By Trisha Casabar
The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) is calling on media organizations to support its efforts to ask Congress to amend provisions of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 to remove media presence in anti-illegal drugs operations.
The call came after a shooting incident that targeted photojournalist Joshua Abiad and his family in Quezon City, resulting in the death of his four year-old nephew. Abiad is a witness of drug-related cases.
PTFoMS Executive Director Paul Gutierrez urged the Congress to amend Paragraph 1, Section 1 of Republic Act No. 9165, saying that “anti-drug operations can now be conducted with greater transparency and in real-time without the need of a journalist being present.”
This portion of the law states that inventory after seizure shall be done in the presence of the accused, a representative/counsel of the accused, a representative from the media and the Department of Justice, and any elected public official.
“Given the advances in technology and with the Supreme Court already mandating the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies to use body cameras in some of their operations, the need for the presence of members of the press during anti-drug operations and inventory of seized evidence has become unnecessary,” Gutierrez said.
“On this, I call on all media colleagues and their organizations to support the PTFoMS in asking Congress to amend RA 9165 accordingly. This is all for the good of all members of the press,” he added.
Aside from Abiad, Gutierrez also cited Tiburcio Trajano, another Remate reporter and member of the National Press Club (NPC), who was killed in a firefight between the police and drug suspects while participating in an anti-drug operation in Rizal.
He further argued that removing journalists as witnesses would relieve them of the burden of attending court hearings and mitigate the risk of being targeted by drug suspects.
“Also, it would remove petty corruption whereby members of the press are paid by anti-drug operatives in exchange for affixing their signatures to the inventory sheet and testifying in court,” he added.
The NPC earlier petitioned Congress to amend RA 9165 Paragraph 1, Section 21 on November 23, 2018. –cf,ag