Court ruling on Manila Pen siege a blow to press freedom - Pimentel

MANILA, Philippines - The decision of the Makati Regional Trial Court dismissing the civil suit filed by newsmen against government officials who allegedly mistreated them during the Manila Peninsula Hotel siege November last year is a big blow to press freedom, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel said Sunday. “I view with alarm the Makati Regional Trial Court’s ruling on the Manila Peninsula affair that might lead to suppression of press freedom and the people’s right to information and ultimately the institution of police state," Pimentel said. Pimentel said the ruling “could have been worded differently so as not to give the impression that the acts of the police were fully justified." In a decision issued last week, Judge Reynaldo Laigo of the Makati RTC-Branch 56 said the allegations of the mediamen in their complaint did not constitute sufficient cause of action for damages against the defendants to merit further prosecution of the case. The reporters, photographers and cameramen who defied the police instruction to leave the hotel, complained that they were treated like suspects in crimes when they were arrested, handcuffed, brought to and detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City, after the surrender of a group of renegade soldiers who took over the hotel to denounce civilian government. “(They) were treated as common crime suspects when the police took them under custody without informing them what offense or crime they had committed and without providing them with counsel," the opposition lawmaker said. Pimentel said this development “would only embolden the administration and law enforcement authorities in imposing restrictions on similar political events or crisis situations that may results in the suppression of truth." In his decision, Judge Laigo held that the order of Police Director Geary Barias of the National Capital Region Police Office for the journalists to vacate the Manila Peninsula Hotel was “lawful" given the “dangerous" situation but “appeared to have been violated" by many of them by opting to stay put in the company of the mutinous soldiers. He noted that the drastic action was taken by the law enforcers on the suspicion that some of the mediamen had conspired with the personalities who staged the hotel siege, led by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim. Subsequently, the government decided not to file any charges against the journalists. The civil suit was filed by 36 reporters, photographers and cameramen and four media organizations – Philippine Center for Investigate Journalism, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and Philippine Press Institute. Among those charged in the case were Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez. The others were Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon, then armed forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Director Barias, Southern Police District Luizo Tieman, Special Action Force Director Chief Supt. Leocadio Santiago and Senior Supt. Dolina of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. - GMANews.TV