The International
Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the National Union of
Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in calling on The Philippines Commission
on Elections (Comelec) to immediately revoke Resolution No. 9615, which
requires that “prior approval” be given before election candidates can be
interviewed by broadcasters.
In a statement, The NUJP
has called the Resolution, issued on January 15, unconstitutional since it
constitutes ‘prior restraint’.
The
Resolution would preclude impromptu interviews, making it both an impediment to
press freedom and the public’s right to know.
In
addition, the NUJP has said that the Resolution could have dire consequences in
emergency situations, such as natural disasters, when officials, who may also
happen to be candidates, need to get information out as quickly as possible to
the public.
“We are greatly concerned by the continued
implementation of legal reforms that undermine press freedom in the Philippines,”
said the IFJ Asia Pacific. “We call on the Filipino government
to withdraw this resolution which undermines press freedom and directly
contradicts their stated
commitment to press freedom and pass the
longstanding Freedom of Information Bill.”
For
further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0950
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131
countries
Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific
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