A month before the May 10, 2010 elections, there was a slight increase in the percentage of election-related reports from 28% in the third monitoring period to 29% in the fourth monitoring period. Both Bisaya-language newspapers had the same number of election-related reports but SuperBalita allotted a bigger proportion of its news pages to election-related reports (35%) compared to Banat (23%). The reports were still mostly on how the candidates were campaigning and the local elections, suggesting that, in the community press, the national elections were of minimal concern, in what is perhaps a reflection of the public’s own attitude.

Placement

Ninety-eight percent of the election-related reports were  in the inside pages. Compared to the third monitoring period, most of the election-related reports in SuperBalita were still in the “Ngari/Didto/Nasod” section.  Banat’s “Balita” or main news sections meanwhile remained the main location for its election-related reports. This may be interpreted as Banat giving more premium space and treatment to election-related reports than SuperBalita.

Focus/Election-Related Area

As in previous monitoring periods, the focus of both Bisaya-language dailies was still the local elections. Reports about the local elections increased to 84  compared to 75 reports and 53 reports in the third monitoring period and second monitoring period, respectively. There was a significant increase in the number of reports about the party-list election, particularly in SuperBalita where there were 26 reports about the party-list in this monitoring period compared to only one report in the third monitoring period. Banat’s coverage of the party-list election meanwhile remained marginal at two reports.

Themes

Coverage of the campaign was still the top theme of  election-related reports in the Bisaya-language dailies which increased to 49 reports in this period from 44 reports in the third monitoring period. The “Cockfight”—who’s ahead of whom– was no longer the primary news concern,  as next to reports on the “Campaign” theme (how the candidates were wooing voters) the newspapers focused their attention on the candidates’ personality, character and/or track record and their platform or program.

Photos and Artwork

There were 32 election-related photos published during this period compared 2to 8 photos and one caricature in the third monitoring period. Twelve of the photos were published in SuperBalita while 20 were published in Banat. The most photo-featured news subjects were Cebu governor Gwen Garcia (4), followed by David Odilao (3) and the Davides, father and son Hilario Davide, Jr. (3) and Cebu gubernatorial candidate Hilario “Junjun” Davide III (3). Odilao figured in a conflict with his erstwhile party mate Pastor Jun Alcover. Jr. of the ANAD Party-list over party funds and who was the official nominee between them.

Subjects

Presidential candidates Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro and Manny Villar and their respective parties Lakas-Kampi-CMD Party and the Nacionalista Party became the top news subjects in the fourth monitoring period. All four news subjects were involved in a tug-of-war for Cebu’s support and in the controversial shift of support by some local politicians from Teodoro’s camp to Villar’s.

Sources

The Comelec (11) went back to being the top news source during this period, followed by Lapu-lapu City mayoralty candidate Efrain Pelaez, Jr. (6), the local administration party One Cebu (6), Governor Gwen Garcia (5), and tthe media (5).

Slant/Focus

The Bisaya-language dailies showed better coverage of the election campaign during this monitoring period in terms of background and objectivity. From 80% in the third monitoring period, 86% of election-related reports in the fourth monitoring period had adequate background. Neutrality also improved from 82% to 88%. SuperBalita was still the most neutral with 96% while Banat  improved its neutrality from 70% to 75%. Of the 12% election-related reports that were coded as slanted, there were eight positively-slanted reports and seven negatively-slanted reports.

Neutral Reports

Neutral vs. Slanted

(This report can also be found on the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility’s media elections link at http://www.cmfr-phil.org/mediaandelections.)

CEBU’S ENGLISH-LANGUAGE DAILIES

Weeks 7 and 8 covering March 28-April 10, 2010 saw a slight decrease in the number of election-related reports from 388 in Weeks 5 and 6 to 353 reports about the elections. Proportionally however, news content about the elections increased to 30% of the news hole from 26% in Weeks 5 and 6 and 22% in Weeks 3 and 4. Sun.Star Cebu had the most number of election-related reports at 137, followed by The Freeman (117) and Cebu Daily News (99). Reports on the local race remained dominant which included the controversial shifting of political alliances at the local level as national candidates vie for local support.

