The Supreme Court will tackle today, Tuesday, Dec. 10, the request of various media organizations, including government news agencies, for a live coverage of the Dec. 19 promulgation of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221’s decision on the Maguindanao massacre cases.
Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta said:
“The request is in the agenda of the SC En Banc (full court) tomorrow (Dec. 10). There is already a recommendation from the Office of the Court Administrator and Public Information Office (PIO) but I have to consult the En Banc.”
“There is already a recommendation as to whether or not (live coverage would be allowed) and how many (media practitioners) would be accommodated inside or outside (the courtroom).”
Last week, government media agencies requested for live coverage of the promulgation of the decision starting at 9 a.m. at the Quezon City Jail annex in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City.
In a letter to Court Administrator Jose Midas P. Marquez, Undersecretary Jose Joel Sy Egco of the Presidential Communications Operations Office and concurrent executive secretary of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security told the SC:
“In this regard, may we respectfully request your good office to allow the government communications agencies — PCOO, Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM), Philippine News Agency (PNA), People’s Television-4 (PTV-4) — to cover the said event so that the proceedings can be aired on all government traditional and social media platforms.”
The same request for live media coverage had been aired by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) in a letter to Peralta.
“Due to its undeniable public importance, the NUJP, the CMFR, and the PCIJ respectfully requests the Supreme Court to allow journalists and media organizations to conduct live coverage and streaming of the Dec. 19, 2019 promulgation of the decision on the Ampatuan Massacre,” the group told Peralta in its letter.
The time, date, and place of the promulgation of the decision in the decade-old Maguindanao massacre cases was announced by Quezon City RTC Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Reyes Solis. In a resolution, Reyes said: “Let the promulgation of judgment…be set on Dec. 19, 2019 at 9:00 o’clock in the morning to be held at the Quezon City Jail Annex, Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City.”
Fifty-eight persons, 32 of them media practitioners, died in Barangay Salman in Ampatuan, Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009 in the incident now known as the Maguindanao massacre.
Those killed were part of a convoy that was to accompany the registration of then Buluan, Maguindanao Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu for the 2010 gubernatorial election. (Rey Panaligan)
