Palace initiates dialogue with news executives

MANILA, Philippines – The Malacañang-initiated dialogue with executives of media agencies would start tomorrow in an effort to determine the role of media and prevent a repeat of the mishandled rescue operations during the hostage crisis at the Rizal Park in Manila that resulted in the death of eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage taker last Aug. 23.

Edwin Lacierda, spokesman of President Aquino, said yesterday Communications Group Secretary Ricky Carandang would start meeting with broadcast journalists who covered the hostage crisis live on national television.

“If I’m not mistaken, Secretary Carandang will hold the dialogue in pockets, rather than (meeting with them) as a whole, starting Wednesday,” he told reporters at the Malacañang Press Office.

Carandang earlier said the government has to lay down guidelines for the coverage of crisis situations, which is aimed at allowing police operations to go unhampered and prevent another bungled operation in the future.

He will meet small media groups first, because this seemed to be more effective and easier to control. “There will be no conditions. I want to listen, I want to hear (from them).”

The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas has also scheduled a meeting with Interior and Local Governments Secretary Jesse Robredo and Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa

KBP president Herman Basbaño said they are glad that Robredo and Verzosa accepted their invitation. The meeting aims to formulate measures that would avoid another fiasco in the future.

President Aquino earlier said his Cabinet members, among them former broadcast journalist Carandang, would be holding dialogues with the media regarding the coverage of crisis situations.

“The state cannot impose prior censorship. We’re trying to put conflicting principles into unity,” he said, noting that the presence of media, including kibitzers, have hampered police operations.

“I’d like to err on the side of protecting everybody,” Mr. Aquino stressed. He said he doesn’t think any journalist would like the police to keep them away or about one-kilometer distance from the scene.

“I don’t know if anyone of you would agree to be kept (one kilometer) away from the area. At this present time, I’m very, very inclined to err on the side of protecting everybody and risk having to face charges of prior censorship rather than put anybody at risk,” Lacierda said.

“We uphold the right of the citizenry to be informed of actions and matters and policy that will affect them; that is a constitutional provision. (But) at the same time the state is duty bound to protect every citizen. Obviously there are a lot of instances that unbridled coverage hampered the operations of security forces,” he said.

“We will work it out with you as soon as possible. And we will be setting up all of these meetings to come up with parameters that hopefully everyone will abide with,” he said.

Lacierda said they are going to revive the guidelines the PNP issued to the media after the November 2007 hostage-taking incident at the Manila Peninsula, where journalists also obstructed police operations.

Senate seeks interview transcripts

Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. urged the management of a Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) to provide the Senate a copy of the transcript of the interview of the radio station’s anchormen with slain hostage taker Rolando Mendoza to shed light on the events that led to the shooting of the hostages.

“We will request the management of Radio Mindanao Network to give us a copy of their full interview with hostage taker Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza for our next hearing on the incident,” Revilla said.

RMN reporter Michael Rogas, who was then the anchor of the program, initially interviewed Mendoza. Rogas later had a three way phone conversation with TV5 reporter and RMN correspondent Erwin Tulfo and Mendoza.

Rogas told The STAR that the station is ready to cooperate with the government in its investigation of the incident.

While he lamented the bloody outcome of the hostage drama, Rogas expressed belief that he was merely doing his job as a media man when he interviewed Mendoza via phone patch.

The PNP said it was looking at the possible liability of Tulfo and Rogas for allegedly interfering in the negotiations with Mendoza.

The Manila police chief went on leave while five other police officers were relieved because of their lapses during the assault on the tourist bus where dismissed policeman Mendoza held the Hong Kong tourists hostage.

Mendoza, who was dismissed from the police force last year for extortion, commandeered a Hong Thai Travel tourist bus in Intramuros and held hostage 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipino guides for several hours in front of the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park in Manila.

The suspect, armed with an M16 rifle and a pistol, had released several hostages before the SWAT team assaulted the bus resulting in the death of the hostage taker and eight tourists.

RMN had advised their personnel, including Rogas, not to issue any statements to the media but he revealed that they are ready to cooperate in any investigation. – With Christina Mendez