KABATAAN PARTYLIST TO SEAT FIRST YOUTH SECTORAL REPRESENTATIVE

Kabataan Partylist will be among the additional partylist representative in Congress, as per Supreme Court Ruling promulgated on APril 21, 2009. 

The said ruling overturns the Panganiban Formula in the allocation of partylist seats. The Panganiban Formula makes use of the first party rule wherein the party who garners the highst total partylist votes will have the maximum of three seats.

The decision mandates the increase from 22 to 54 partylist representatives or 20 percent of the Jouse of representatives. 

Raymond “Mong” Palatino, Kabataan Partylist’s first nominee is expected to represent the youth sector in Congress.

This will be the first time in Philippine history that the Congress will have a youth sectoral representative.

Praymer sa Right of Reply Bill ng NUJP

Inilabas ng NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES

1. Ano ang Right of Reply Bill (RORB)?

Ito ang panukalang batas or Senate Bill 2150 na inisponsor nina Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr, Ramon Revilla Jr, at Francis “Chiz” Escudero, bilang substitute bill sa SB 1178.

Sa kamara, ito ang House Bill 3306 na mula naman sa pinagsamang House Bills 162 at 1001, nina Representatives Juan Edgardo Angara at Monico Puentevella.
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Journalists hold picket outside Congress vs Reply Bill

The National Union of Journalist of the Philippines (NUJP) together with the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) held a picket outside the main gates of the House of Representatives last March 21 to protest the Right to Reply Bill. 

The Right of Reply Bill (Senate Bill 2150) authored by Sen. Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. was passed by the Senate in July 2008. A counterpart bill (HB 3306) in the Lower House of Congress is now pending for deliberation.  

The NUJP and the CEGP criticize RORB for it will allegedly violate the freedom of the press by imposing prior restraint on media.  If ever passed, the RORB will mandate the media to publish or air the replies of any person subject to criticisms or accused of any crime or offense in the same space of the publications or in the same program on radio, television, website or through any electronic device where the issue first came out.

The NUJP has released a petition in February calling for the withdrawal of the bills in both Houses and for the media and public to oppose its passage. Over 700 journalists hav signed the petition as of date.

According to the NUJP petition the RORB would legislate what the media ought to publish or air, while casting a chilling effect that could dissuade the more timorous from publishing or airing what they should.

NUJP alongwith the CEGP held a dialogue with House Speaker Prospero Nograles by 12 noon. However, it appears that the House of Represetatives is not likely inclined to withdraw the said bill. 

“Campus journalists have as much reason as our colleagues in the mainstream press to reject the Right of Reply bill. Its provisions would violate campus press freedom, more so because campus publications are already generally repressed under normal circumstances”, Vijae Alquisola, National President of CEGP said.

Media to Congress: No Negotiation on the Right of Reply Bill

The message of the members of the press to House Speaker Prospero Nograles was clear: No bargaining on the passage of the right of reply bill at the Lower House.

Leaders of media institutions attended a dialogue called by the Speaker this morning at Melo’s Steak House in Quezon City.

“The bill is an abridgement of our freedom. This is not something open to negotiation,” said Vergel Santos, a journalist since martial and now Chair of the Editorial Board of the daily broadsheet Business World and Trustee of the media monitoring group Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility.

At the same forum, Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. of the 6th District of Manila and chair of the committee on public information said his committee is planning to amend their version of the bill and water it down to something, he believes, is acceptable to the working press.

Nograles added that “there is pressure because it has been passed in the Senate.” He said the bill will be open to floor deliberations when Congress reopens in April, claiming they have no choice because it was transmitted to them by the Senate as soon as it was passed on July 28, 2008.

However, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines vice-chairperson Nonoy Espina said these were nothing but bargaining chips being dangled to the press.

“Although we respect the House processes, we just want to reiterate that our stand is final. We don’t want the bill, we want it totally scraped.”

In its signature drive against the right of reply bill, the NUJP has garnered close to 300 signatures from across the country in just a span of two weeks.

Other media leaders at the dialogue included Joe Pavia, ecxecutive director of the Philippine Press Institute, Isagani Yambot and Neal Cruz, publisher and columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Nine
Cacho-Olivares, publisher of the Daily Tribune, Dr. Cris Icban, editor-in-chief of the Manila Bulettin, Charie Villa, head for news gathering of ABS CBN, Alwyn Alburo, senior desk officer of GMA 7 and NUJP deputy secretary-general, Ed Lingao, head for news operations of ABC TV-5, and Marichu Villanueva, news editor of the Philippine Star.