Palace, OVP condemn arson attack on tabloid offices, say free press must be protected

Malacanang and the Office of the Vice President have condemned the arson attack on printing offices of tabloid Abante in Parañaque City on Monday dawn, saying that authorities should act swiftly to address such attack on free press.

“We condemn the assault on this Abante printing press. We cannot allow this thing to happen against any member of the Fourth State,” Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday.

“The President (Rodrigo Duterte) will certainly be directing a thorough investigation of this case and we will prosecute those behind this dastardly act,” Panelo added.

Vice President Leni Robredo’s spokesperson and lawyer Ibarra Gutierrez expressed the same sentiments.

“We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the recent attack by armed men on the Abante printing offices. This brazen assault cannot be allowed to pass unchallenged because a free press is essential in a free nation,” he said.

“This attempt to intimidate and silence Abante, the leading Filipino language publication in our country, must be resisted by all freedom-loving Filipinos. We call on the authorities to act swiftly on this matter and bring the perpetrators to justice,”  Gutierrez added.

Likewise, Gutierrez said that such threat should prompt the public to stand together.

“We send this message to all those who seek to curtail our freedoms through threats and violence: We will not be cowed. We will stand together and defend our freedom,” Gutierrez added.

Article 3, Section 4 of Philippine Constitution reads that “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”

According to the police, the Abante printing offices were stormed by four armed men and burnt the place. — MDM, GMA News