CMFR Alert: Philippines Threatens to Arrest Journalists Who Defy Police Orders

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PUBLISHED ON December 8, 2007 AT 8:27 PM

Following the arrest of over 30 journalists and media technicians who were covering the hotel take-over of a group led by a former military officer who’s now a senator, a high-ranking government official told journalists on 5 November 2007 that they could be arrested again if they defied police orders while covering similar events.

In a dialogue between members of the media and government held to discuss the arrest of journalists covering the 29 November 2007 take-over of the second floor of Manila’s Peninsula Hotel, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Rolando Puno told journalists that the arrests were standard procedure and that they will happen again if media people defy police orders to leave.

“Their (journalist’s) physical presence in the scene caused obstruction of justice,” Puno declared before an audience of high-ranking police officials, media executives, and journalists’ groups. The DILG is the government department with jurisdiction over the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Former Philippine Navy Lieutenant, now Senator Antonio Trillanes, Army General Danilo Lim and a military group called Magdalo which Trillanes leads, walked out of a court hearing after being dissatisfied with the proceedings in Makati city where Trillanes and the Magdalo group are being tried for a 2003 mutiny.

From the regional trial court, Trillanes, Lim, several Magdalo officers, and other sympathizers walked around 2 km to The Peninsula Manila hotel where they demanded in a press conference that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo step down and called on supporters to join them.

When an armored personal carrier rammed through the hotel entrance, and police SWAT teams fired tear gas and stormed the hotel, the Trillanes and Lim group surrendered, saying they did not want civilians hurt. Trillanes, Lim, and the Magdalo group were re- arrested and brought to a police camp about an hour away together with the media people covering the event.

According to Puno, the media people, among whom were newspaper and television reporters, photographers, cameramen, and TV technical crew members, were handcuffed and arrested for “obstruction of justice” and “consistent and persistent refusal to obey” police orders.

“It was not the coverage that was the problem, but the physical presence of the media that caused obstruction,” Puno said.

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