By Jelly Musico (PNA)
MANILA — An official of the European Union (EU) described President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to form Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) as good development in addressing media concerns in the Philippines.
“The PTFoMS is indeed a welcome development,” Enrico Strampelli, representative of EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen, said Wednesday during a multi-stakeholder consultation on the Philippine Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists (PPASJ).
The event was hosted by Asian Institute for Journalism and Communication (AIJC) and Copenhagen-based International Media Support (IMS) at Astoria Hotel in Ortigas.
Strampelli has also cited the participation of various government agencies, including police and military as well as media organization and lawyers.
“We hope it (PTFoMS) will successfully resolve many issues that continue to hound journalists and help resolve with finality the murders of journalists in the country,” Strampelli said.
Meanwhile, Danish Ambassador Jan Top Christensen has recognized the role of PTFoMS in improving the country’s ranking in the Global Impunity Index from No. 3 before Duterte formed the task force in Oct. 11, 2016 down to No. 5 as recently reported by Community to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
He also took the opportunity to commend other “progressive reforms” particularly in health, finance such as tax reform, and infrastructure like ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program under Duterte administration.
Representatives from local and international journalists’ organizations, non-government organizations, government agencies, including PTFoMS and the academe, have participated in the crafting of the PPASJ.
Lila Ramos-Shahani, secretary general of the Philippine National Commission for UNESCO, has also praised the hard work of PTFoMS, headed by Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, to address the country’s CPJ ranking.
“They (PTFoMS) have been hard at work, reconciling the concerns of our media men and women with the work that the government is doing,” she added.
The event was co-financed by the European Union and Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
