BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) has expressed satisfaction with Mayor Jerry Treñas’ explanation of his outburst during a press conference on May 20.
In a statement, the PTFoMS said it was satisfied with the mayor’s answer to the allegations hurled against him by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP).
“Our effort in this regard is to always address any issue relative to the media at the grassroots level as much as possible, to expedite resolution and avoid escalation,” the PTFoMS.
On June 3, PTFoMS asked the mayor to explain his side on the issue raised by NUJP after he berated local journalists over issues surrounding the demolition of an 80-year-old Art Deco façade of the Iloilo Central Market.
Treñas fumed at the Iloilo City Hall Press Corps over stories on cultural agencies looking into the legality of the demolition of the art deco facade of the Central Market in in a Cultural Tourism Heritage Zone of Iloilo City.
The demolition of the 80-year-old facade in February was reportedly done without public consultation and, according to National Commission on Culture and the Arts commissioner Ivan Anthony Henares, was a “hot topic” among cultural agencies.
The mayor has since apologized for the threat of suing journalists, which he called “an outburst”, but NUJP said libel and cyber libel have long been used as a tool against the press and freedom of expression.
Even just the threat of libel, especially by a local chief executive against a young reporter, the NUJP said the incident has the potential to chill reporting in a town, city or province and it is to the credit of the Iloilo City media that they have refused to be chilled.
The mayor later apologized for his outburst but denied threatening to sue journalists. He added the NUJP took his statement “out of proportion” and that he never meant to berate, humiliate, and curtail the rights of expression and press freedom.
“As a lawyer, I recognize the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression and press freedom being fundamental pillars of a democratic society, I recognize the indispensable role of media in a free society, like ours,” the mayor said.
With the mayor’s explanation, the PTFoMS said the issue can now be put to rest.
“We believe that had the concerned media groups resorted to a sincere dialogue with the office of Mayor Treñas, instead of immediately coming out with press statements that only created tension, the misunderstanding could have been settled amicably,” the PTFoMS said./PN