Placement

News about the elections was given more prominence more than halfway through the campaign period. More election-related reports appeared on the front pages of the local English-language dailies in Weeks 7 and 8 at 8% of the total election-related reports compared to 5% in Weeks 5 and 6. There were 17 bannered election-reports – six each in Sun.Star Cebu and The Freeman, and five in Cebu Daily News. Sixty percent of  election-related reports in the inside pages were  in the main news section while the rest were distributed to  the nation, business and community sections.

PLACEMENT

Focus/Election-Related Area

Coverage of the local electoral campaign remained dominant in the fourth monitoring period with 165 reports. Second was “Elections in general” (110), followed by “Presidential” (87), “Senatorial” (25), “Party-list” (19), “Vice-presidential” (15), and “Local Non-Cebu” (12).

FOCUS

Themes

Coverage of the electoral race still focused on the “campaign” theme (141) especially political defections and dalliances, followed by personality/character/record (136) and cockfight (112). Development/policy issues were less prominently featured compared to Weeks 5 & 6.

THEMES

Subjects

Controversy over the shifting of political alliances at the local level allowed some less prominent news subjects in previous weeks to be in the news for days, among them local administration party One Cebu, led by Governor Gwen Garcia who supports Gibo Teodoro, and Mandaue City mayoral candidate Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, who was accused of ‘turncoatism’ for turning her back on Teodoro in favor of Manny Villar.

Unlike in the previous monitoring period, when the study team recommended devoting more space to often ignored electoral contenders, some articles during this period covered less prominent candidates and political parties in detail. For instance, the Mar. 31, 2010 issue of Sun.Star Cebu featured the Butil Farmers Party-list (“Farmers’ party-list names 5 nominees,” Page A12 Top Stories) and a 79-year-old ex-dad making a comeback bid for a seat in the Talisay City Council (“Ex-dad tries his luck anew,” Page A12 Top Stories).

SUBJECTS

Sources

The Comelec remained the major source of election-related stories. As a result of the controversy generated by the “turncoatism” of some Cebu politicians and Manny Villar’s alleged raid on Gibo Teodoro’s allies in the One Cebu Party, the top news sources during this period included the One Cebu Party, Governor Gwen Garcia, Teodoro, and Villar. The NGOs, civil society groups and the Catholic Church were also active in promoting responsible voting, peaceful and orderly elections, and in the case of the Church, its pro-life stance. Sun.Star Cebu’s report “Losing volunteers,” covered the quandary of poll watchdog Cebu Citizens Involvement and Maturation in People’s Empowerment and Liberation (C-Cimpel), which lost many of their volunteers to politicians and political parties that paid them for their services. This is an example of news coverage focusing readers’ attention on the role of civil society in elections.

The April 10, 2010 Sun.Star Cebu article, “PPCRV asks Comelec to review ink contract,” featured the call of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting to review and rebid the contract for the supply of indelible ink to be used on May 10.

The most photographed news sources were Cebu gubernatorial candidate Hilario “Junjun” Davide III (11), Gibo Teodoro (9), former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. (8), Manny Villar (8), reelectionist Cebu governor Gwen Garcia (7), and Mandaue City mayoral candidate Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (6).

SOURCES

Slant/Focus

There was an improvement in the objectivity of coverage as most articles included background (97%) and context to enable readers to understand and use the information for May 10. Overall neutrality, however, remained at an average of 86% as in the previous monitoring period. Neutrality was at 73% for The Freeman, 91% for Cebu Daily News, and 93% for Sun.Star Cebu. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and presidential candidate Manny Villar were the top news subjects portrayed negatively in slanted reports.

NEUTRAL REPORTS

NEUTRAL VS. SLANTED REPORTS

(This report can also be found on the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility’s media elections link at http://www.cmfr-phil.org/mediaandelections.)

