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BY RHODA GARZON CAMPILLAN
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Magna Carta for Journalists
THE Magna Carta for Journalists is the brainchild of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Also known as Senate Bill No. 380, it has not yet been enacted.
According to GMA News Online, the Magna Carta for Journalists was filed way back in 2011 but until now no action has been made to pass it.
The proposed law has the following objectives: “to ensure that journalists shall be provided with comprehensive benefits packaged at par with the current benefits enjoyed with those in the labor force; to motivate and encourage journalists to perform their duties as truthful and responsible informers of the people; and to ensure the creation of an atmosphere conducive to productive and fruitful journalism work.”
Basing on the objectives which Senator Estrada crafted, I am delighted and optimistic to all media professionals, especially the journalists because finally their benefits will be more attractive. As to the type of benefits they will enjoy, it is yet to be known because it is not defined in the Senate Bill. However, whatever the benefits they will receive, this will be a great help in minimizing media corruption.
In articles that I have read, one of the major causes of media corruption is the poor compensation received by media professionals. Because of this, they resort to illegal activities to support their needs. I am not saying this will be the end of media corruption but this will help lessen envelopmental journalism, ACDC, payola and other forms of corrupt activities. If media professionals are paid well, they will be motivated to perform their duties to the best of their abilities.
Currently, the pay received by media practitioners are not that high yet they do their best; how much more if their compensation and benefits are generous enough. Although, I acknowledge that regardless of the amount of salary, if it is your passion and you enjoy what you are doing, nothing really matters to you.
Moreover, one of the features of this Senate bill is the creation of the Philippine Council for Journalists. The PCJ “will serve as the development center for journalism and at the same time act as a self-regulatory body for journalists and the journalism profession.” The council will be composed of “journalism organizations duly recognized by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) represented by the President of his representative.” The body will include: National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC), Philippine Press Institute (PPI), Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), Press Photographers of the Philippines (PPP), Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC), National Union of the Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc.( PAPI) and Federation of Provincial Press Club ( FPPC). They are tasked to “produced database or directory of accredited journalists from both print and broadcast media to be updated regularly; to accredit as defined therein and to conduct seminars, trainings and other related activities.”
The idea of putting together all journalism organizations to create a unified atmosphere in the media industry is a welcome change for me. I like the idea that these organizations will work towards professionalizing the industry and at the same time to develop and train media professionals. After all, more and more young people are entering the industry.
Dr. Crispin Maslog in his book Philippine Communication in the Digital Age stated that “since most of the Metro Manila newspapers are new, a few founded in the 1970s and most established in the 1980s, it would follow that the journalists working for them are also new and young.”
Maslog viewed this as “good and bad for the journalism profession.” He further explained that “the young lack experience and wisdom in dealing with critical issues. They may also lack the needed journalistic skills and objectivity that come with experience.” Hence, I am optimistic that should this council (if the Senate bill will implemented) will be instrumental in honing young journalists to perform their best while on the field.
Furthermore, the most controversial feature of this bill is the classification of the journalists into accredited and non-accredited journalists. Accredited journalists is defined as, “those who passed the Professional Journalist Examination for either print, television, radio and photo as given by the Philippine Council for Journalists.” They will also be required to wear an identification card issued by PCJ at all times especially during their fieldwork. They will be entitled to benefits granted to them by law, their employers and the PCJ.
On the other hand, non-accredited journalists are those who did not pass the accreditation exam. Their benefits will depend on what their employers give them. However, the absence of ID will not hamper them from performing their reportorial obligations. The move to classify journalists was unfavourable for some journalism organizations, especially the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP).
Rowena Paraan, NUJP chairperson, said in her interview with GMA News Online, “passing Estrada’s bill will create a window of discrimination among journalists.” She further noted that “than an accreditation system for journalists seems not applicable in the current context and environment in the Philippine media, since the country still does not have a strong democracy.”
While I agree on her arguments at some point – the arguments are valid by the way – I am also optimistic of this update. This will somehow encourage journalists to improve because there is an accreditation. They will be forced to update their knowledge. However, change is something that is hard to accept because we are afraid of the outcomes. Sometimes, we also need to get out of our comfort zones and try to experience what is on the other side of the fence.
Concerned organizations should at least try to look the pros and cons of this Senate bill. After all, in order to be progressive, we must learn to accept change. (rcampillan@usa.edu.ph/PN)
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