If you have received a letter like this one, what would you do?

TO: MARIA RESSA
Head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs

GREETINGS:

By virtue of the authority vested upon me pursuant to Section 6 of Republic Act 5750, you are commanded to appear before the office of Southern Metro Manila Criminal Investigation and Detection Team, NCRCIDU, CIDG SPD Compound, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on December 5, 2007 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning and bring with you a DVD copy of raw video footage re-March of SENATOR ANTONIO S TRILLANES IV and GEN. DANILO LIM together with thirteen (13) other members of Magdalo soldiers and civilian supporters from RTC, Branch 148, Makati City to Manila Peninsula Hotel.

FAIL NOT UNDER THE PENALTY OF LAW:

WITNESS my signature this 3rd day of December 2007, Camp Crame, Quezon City, Philippines.

EDGARDO M. DOROMAL
Police Director
Director, CIDG

FAIL NOT UNDER THE PENALTY OF LAW. Ominous words.

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I think the dialogue between the Arroyo dogs and the media being facilitated by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas (KBP) is a useless exercise. Let’s face it: the Philippine National Police had erred when it arrested and/or handcuffed several media people who covered the Manila Peninsula Hotel affair. No amount of dialogue will change that.

Anyway, what’s the dialogue for? To draft guidelines on coverage of crucial situations? It is almost as good as the PNP telling the media on how to cover an event. Yes, the police wants to control the way media covers such events. I think this is some form of prior restraint, and good thing the media people who attended that dialogue are clearly showing where they stand (except NBN 4, but that should be expected from a government-owned propaganda machine). Jessica Soho was even gleeful when she pointed out that it is a good thing GMA 7 is no longer a KBP member.

And as for the KBP, I have not realized that it has become an Arroyo factotum. Tsk, another institution compromised by Arroyo’s scorched earth policy.

I put into question the motives, credibility, and sincerity of the National Press Club when it threatened to file a complaint against the police for the unlawful arrest made against news people last Thursday.

I just find their proposed action icky for the following reasons:

1. This is the very same organization that censored a mural made by a group of artists because of political implications. They have several “offending” parts defaced, all because the guest of honor for the opening of their restaurant might get offended. The guest of honor? Gloria Arroyo. Ironic, no? Whether the complaint is sincere or an attempt to deodorize the NPC’s image remains to be seen. However…

2. I doubt the sincerity of the group in filing the complaint. Of all places, why file a complaint at the Commission on Human Rights? CHR is as toothless as a baby panda. It can only investigate and recommend. It has no prosecutorial powers. In the end, the complaint is useless. Also, when another group files another complaint, this time a criminal one, forum-shopping may be raised by the prosecutors, thus seeing a criminal complaint dismissed.

3. The NPC in the recent years, including this one, has been beset by credibility problems. For this year, aside from the mural censorship, it has disposed of the Manansala mural. Also, in parallel to the legitimacy problems of Gloria Arroyo, the current crop of officers suffer from legitimacy problem, too. (I just find it ironic that they had Gloria Arroyo as guest of honor in that restaurant opening, heh.)

If there’s anyone who should sue the police, it should be the media people who were arrested/invited/whatever by the police. They are more credible than the NPC.