TAGBILARAN City Mayor Dan Lim assured a fact-finding team from the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) he won’t order the closure of The Bohol Chronicle Radio Corp. (BCRC), which operates the Bohol Chronicle newspaper and three radio stations, for alleged non-payment of the full amount of due sales taxes.

That, as the CCPC, through a panel that looked into the team’s report, cautioned the mayor against using his authority to restrict or suppress press freedom in his city, even as it advised the complaining media group to follow standards of fairness and accuracy so as not to be perceived as being unprofessionally partisan.

Earlier, BCRC owner Peter Dejaresco had sought the help of CCPC and Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility  against an alleged threat of the Tagbilaran City Hall to padlock the Dejaresco family’s twice-weekly newspaper and two AM and one FM radio stations.

Complaint

CCPC, through executive director Pachico Seares, sent last June 9 lawyer Elias Espinoza of Cebu Media Legal Aid and Elias Baquero, president of the Cebu Federation of Beat Journalists, to visit Tagbilaran and look into the complaint.

Espinoza and Baquero talked with Dejaresco and the Chronicle media group, City Hall officials led by Dan Lim, and editors of the two other newspapers in that city.

On their return, they reported the other day to an ad hoc CCPC panel composed of Seares; Cherry Ann Lim, CCPC assistant executive director; and Bobby Nalzaro of the local broadcast industry.

The panel agreed that it is not within CCPC’s authority and competence to formally investigate the charges and counter-charges. It can look into the media situation, however. And the fact-finding has identified the basic differences between the contenders.

“We can only mediate in the dispute. And CCPC started that by securing the promise of the mayor,” Seares said. “A truce can be sustained if both sides will resolve their conflict in the courts and, in the meantime, will observe prudence and due diligence in dealing with one another.”

“We’re initially gladdened by Mayor Lim’s pledge not to use his office to suppress press freedom or harass journalists,” Seares added.

No permit

Dejaresco accused Mayor Lim of refusing to accept his tax payments and then using this as a reason not to issue his firm business permits for two years, 2009 and 2010.

Dejaresco said he was forced to deposit P237,112 as payment for taxes under consignation to the Clerk of Court of the Regional Trial Court in Bohol last May 17, 2010 after word spread that the mayor would padlock radio station dyRD and Bohol Chronicle, both under BCRC, due to the lack of business permits.

But Lim said Dejaresco had tax deficiencies for at least five years.

Dejaresco’s taxes and penalties  from 2006 to 2010 amount to P833,882.97,  the mayor’s office said.

Despite this, Lim said he didn’t have any intention of closing BCRC.

Exposes

According to Dejaresco, Lim began his harassment on alleged tax payment discrepancies last year because of their exposes on the controversial city drainage system to which 30 establishments were allowed to illegally connect.

They also exposed transactions by Lim as Tagbilaran mayor that they considered questionable.

However, Lim said in a telephone interview that the city treasurer’s office, which is mandated to prepare the business permit for his signature, is ready to issue the business permits if Dejaresco will pay his tax deficiencies, which were discovered by the City Government during his first term from 2004-2007.

Lim, who is on his third term as mayor, said Dejaresco evaded paying the correct taxes and that such irregularity was only uncovered when the City prepared a matrix of taxpayers, listing the taxpayers based on classification.

In the matrix, Lim said, a competitor of Bohol Chronicle, the Sunday Post of publisher Ciriaco “Boy” Guingguing, pays much higher taxes than BCRC even if Sunday Post is smaller in terms of newspaper thickness and circulation.

Lim said Dejaresco’s radio stations dyRD and dyRD-FM were also paying less taxes than a competitor, radio dyTR.

Guingguing, in a separate interview, confirmed his newspaper was smaller than Bohol Chronicle and he has no radio station, yet he paid higher taxes than Dejaresco.

Earlier days

Dejaresco said he and Lim were the best of friends until Lim got mad at him for exposing his irregularities as mayor. Dejaresco said he even gave a free radio time slot for Lim’s “mayor’s report.” But the mayor left dyRD and transferred to the rival dyTR.

