By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS
MARLENE Esperat, Gerry Ortega , Nilo Baculio, Romy Olea must be turning over in their graves now with President Aquino’s latest insult against murdered journalists just to defend his administration’s dismal record in putting a stop to the killing of journalists in the Philippines.
In Brussels last Tuesday, Aquino was asked about human rights violations in the country. In defending his administration, he cited as an example the killing of journalists that has earned for the Philippines the ignominious reputation of the third most dangerous place for journalists, next only to strife-torn Syria and Iraq.
“For instance, in the media killings, some who used to work in media died. Did they die because they were investigative journalists? Were they exercising their profession in a responsible manner, living up to journalistic ethics? Or did they perish because of other reasons?” Aquino said.
This is another example of Aquino’s warped thinking.
Human beings were killed. That’s murder. He should be concerned about it.
Whether the journalist’s killing was work related or not, that is still murder. And murder is a crime.
Aquino asks,” Were they exercising their profession in a responsible manner, living up to journalistic ethics?”
Granting that some of the murdered mediamen violated journalistic ethics, killing them is still not justified. The Philippines is a government of laws. The party aggrieved by the journalists has options to seek redress; one of them is the libel law. Murder is never an option and of all people, the President, should never rationalize it.
Aquino should be reminded of his oath to “preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man….”
Number one in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights says: “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.”
Who are Marlene Esperat, Gerry Ortega , Nilo Baculio, Romy Olea?
Marlene Garcia-Esperat started the expose of the diversion of hundreds of millions of money for farm fertilizer to the campaign kitty during the administration of Gloria Arroyo.
Marlene was killed in the presence of her children in her own home on March 24, 2005.
Gerry Ortega was a medical doctor who was also a broadcast journalist. He was also an environment activist. He was shot at the back at a used clothing store in Palawan on Jan. 24, 2011.
Nilo Baculio, a crusading journalist from Mindoro, was killed on June 12, 2014 by two motorcycle men riding in tandem. He was working on a story on illegal drugs syndicate at the time of his death.
Romy Romy Olea, radio commentator of DWEB-FM in the province of Camarines Sur was shot several times in an ambush in barangay San Jose, Iriga City inthe morning of June 13, 2011 while he was on his way to work.
They are just four in the list of journalists killed in the Philippines.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said “Aquino’s latest remarks on media killings expose a blatant disregard for justice.”
“This only buttresses our contention that Aquino cannot wash himself of the blood of those who have fallen under his watch and of those whose murders he continues to gloss over, for blaming the victims is tantamount to approval of the fate that befell them.”
I couldn’t agree more.
