MANILA -- Malacañang commemorated on Wednesday the Maguindanao massacre, promising to protect journalists and to end impunity of killings amongst media members exactly seven years after the gruesome killings of 58 people including 32 media workers.
u201dToday, November 23, we remember the Maguindanao massacre. Seven years after the gruesome massacre happened in 2009, justice remains elusive to the victims and to their loved ones. The nation thus feels a sense of outrage by the turtle-paced grind of the judicial process,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Martin Andanar said in a press statement.
In a bid to prevent the tragic mass media killings from repeating, President Rodrigo Duterte has signed Executive Order No. 2 mandating Freedom of Information in the executive department.
u201dWe shall roll out the online version of the FOI executive order on Friday, November 25,” Andanar said.
Andanar said President Duterte also signed his first Administrative Order creating a Presidential Task Force on Media Security.
u201dThe Task Force has already submitted to the President its inventory of cases of violence perpetuated upon media workers to serve as the benchmark for assessing progress in each case,” Andanar said.
He said developments resulting from the action of the Task Force will be reported in April 2017 and every six months thereafter.
u201dIndeed, protecting journalists and ending the impunity of killings amongst the members of the Fourth Estate require serious action and cooperation of all,” Andanar said.
u201dThrough these twin government initiatives, we hope to make the Philippines known not only for its vibrant democracy where freedom of the speech and of the press reign supreme but also a safe place to work for members of the media and journalists,” he added. (PNA)