Lim said he transferred to dyTR when Dejaresco used blocktime commentators to attack him daily. The daily commentaries against him started when the city treasurer’s office reminded Dejaresco of his unpaid tax obligations.

He said that in the last two years, Dejaresco had used Bohol Chronicle and dyRD radio as tools  to malign him and support his political rivals.

“I am giving P10,000 to anybody who can show me a single news article of Bohol Chronicle in my favor in the past two years,” Lim said.

Dejaresco said he had such news items but did not present any to the team.

Victims

During the interview, Dejaresco presented dyRD technician Gerry Cajes who alleged that he (Cajes) and Gerry Pabe, a radio block-timer, were victims of the mayor’s political vendetta because the electricity of their houses was cut off on orders of Lim at the height of the campaign period.

Pabe ran as independent councilor, while Cajes allegedly wrote text messages against the mayor and fed them to blocktime programs besmirching his name.

But the mayor said it was Bohol Light Co. Inc., a private power distribution utility, that decided to cut off their power connection.

Lim explained that Cajes and Pabe were among those who availed themselves of a housing project of the National Housing Authority. But because the borrowers failed to comply with the requirements of a subdivision, Lim acted as guarantor so they could get a  power connection.

Lim said because Pabe and Cajes conspired with his political opponents in tarnishing his image as mayor, he discontinued being their guarantor.

“I withdrew as guarantor, and it’s up to them to find another guarantor. How can I continue to be their guarantor when they are attacking me? Is that political harassment?” Lim said.

Dejaresco also presented blocktimer Nestor Daarol, who allegedly received death threats since he started attacking Lim. Dejaresco said he provided a vehicle to fetch and send Daarol home with escorts because of the threats to his life.

However, Lim’s counsel Doni Piquero said Daarol had victimized countless people in his blocktime program, so the police will have a hard time finding the culprit if anything happens to him.

Burned

Dejaresco also presented blocktime commentator Roberto “Batchoy” Alba, a known critic of the mayor, whose house was partially burned, and who believes it was a case of attempted arson perpetrated by Lim’s protégé.

However, Association of Barangay Captains president Paro Cabalit said the Tagbilaran City Fire Department reported that the fire started from inside the house and not outside.

“The report of the fire department investigators showed that because the fire came from inside and not outside, as alleged by Batchoy, this was one proof that it was an inside job,” Cabalit said.

An election media center (EMC), initiated by the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC), will be set up at Camp Sergio Osmeña, headquarters of the regional Philippine National Police (PNP) along Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City.

Officials of the major stakeholders in the May elections—PNP, Commission on Elections (Comelec), and the citizens’ election watchdog group C-Cimpel—yesterday agreed with CCPC representatives that EMC will hold dry-runs next month to prepare the center for the run-up to the elections until the proclamation of winners.

Ideal site

The EMC, to be managed by the regional police public information officer and the CCPC, will be located at a building now being constructed near the gates of the PNP camp. The site is considered ideal because of its accessibility to news reporters and proximity to news sources.

Chief Supt. Lani-o Nerez, regional police chief, hosted the meeting in his office. Those who attended included Rene Buac, Comelec regional director; Marilu Chiongbian, executive director of C-Cimpel; Maria Jane Paredes, senior manager, Smart Communications public affairs (Vismin), and Edgardo Albay, senior supervisor for the network of Smart; and Pachico Seares and Cherry Ann Lim, executive director and assistant executive director of CCPC.

The opening of an EMC for this year’s elections was decided by the stakeholders in several consultations with CCPC. “The center,” Seares said, “serves a practical purpose: a one-stop shop for reporters on different facets of the election.”

Briefings

Spokespersons from Comelec, PNP and C-Cimpel will brief the media on designated hours at the EMC. News crews certified by their editors or news directors will be accredited by the EMC to regulate entry and use of the center’s facilities.

Paredes said Smart will provide the “connectivity” that will enable the EMC to receive information from various points and reporters to file their stories to their newsrooms.

• They’ll watch and record local press coverage of the 2010 elections

STUDENTS tapped by the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC) to monitor the election coverage of local print media received training last Friday from a Manila-based press freedom watchdog.

