Is the Philippines not a safe place for journalists?
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| Image via newssafetyblog.org |
Reporters Sans Frontieres, a Paris-based press freedom watchdog, listed the Philippines among one of the
five deadliest countries for media in 2013, where most of those assassins involved where motorcycle riding men. It has been noted that the Philippines and India edged out Mexico and Brazil this year while Syria, Somalia and Pakistan are the consistent topnotchers in the the list. Aside from RSF, New York-based International Federation of Journalists also tagged the Philippines as "third-worst country for working journalists".
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| Image via lexluthor2k9.wordpress.com |
The most noted massacre on 2010, the Ampatuan Massacre, left 32 journalists and media workers dead. Statistics further reported that around 19 journalists were killed since President Aquino assumed office in 2010, 80 were killed under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 6 under Joseph Estrar, 11 under Fidel Ramos and 21 were killed during Corazon Aquino's term.
In 2011, the number of media murder cases already considered cold or dead cases, where police have been unable to identify and arrest any suspect, was pegged at 65 out of 121 work-related media murders since 1986, or 54 percent. Of these 121 cases, only 10 convictions have been handed down by the courts, or a conviction rate of just eight percent. Not one of these involved any mastermind, based on CMFR data. (Source:
InterAksyon)
When the journalists are being murdered and their killers still roam free, then what would be the chances of murdered non-journalists in seeking justice if they don't have friends in media who will follow up and spotlight on the case so that government will be reminded of its duty?
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