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Monday, August 2, 2010

MANABAT: Insurance for journalists

"It is only right that this bill be enacted into law as this will certainly be of great help to the families of journalists in case of the inevitable"


AT last, there is a bit of a good news for journalists as we commemorate on Friday the 8th month of the Ampatuan, Maguindanao massacre where 56 men and women, including 32 journalists, were brutally killed.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has filed a bill providing mandatory insurance coverage for journalists and employees of media entities on field assignment. This was published in the Philippine Star on Thursday.

The report indicates that "journalists, especially those on field assignment, stand to benefit from two bills filed in the 15th Congress.

Senate Bill 160 or the Journalists Insurance Act of 2010 proposes that on top of the existing insurance benefits from the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), journalists and media workers in the field should be given death benefits of P200,000."
It is only right that this bill be enacted into law as this will certainly be of great help to the families of journalists in case of the inevitable.


*****
What could have been a legacy of the 14th Congress turned out to be a dud. I'm talking about the Freedom of Information Bill which Congress failed to ratify for lack of quorum. At least 135 congressmen were needed for a quorum. Unfortunately, that

number fell short as Camiguin Representative Pedro Romualdo questioned the quorum and a roll call was made. What was very sad was the authors of the bill themselves were absent. Their presence would have been enough to make for a quorum.
The bill would have given the public easy access to information from government agencies.
As it is, it is very hard to obtain information from government agencies most especially those that hide something. The passage of the bill would be a step towards good governance as it allows more access to information needed for transparency.

*****
Back to Zubiri's bill, it also proposes that "disability benefits of up to P200,000 be awarded to all media practitioners who suffer total or partial disability, whether permanent or temporary, from injury sustained while doing their jobs.
It likewise proposes that media practitioners be allowed to reimburse actual medical expenses not exceeding P100,000."
It added that "the bill proposes that coverage be extended to journalists under temporary, contractual and casual employment terms. The proposed law defines media entities as newspapers, radio, television and news websites accredited by a reputable media organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission."
It said that "media organizations recognized by the bill include, but are not limited to, the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Office of the Press Secretary (PIA-OPS), National Press Club (NPC), National Union of Journalists of the Philippines

(NUJP) and Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP)."

*****
CONGRATULATIONS to the eight journalists who graduated recently from a grueling 10-day training of Trainers for Risk Awareness and Media Safety Course, held in Baras, Rizal.
The new trainors are: Joseph Ben Deveza, NUJP safety officer for Mindanao and Inquirer correspondent; Jigger Jerusalem, Gold Star Daily of Cagayan de Oro; Peterson Bergado, Cagayan de Oro-based freelance videographer; Victor Kintanar, Cebu-based freelance photojournalist; Perla Lena, NUJP-Iloilo officer and Philippine News Agency reporter; Richel Umel, NUJP-Iligan chair and Inquirer correspondent; Ramesis Sison, NUJP-Masbate secretary-general and dyME broadcaster; and Jes Aznar, Manila-based documentary photographer.
According to National Union of the Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) executive coordinator Rowena Caranza-Paraan, the course included sessions on basic medical emergency response, weapons awareness, surveillance and counter-surveillance, self-defense, personal conflict management and surviving abduction. It was organized by the NUJP as part of its media safety program.

Together with Paraan, veteran Mindanao journalist Froilan Gallardo and Zamboanga photojournalist Charlie Saceda conducted the training. Paraan and Gallardo are certified trainors of the International News Safety Institute.
The new trainors will help conduct training of media practitioners to help them cope with dangers on the field.

*****
In Pampanga, the dangerous encounter by two TV crews with goons at the Batasan Elementary School in Macabebe on Election Day underscores the importance of such training.
It can be recalled that Infomax reporter Patricia Mamangun and cameraman Glendy Sembrano were confronted by former Barangay Batasan barangay captain Edgar "Gang" Flores and his ilk for taking video footage and interviewing people at the elementary school which served as a polling place.
According to Mamangun, Flores engaged her in a verbal tussle and pushed her while shoving Sembrano's camera away. It was a good thing they got away unharmed.
But as if to compound their woes, they were treated not so nicely at the Macabebe police station where they reported what happened.
As Mamangun and Sembrano were at the police station, a TV crew on CLTV 36 were also given the same dose of arrogant behaviour.
CLTV reporter Carlo Sapurco and cameraman Ford Esguerra came in the heels of the Infomax crew. As they were getting video footages of the elementary school, Flores and his ilk again ganged up on the hapless TV crew. As a result, Sapurco has since

resigned and Esguerra has to take a leave of absence from the station as suspicious looking men began surveillance on their house.

*****
In light of what has happened, preparations are now underway for conducting safety training of media practitioners in Pampanga. The NUJP-Pampanga Chapter is now in the thick of preparations for such training in coordination with the NUJP Safety Office. The training is scheduled for next month.

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