Ten students from the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College (UPVCC) and St. Theresa’s College, along with their team leaders, attended a workshop by Luis Teodoro, deputy director of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), and Hector Bryant Macale, senior staff writer of CMFR, at the UPVCC multimedia newsroom.

As part of its mandate to improve the media craft, the CCPC is working with the CMFR to monitor the Cebu media’s coverage of the May 2010 elections.

The Cebu monitoring team, led by Ian Manticajon, local coordinator of the United Nations University-Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development; Belinda Espiritu, UPVCC professor; and Mia Embalzado-Mateo, coordinator of STC’s mass communications program, will monitor the election coverage of the three English and two Bisaya daily newspapers in Cebu—Sun.Star Cebu, The Freeman, Cebu Daily News, Sun.Star SuperBalita [Cebu] and Banat News—from Feb. 10 to May 10.

They will be assisted by CCPC members Mayette Tabada, a masscom instructor, and Fr. Aloysius Cartagenas, a professor at the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos.

3-month

During the three-month period of the monitoring, the team will give the newspapers a copy of its findings and an assessment of their performance every two weeks. This is to encourage the newspapers to improve their coverage within the election period.

In 2007, the CCPC had also monitored the coverage of the elections by the five newspapers, forming the team led by Manticajon, Mateo and Tabada for this purpose.

This year, the CMFR lends its election monitoring methodology to the council, leaving room for the Cebu team to go into areas where analysis would help the local journalists better serve their community.

The CMFR had done its own election coverage monitoring in 2004 and 2007, covering Manila-based broadsheets and television networks.

The CMFR is a non-stock, non-profit foundation that works to protect the press and promote professional and ethical values in journalistic practice.

The CCPC is a Securities and Exchange Commission-registered foundation that helps to protect press freedom, enhance the sense of accountability of journalists, and shape public opinion on media issues.

This year’s election monitoring is a project of the Cebu Citizens-Press Council with partners CMFR, Smart Communications and Cebu’s five daily newspapers.

Along with the media coverage monitoring are the consultations being conducted by the CCPC with the Commission on Elections, Philippine National Police, C-Cimpel and other election stakeholders.

During the CCPC’s 12th quarterly meeting last Sept. 26, 2008 at Victoria Hall of Cebu Parklane International Hotel, Frank Malilong of the Cebu Media Legal Aid presented to the CCPC en banc the amendments to House Bill 3306 (of Reps. Angara, Puentevella, Fua, Abante, Lapus, Tieng and Zialcita) that were proposed by a group of local editors and Cemla lawyers in a meeting last Aug. 13, 2008 at Club Ultima.

The proposed amendments included those in regard to the space where the reply might be published, the time frame within which the reply may be published or aired, as well as the amounts of the penalties that may be imposed on those media outlets deemed to have violated a person’s right to reply.

The proposed amendments have been transmitted to Rep. Raul del Mar for bringing up when the bill goes to the floor for debates.

Earlier, on June 11, 2008, the counterpart bill in the Upper House, Senate Bill 2150, had been approved on Second Reading, with amendments.

In line with its mission to tackle media issues, the CCPC then screened a
CCPC- and Cebu Press Freedom Week Inc.-produced documentary entitled
“Access Denied: Journalists’ Lament, News Sources’ Plea.”

The 20-minute film featuring journalists and news sources, including Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, Deputy Ombudsman of the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas Pelagio Apostol and Police Regional Office 7 Director Ronald Roderos, tackled the frustrations of journalists in gaining access to information, as well as the concerns raised by news sources against journalists seeking to get information from them.

During its first quarterly meeting for the year on March 24, 2008 at the MBF Cebu Press Center, CCPC members and alternates Dr. Pureza Oñate, Sabino Dapat, Atty. Jonathan Capanas, Fr. Aloysius Cartagenas, Mario King, Mayette Tabada, Mia Embalzado, Edward Abad, Leo Lastimosa, Pachico Seares, Divine Ngujo, John Rey Saavedra, Eileen Mangubat and Anol Mongaya adopted the positions taken earlier by some media members of the CCPC and Cebu Media Legal Aid (Cemla) during a March 12 meeting at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel.

