Gov’t not suppressing press freedom – Bunye

Malacañang warned journalists yesterday against "irresponsible reporting," but denied that the government is intending to suppress press freedom.

In a statement, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the Philippine press is "among the freest in Asia," after the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) denounced the arrest of Newsbreak editor Gemma Bagayaua in connection with a P100 million libel suit filed by administration senatorial candidate Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson against her.

"Press freedom is not absolute and must be tempered with responsibility and circumspection by the members of the media. Libel is a legal recourse of those to whom crimes have been publicly and maliciously imputed, or who have been defamed or dishonored."

Joel Simon, CPJ executive director, said on the organization’s web site the authorities are using criminal libel as a "battering ram" against press freedom.

"Government officials should not rush to a prosecutor every time a journalist writes critically about those in power," he said. "The charges against the Newsbreak editors should be dropped."

However, Secretary Cerge Remonde, Presidential Management Staff chief and former broadcast journalist, said the CPJ’s statement may not be very accurate.

""If we remove legitimate recourses such as libel, we may inadvertently promote violent attacks against journalists," he said.

While Malacañang believes that freedom of the press is "better abused than curtailed, we should not also deprive people of a legitimate avenue to seek redress of grievances against media," he added.

Bagayaua, who was arrested Wednesday in Baguio, was released on bail after spending a night in prison.

Singson also named Newsbreak managing editor Glenda Gloria and editor-in-chief Marites Vitug in the libel case.

Earlier, a coalition of more than 600 journalists and 30 local and foreign international media freedom organizations issued a joint petition calling for the decriminalization of libel following the recent high-profile complaints filed by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo against several reporters and news executives.

Under the 106-year-old law, people can be fined or sentenced to prison for libel. However, no journalist has been sentenced to prison for libel in recent years.