THE Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) has its hands full these days.
Unfortunately, although the agency has been doing all it can to attend to all the concerns of journalists especially in providing them with safe and secure work environment, some groups could not seem to appreciate the job it is doing.
Take for example the Human Rights Watch (HRW) which refuses to see the initiatives of the task force and is instead focusing more on the sad plight of some of our fellow journalists who had died on the hands of unknown assassins under PTFOMS watch.
In his statement, HRW researcher Carlos Conde insinuates that the agency is virtually useless as it fails to solve the recent killings of media workers.
This has prompted PTFOMS Executive Director Joel Sy Egco to score Conde and asked him that “if in gathering data for his report, Mr. Conde had actually talked with media workers who were under threat of violence or were victims of violence”.
“In doing so, we believe they would have told him about how the ‘PTFoMS’ responded to their complaints either by providing security through the PNP or immediately investigating cases of violence against media with the objective of arresting the perpetrator and bringing the appropriate charges against them” Egco pointed out.
He also assured their critics, particularly HRW and Conde, that they are hard at work since October 2016 responding to complaints from journalists who believed their safety has been threatened as well as in mobilizing law enforcement and the national prosecutorial services to act on issues of media security.
Egco was reacting to Conde’s report posted in Rappler last July 12, enumerating the names of journalists killed since President Duterte assumed presidency that included Larry Que, Joaquin Briones and Leo Diaz, and Rudy Alicaway.
Egco noted that their office immediately coordinated with their partner agencies like NBI, PNP DIDM and Local PNP officials to immediately conduct investigation and file charges against those responsible for the crimes before the Department of Justice.
Aside from coordinating with other agencies, they also worked to provide security for the families of the victims and their witnesses.
In the case of Que, Egco said the task force has already filed charges against Governor Cua, and 3 others before the DOJ.
Indeed, PTFOMS has lots of works to do and the only consolation that it wants is for some watchdogs such as HRW to report accurately and fairly on what is really happening in the journalism front without any tinge of political color. OPEN LINE/BOBBY RICOHERMOSO
