Thai scribes link up with Cebu journalists

CEBU, Philippines - A group of journalists from Thailand visited Cebu yesterday as part of its educational tour to learn the best practices of its counterpart in the Philippines.

The visiting scribes who are members of the Thailand Journalists Association (TJA), after being briefed by the officials of the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC), hope to establish a permanent link with Cebu journalists.

“I hope that the Thai Journalists Association will have a permanent link with CCPC in order to foster relations with each other,” said TJA president Anucha Charoenpo.

Charoenpo vows to maintain an open communication with CCPC and be of help should there be a need in the future.

“We will be keeping in touch forever. You can contact us any time if you need anything,” Charoenpo added.

The other members of visiting journalists are Supaporn Asadamongkoln, Mongkon Bangprapa, Somhata Mosika, Suwanna Sombatraksasook, Jintana Maksin, Naptr Siriruang, Anothai Chumchaiyo, and Pacharawat Pongorapin.

CCPC officials briefed the Thai journalists of the council's founding purpose and activities.

Among the council's purposes are to provide a forum for media issues, which aims to discuss subjects of vital interest to media practitioners, it also serves as venue for airing grievance by providing an added means of redress for aggrieved news subjects and it also hopes to discourage lawsuits and violence against journalist.

CCPC was founded in 2001 by three Cebu journalists namely Eileen Mangubat of Cebu daily News, Noel Pangilinan of The Freeman and Pachico Seares of Sun Star Cebu, and veteran journalist Juan Mercado who helped them lay the groundwork.

The CCPC founders went to Manila and talked to Marvin Tort, then executive director of the Philippine Press Council, about setting up a local press council.

A year after, there was a period of hibernation of almost three years, caused mainly by the individual papers' other pressing concerns, and in September 1, 2005, the CCPC was revived.

CCPC has 15 members composed of five representatives of the five daily newspapers in Cebu, two representatives from the broadcast industry (one for the radio and one for TV), two mass communication or journalism school deans or professors, or former media practitioners or academicians and six representatives from society who are not members of media.

CCPC has also links with the Cebu News Workers Foundation (Cenewof), Cebu Media Legal Aid (Cemla), and Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists (CFBJ).

Among CCPC's projects include the Marcelo B. Fernan Cebu Press Center, which was completed in 2003, Cebu Media Medical Aid Fund (Cemmaf), Cebu Press Freedom Week, Cebu Journalism and Journalists (CJJ) Magazine and Cebu Journalism and Journalists Gallery. (FREEMAN)