Miriam urges DOJ to allow media coverage of Ampatuan trial

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago urged the Department of Justice to allow the media to cover the trial of the Maguindanao massacre case.

Santiago said the judiciary should limit the issuance of gag orders banning media from reporting or publishing information on cases of what she called “widespread concern to the community.”

Santiago, a former Quezon City judge, said the trial court hearing the Maguindanao murder case should allow full media coverage and refrain from bringing up the sub judice rule, prohibiting the media from reporting, commenting on, or publishing events surrounding a trial that could influence the court in its decision.

“Let every Filipino know how the wheels of justice churn for this monumental case,” Santiago said in a statement.

Amid criticisms on media coverage of the hostage-taking incident two weeks ago, Santiago said there is a gray line separating responsible and ethical media coverage with the constitutional guarantees of free speech and the right to information.

“The constitutional guarantees of free speech and the right to information on matters of public concern occupy lofty positions in the Filipino people’s hierarchy of values. While the abuse of these rights should be denounced, we should remain vigilant that these rights are not unreasonably curtailed,” Santiago said.

Santiago made the statement as she filed a proposal seeking to prohibit the courts from issuing gag orders on the media in the coverage of cases of public interest.

The Maguindanao massacre had been well covered by the media, both local and global, even before the trial started.

Much publicity has been focused on the key players in the case, from the principal accused Andal Ampatuan Jr. to Quezon City Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes and the prosecution.

Reyes, on the other hand, threw out the motion of the defense calling for her inhibition from the case.

The defense claimed Reyes had been biased by hastily issuing the arrest orders without looking at the evidence, which they claimed does not justify the arrest of the accused.

Reyes said there is no merit or legal basis for the motion of the defense for her to inhibit in presiding over the trial.

The relatives of the victims of the Maguindanao massacre, on the hand, said they would seek an audience with President Aquino.

The group led by Myrna Reblando, wife of slain journalist Bong Reblando who was among the 57 victims of the carnage, said the government had been unfair and unreasonable for giving more attention to the victims of the hostage-taking incident than to their plight.

“They (the government) should treat us like that. If they have given special compensation to the families of the victims of the Hong Kong nationals that were killed during the hostage taking, then they should also allow compensation and attention to our case,” Reblando said.

The group said the government also failed to provide support to the children of the victims of the massacre in the form of educational scholarship.

“The last time we received financial support was in March 2010 and it was P10,000 given by the Department of Justice. Even the scholarship that they promised did not come. But these Hong Kong nationals gained special treatment in their case,” she lamented.

The group also lamented the slow pace of the trial.– With Reinir Padua, Rose Tamayo