The resolutions and position papers supporting them will now be sent to members of Congress for their consideration during the deliberation on the bills.

Decriminalizing libel

Cemla’s Rosemarie Versoza made a comparison of the general features of the bills seeking to decriminalize libel to members and guests at the CCPC meeting, including Philippine Press Institute (PPI) trustee Juan Mercado, Sun.Star Cebu columnist and GMA 7 anchor Bobby Nalzaro, Cebu Daily News (CDN) editor-in-chief Connie Fernandez, Sun.Star Cebu executive editor Michelle So, Sun.Star Network Exchange head Nini Cabaero, Cebu Holdings Inc. assistant vice president Ver de la Cerna and MBF Cebu Press Center manager Jolen Lim.

The bills were Senate Bill 918 by Sen. Edgardo Angara, SB 110 (Sen. Mar Roxas), SB 223 (Sen. Loren Legarda), SB 5 (Sen. Jinggoy Estrada), SB 1403 (Sen. Francis Escudero) and House Bill 2802 (Rep. Prospero Nograles).

Representing Cemla at the meeting were Philippine News Agency bureau chief Eddie Barrita, Sun.Star Cebu columnist Elias Espinoza; dyHP legal adviser Ruphil Bañoc, Piedad “Bingo” Gonzalez and Pedro Rosito.

Supporting provisions

CCPC acting executive director and Sun.Star Cebu editor-in-chief Seares and Cemla’s Espinoza discussed the position of Cebu editors and lawyers on the bills and presented the draft resolution supporting certain provisions of the bills, specifically those on removing the jail penalty for libel; raising the fine as penalty (but at reasonable amounts affordable to community journalists); reducing the prescriptive period of libel from one year to six months; exempting from liability the editor, publisher, newspaper or station manager, or news director who did not review the alleged libelous material before printing or airing; and limiting the venue of libel to the court of the province or city where the principal office of the journalist is.

They supported keeping libel as a crime, but retaining only the penalty of fine, saying this was advantageous to journalists because it was important to give aggrieved parties a venue for their complaints as this also helps to prevent the assassination of journalists.

Espinoza also said that in criminal cases, proof of malice is required. This is hard to establish.

Seares explained that a civil case for damages is actually worse than a criminal case because it requires only a preponderance of evidence in order to succeed, while crime requires proof beyond reasonable doubt.

Warrant of arrest

Espinoza made it clear, however, that even if the penalty of imprisonment were to be removed, a warrant of arrest would still be issued “because that’s how the court attains jurisdiction of the suspect.”

Provincial Prosecutor Jane Petralba added that if the amount of the penalty is P20,000 to P50,000, “then that case will go to the Regional Trial Court, so there will be a warrant of arrest.”

Petralba said it is the Supreme Court that rules on procedural matters such as the question of the use of summons instead of warrants. But as far as jurisdiction is concerned, this can be legislated, so this is a matter for Congress.

Seares then requested Petralba, Regional State Prosecutor for Central Visayas Fernando Gubalane and Assistant Cebu City Prosecutor Simaco Labata to drop libel cases outright if there is no probable cause or if some persons are clearly not involved, saying that sending these to the courts, where the charges will just be dismissed anyway, will just clog the courts.

Deterrent

CCPC member and CDN publisher Eileen Mangubat expressed concern that removing the penalty of imprisonment might reduce the deterrent effect of the law.

Indeed, Regional Prosecutor Gubalane warned that even with libel still a crime, some subjects of news stories feel that journalists go too far in their reporting or commentary.

He revealed that in the Edgar Damalerio and Marlene Esperat murder cases he handled, the accused said they were hired by persons aggrieved by exposes.

However, Seares said the prospect of going to jail had never been a deterrent because it is rare to see a journalist in jail. A greater deterrent is the cost of the litigation and the hassle of attending court hearings, he said.

