By SAMMY JULIAN
Manila News Bureau Chief
MANILA – The top United States diplomat in Manila has expressed concern on the safety of media professionals and the lack of convictions for recent murders in the Philippines.
Reemphasizing freedom of the press as a fundamental human right, US Ambassador Philip Goldberg also reiterated during a meeting with civil society organizations this week America’s support of an open media environment where journalists are free to work safely without the fear of being threatened or killed.
According to the US Embassy in Manila, Ambassador Goldberg’s purpose in meeting with the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists (CAJ), the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), the National Press Club (NPC), Kapisanan ng Brodkaster Pilipinas (KBP), and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) was to learn more about the challenges facing members of the media in the Philippines, including extrajudicial killings and media killings, and also to discuss what can be done to address these.
During the dialogue, Goldberg gave his assurance that the US government continues to partner with the Philippine government to strengthen the judicial system, build the capacity of law enforcement to investigate crimes and address impunity, and train journalists in media ethics and standards.
The embassy, in a statement issued after the meeting, noted that the targeted killing of journalists has continued in the Philippines and impunity for these crimes has remained a serious issue.
It cited a Human Rights Watch report which revealed a total 12 journalists killed in the Philippines in 2013.
Although trend in media killings has been downward, the embassy said, still, the Committee to Protect Journalists ranks the Philippines third, after Iraq and Somalia, in its impunity index which tracks the worst records for solving murders of journalists./PN
