Solons file bill requiring aspiring journalists to pass board exam

Two congressmen have filed a bill requiring anyone who wants to work in media to pass an exam before they can be accredited as members of the press.

 

Under the proposed House Bill 2550, or the “Magna Carta for Journalists” authored by Reps. Rufus and Maximo Rodriguez, journalists will be classified as accredited and non-accredited. 

 

The bill will create the Professional Journalist Examination and the Philippine Council for Journalists, which will handle the examination for radio, television, print and photography.

 

However, despite the presence of an exam, the bill’s authors said “non-accredited” media, or those who won’t pass the exam, can still work for news organizations.

 

“They will still be allowed to exercise their duties and rights as journalists and enjoy only those benefits and privileges accorded to them by their employers,” Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said.

 

In the Senate, a similar bill was filed by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, which has since been met with ire from media rights groups.

 

Estrada’s proposed legislation was described by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines as “unnecessary.” The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, meanwhile, said the proposal was “unconstitutional.”

 

In the House version of the bill, the authors, who are also brothers, said that journalists who have been in practice 10 years and above will be exempted from the exam.

Requests of public records

 

Meanwhile, former broadcast journalist and Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones also filed House Bill 2568 which seeks to promote freedom of information by ensuring that all requests made by media outfits and journalists of government agencies are acted upon promptly, within a period of five business days. 

 

Aragones’ bill also demands a written explanation from the concerned government office to clarify why the request is denied, should it be denied.

 

“The assumption is that all records in the custody or possession of a public body should be open to public scrutiny. Any public body that asserts that a record is exempt from disclosure has the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that it is exempt,” Aragones said.

 

HB 2568 likewise proposes the creation of a Journalist Welfare Fund that will assist journalists in distress.

 

The financial assistance ranges from P10,000.00 but not more than P200,000.00 for temporary or permanent incapacity, distress, or death of a journalist by reason of his profession.

 

Both bills will have to undergo several committee hearings and rounds of voting before they can be passed. —KG, GMA News