Benefits

On the bills seeking to promote journalists’ welfare, CCPC member John Rey Saavedra said that while Senate Bill 1398 by Sen. Loren Legarda and Senate Bill 9 by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada sought benefits for journalists, it also proposed the creation of a national coordinating council for media and the drafting of a code of conduct for journalists by the office of the press secretary.

Presenting the editors’ position on the bills, Seares said the proposed coordinating council and code for journalists could interfere with functions of the press and impair its freedom.

He added that while the bills have good intentions, labor laws are adequate to protect journalists and benefits should be left to market forces to dictate.

Bail bond

Taking advantage of the presence of the prosecutors, CCPC and Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) member Edward Abad asked why dyXR Aksyon Radyo station manager Carlo Dugaduga had been meted a bail bond of P70,000 when normally the libel bond is only P10,000.

Dugaduga was indicted as manager of the station where broadcaster Gilbert Wagas operated a noontime block-time program. Wagas was accused of having committed libel against Cebu Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez Jr. in this program.

Provincial Prosecutor Petralba responded by saying the Department of Justice had a bail bond guide for prosecutors to follow.

“The bail set by the prosecutor is only recommendatory. It’s the court who will decide on it,” she said.

According to the DOJ guide, the bond is only P10,000, she said.

Amount

Seeking further clarification, CCPC member and KBP-Cebu chairman Leo Lastimosa revealed that Talisay City Prosecutor Marshall Rubia’s explanation for setting the bond at P70,000 was that “what is set in the bond guide is the minimum, and that there is no maximum for the bond amount.”

Petralba chose not to answer him directly. Instead she announced that the Provincial Prosecutors Office is now committed to the program of the Peace and Order Council regarding the decongestion of courts.

“It has an internal agreement not to pose vehement objection to the reduction of bail if the accused is not a recidivist and the crime is not heinous,” she said.

Seares asked whether it was right that the setting of Dugaduga’s bail was made dependent on the status of the complainant.

Petralba said that rather than the status of the complainant, the foremost consideration in setting the amount for bail is the probability of the accused to abscond, the physical condition of the accused (which could be an argument for reduction of bond), and the financial capacity of the accused.

Right to reply

During the meeting, Cherry Ann Lim, assistant to the CCPC executive director, reported that decisions made by the CCPC en banc in its earlier meeting in December 2007 had resulted in a lawmaker dropping one bill, among other things.

After the CCPC sent its position paper and resolution opposing bills seeking to legislate the right to reply to members of Congress, Rep. Juan Edgardo M. Angara, author of House Bill 162, said he would withdraw the bill, Lim reported.

Rep. Monico Puentevella, author of HB 1001, said he would first engage in a dialogue with the media groups in Bacolod City, which he represents, to get an assurance of fairness in media coverage.

On the other hand, Sen. Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr., author of SB 1178, along with Sens. Pia Cayetano, Chiz Escudero and Loren Legarda, said he would take into consideration the issues raised in CCPC’s position paper during the deliberations on the measure, she told the body.

Model

Lim also informed the CCPC members that during an international conference of journalists and lawyers on impunity and press freedom attended by the PPI’s Mercado, CCPC’s Seares and Cemla’s Versoza last Feb. 25-27, 2008, Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility executive director Melinda Quintos de Jesus acknowledged the work that CCPC had been doing and raised it up as a model to follow in being proactive in issues affecting the media.

Cebu Holdings Inc., through Ver de la Cerna, expressed its support for the CCPC’s work by presenting a donation of P50,000 to the group. CTL

WHEREAS, the 12th Asean Media Summit to be held Dec. 10 to 14, 2006 is of vast importance to the Philippines as country host and Cebu as local host;

WHEREAS, the Cebu community has a major stake in the hosting as the event provides unprecedented opportunity to showcase Cebu’s best to foreign neighbors and other countries represented at the forum;

WHEREAS, the Cebu media can greatly help in presenting Cebu’s rich heritage, culture, and values; its advances in governance, education, and technology; and the attractions of Cebu as tourism and investment destination;

