Call to the Government Officials: Respect

Press Freedom in Word and in Deed

 
The Bohol Tri-Media Association (BTMA), a closely organized major print
and broadcast media outfits, is saddened to know that a Capitol official filed a case
(Inciting to Sedition) against our fellow mediamen Atty. Dan Neri Lim, Peter
Dejaresco and Willy Ramasola.
Atty. Lim, a former Tagbilaran City mayor, is handling a block-time radio
program over Station DYTR while Ramasola is a social media user and columnist
of the Bohol Sunday News. Dejaresco is the chairman of the Bohol Chronicle
Radio Corp. and associate editor of the Bohol Chronicle and general manager of
Stations DYRD AM and FM.
          The filing of the criminal complaint comes at a time that we are facing
pandemic and everybody is gravely affected. BTMA sees it as a form of
harassment, if not a start of press repression or a veiled threat to press freedom and
free expression enshrined under the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
          The act of filing by the Bohol governor must be queer that even Pres.
Duterte, who is still facing unscrupulous criticisms, left and right, from not only
his nemesis here but also from other places in the world, did not lift a finger to go
after his critics in court.
We recognize that it is the right of every person to file a case if one is
aggrieved but not at the expense of the media people. Because such act of filing the
aforesaid case against media personalities sends a wrong signal, not only to media,
but also to the people and the electorate.
          If Capitol is running after the necks of prominent personalities in the media,
there’s reason to believe that it can also attack the lowly who are helpless and
defenseless.
We would like to remind that government officials and agencies are sworn
to defend the country and protect the people. Needless it to say that in old
landmark case of People vs. Bustos (G.R. L-12592 March 8, 1918), the Supreme
Court had the opportunity to rule on the freedom of speech and expression, thus:
“The interest of society and the maintenance of good government demand a
full discussion of public affairs. Complete liberty to comment on the conduct of
public men is a scalpel in the case of free speech. The sharp incision of its probe
relieves the abscesses of officialdom. Men in public life may suffer under a hostile
and an unjust accusation; the wound can be assuaged with the balm of a clear
conscience. A public officer must not be too thin-skinned with reference to
comment upon his official acts. Only thus can the intelligence and the dignity of
the individual be exalted. Of course, criticism does not authorize defamation.
Nevertheless, as the individual is less than the State, so must expected criticism be
born for the common good. Rising superior to any official or set of officials, to the
Chief Executive, to the Legislature, to the Judiciary — to any or all the agencies of
Government — public opinion should be the constant source of liberty and
democracy.”
 We fully well understand our roles in the Fourth Estate by providing news
which is necessarily engaged in political affairs and others issues that concerns
public interest.
          But, despite that fact that the case is already filed in appropriate authorities,
we will never be silenced in doing our roles in the community. Thus, we call on
government officials to respect press freedom not only in words but also in deed.
City of Tagbilaran: 22 October 2021
 
FRED A. ARANETA
BTMA President