De Lima pushes for mass education vs journalist killings

MANILA, Philippines - A grassroots approach must be undertaken in the global campaign against the killing of journalists.

That’s the stand of the Philippine government, which Justice Secretary Leila de Lima pointed out before the United Nations inter-agency meeting on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity in Strasbourg,  France yesterday.

De Lima recommended the inclusion of the mass education approach in the UN Plan of Action.

She cited the urgency and indispensability of educating the public on the protection of journalists.

De Lima explained to her counterparts in other UN member-nations that a people-driven approach would provide the basic source of support from the field in the global fight against media killings and unexplained killings.

De Lima shared with the UN the Philippine government’s approach in dealing with cases of media killing, unexplained killings and enforced disappearances.

She cited the “composite team approach,” which was designed to ensure a focused case build-up and speedy resolution of all unsolved as well as new cases of media killings, torture and other grave violations of a person’s right to life, liberty and security.

De Lima said the Inter-Agency Committee adopted this approach to allow prosecutors and investigators to collaborate, cooperate and coordinate in the investigation and build-up of validated cases of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.

“This means more pre-positioned personnel to respond quickly to these cases,” she said.

The protection of journalists would eradicate the culture of impunity in the Philippines, De Lima said.

Attending the meeting were representatives of UN agencies, member states, international and regional organizations, academe and the media to address threats against the safety of journalists, media workers and social media producers.

It was held a few days after the UN’s inaugural commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and a few weeks before the Philippines commemorates the fifth anniversary of the Nov. 23, 2009 Maguindanao massacre.

The discussion centered on ways to transform UN resolutions and papers into prompt, effective and responsive national level strategies.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility has recorded a total of 145 Filipino journalists who have been killed since democracy was restored in 1986. Of the number, only 14 cases have convictions.

De Lima, along with the Philippine contingent led by Deputy Executive Secretary Teofilo Pilando Jr., also participated in a program of bilateral meetings to discuss the possibility of greater and more meaningful collaborations within the Southeast Asian region.