WHEREAS, media can be distracted from that endeavor by controversies on side issues that can wait until after the summit;

WHEREAS, public officials who contribute to the said controversies by initiating or fueling the quarrel with some media practitioners can also put off public discussion of their grievance;

NOW THEREFORE, the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC), in en banc session, hereby encourages:

[1] Media practitioners to show deeper sense of community in reporting and commenting on the news during the Asean summit; and

[2] Public officials to show restraint in their disagreement with specific media lapses or practices,

Without restricting individual journalists’ freedom of the press and news organizations’ editorial prerogative, or infringing on public officials’ right to reply and to correct misinformation.

FURTHER, the CCPC hereby appeals for greater sense of responsibility on both sides, the press and the government, for an excellent media coverage of the event and for a successful hosting of the summit.

Phase Two covers aid given to Cebu Media Medical Aid Fund (Cemmaf) beneficiaries who qualify under Cemmaf Phase One but are not hospitalized.

Specifically, it covers illnesses of whatever kind that require the so-called “maintenance” medicines, excluding vitamins and dietary supplements.

Qualifications of beneficiary

(a) A qualified primary beneficiary under Cemmaf Phase One (Hospitalization)
(b) Requirement of “maintenance” medicines must be for at least one month, as certified by the beneficiary’s physician

A secondary beneficiary may also be extended aid by the Cemmaf committee on a case-to-case basis and depending upon availability of funds/medicines.

Amount/quantity, form of aid

Aid shall be in the form of the prescribed medicines, which shall be released by the Cenewof-accredited drugstore every month.

Amount of aid, which determines the quantity of medicines to be supplied to the beneficiary, shall be fixed by the Cemmaf committee. No medicines shall be released unless previously screened and authorized by the committee.

Forms/paperwork for beneficiary

(a) Filled-in application form provided by Cenewof secretariat or respective
media outlet
(b) Photocopy of doctor’s medical certificate
(c) Photocopy of doctor’s prescription (b and/or c shall contain estimated
quantity and length of use of medicines prescribed)
(d) New information that the Cemmaf committee from time to time may
request for update on the beneficiary’s status.

Committee authorization

The Cemmaf committee shall see to it that the authorization for Cenewof secretariat to process and release the medicines (via accredited drugstore):

(a) Specifies the amount/quantity and length of the aid;
(b) Sets the condition that the aid can be stopped/suspended by the Cemmaf
committee when it decides it is no longer needed, the beneficiary no longer
qualifies, funds are no longer available, or for any other reason which the
beneficiary cannot question.

Except for a handful of news organizations that have medical insurance, the Cebu media industry finds many of its members without enough means to pay for sustained or palliative medication or, much more, hospitalization. The Cebu Media Medical Aid Fund (Cemmaf) is aimed at helping working journalists defray the cost of hospitalization.

The Cemmaf, established in 2006, has seed money of P4 million, sourced from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Reps. Raul del Mar and Antonio Cuenco. Subsequent donors may come from other members of Congress, government institutions and private or corporate organizations.

The Cebu Newspaper Workers Foundation (Cenewof) acts as the custodian and trustee of the Cemmaf.

A committee composed of three representatives from print and two from broadcast screens applications for availment.

Who are covered by the fund?

Print and broadcast journalists who are duly certified as active practitioners by their editors-in-chief or news directors/station managers, and all other members who are in any way connected with the editorial operations of print and broadcast organizations in Cebu.

What are required from an applicant?

1. A filled-in application form, which is available at the Cenewof secretariat at the MBF Cebu Press Center
2. A photocopy of the medical certificate
3. A photocopy of the latest hospital billing

What ailments or illnesses are covered?

All kinds of ailments and illnesses that require hospitalization

How is the aid given?

A check worth the approved amount of aid is issued in the name of the patient and given to the patient directly.

How is the screening done?

A committee of five members composed of three representatives from the print industry and two from broadcast screens the applications. If the application is approved, the committee directs the Cenewof secretariat, through the government social worker assigned to Cenewof, to prepare the check.