they are corrupt.

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Since then, all official pronouncements were coursed through state-run television network PTV4. IDL