đź“· DZRH
IN what appears to be another failure of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to maintain order, a journalist ended up beaten by an angry mob of rallyists forming part of a transport strike protesting against the jeepney phaseout.
DZRH reporter Val Gonzales claimed that he was punched by members of Manibela, a transport group composed of operators and drivers of traditional passenger jeepney, while while doing a live report regarding the protest against the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program in front of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) along East Avenue around 9 a.m.
“Habang ako ay nagrereport bigla silang sumugod — natanggal pa nga itong sapatos ko at bukod doon ay nasira yung earphone na ating ginagamit sa monitor,” said Gonzales, adding that he could have sustained serious injuries if not for his cameraman Dennis Villanueva whom he claimed pulled him away from the mob.
Then the rallyists yelled at Gonzales whom they called “bayarang media” (paid hack).
Moments after the incident, the Camp Aguinaldo-based Defense Press Corps (DPC) issued a statement denouncing the acts of violence against a legitimate working press who was only doing his job.
“The emotions and perceptions stemming from whatever our colleague reported is never a justification to subject a journalist to physical harm,” DPC said in a statement, as it called on the organizers and leaders of the protesters to “restrain their members and respect the freedom and rights of the free press.”
“In the same way the press is instrumental to extend the reach of sectors seeking redress for grievances against the government, so too should these sectors value, respect and safeguard the safety of journalists towards the betterment of society,” the DPC added.
Meanwhile, Manibela insisted that it was Gonzales who started the pandemonium.
“It was Gonzales who first provoked our members after he spoke against us and cursed the members of Manibela, adding that we should be arrested due to the traffic problems we caused,” the transport group said in a separate statement.
Manibela also urged members of the media to adhere to its code of ethics, embarking on impartial reporting – especially on the issue of the jeepney phaseout which displaced hundreds of thousands of families.
Meanwhile, DZRH, which employs Gonzales, strongly condemned the incident, claiming a clear “harassment” under freedom of expression.
“Ang mga kaparehong pangha-harass ay malinaw na pagsikil sa karapatan sa pamamahayag at walang puwang sa isang sibilisadong lipunan,” said Atty. Rudolph Steve Juralbal, DZRH Station Manager and Vice President for Legal.
Juralbal said the company is determined to hold those behind hurting Gonzales accountable “so that similar situations do not happen again.”
“Sa huli, makakaasa ang publiko na mananatiling committed ang MBC-DZRH sa pagtataguyod ng katotohanan sa ngalan ng patas at malayang pamamahayag,” the statement read. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
