By: Glen Jacob Jose

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said he would have a dialogue with media outfits and representatives in connection with concerns and fears over police visits to the private residence of some journalists.

In a radio interview, Abalos said they would be coming out with a process and then will publish a hotline that can reach media practitioners if they received a possible threat to their lives. And to write a letter to concerned PNP units if they want security personnel from the police. 

“Ipapapakita namin ang proseso, ipapakita namin ang tao, kung ano ang hotline namin, kung ano ang dapat gawan at kung talagang may threat sumulat lang kayo at kung kailangan niyo ng mga police security ibibigay po namin ito. Yun po ang commitment ng PNP, yun ang commitment ng DILG sa lahat po ito at yun ang gusto namin, magkaroon tayo ng dayalogo tungkol dito. Pinagawan ko yung sulat the other day, kahapon siguro ito ay idistribute na ("We will show the process, we will show the people, what our hotline is, what to do and if there is really a threat, just write and if you need police security, we will provide it. That's the commitment of the PNP, that's the commitment of the DILG to all of this and that's what we want, let's have a dialogue about it. I made the letter the other day, maybe it was distributed),” said Abalos. 

A reporter from GMA news JP Soriano posted on his Twitter account said a man went to his private residence, identifying himself as a police officer who was ordered to check for any threats against journalists. 

"Isang nagpakilalang pulis ang nagpunta sa aking private residence ngayon, nagpakita ng I.D. pero hindi naka uniform, Hinanap ako at maayos namang nagpakilala at sinabing inutusan daw sila ng #PNP para 'kamustahin' ang mga journalists at kung may 'threat' ba sa amin?" Soriano said in Twitter account.

He said he called Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro and confirmed that police officers are knocking on media workers' doors to check for threats. He also found out that another journalist called the local chief executive as cops visited their home.

"This is a clear violation of the [Data] Privacy Act. If the PNP wants to coordinate with or check on us, this should be done at our office, not at our homes," Soriano said.

Abalos already talked to Soriano and apologized to the media members over the alarm caused by the house-to-house visit conducted by the police, which is intended to identify any threat against them.

He has ordered the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to re-strategize and passes through proper channels to reach out to media workers instead of going to their residence.

 “Let's sit down with them kasi alam niyo ang intensyon dito is really ipakita namin ang sinseridad ng pulis na andito kami to help and protect you kasi let's face it, mahirap ang trabaho ninyo, may mandato kayo sabihn ang katotohanan (Let's sit down with them because you know the intention here is that we really show the sincerity of the police that we are here to help and protect you because let's face it, your job is difficult, you have a mandate to tell the truth),” said Abalos. 

“Masakit man pero kailangan yan ang gawin niyo at during the course of your profession hindi mo maiiwasan na yung ibang may mga masasamang tangka, talagang tatatamaan ("It's painful, but that's what you have to do and during the course of your profession you can't avoid that others who have bad plans, will really get hit),” he added. 

He also talked to NCRPO chief Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo told them to apologize and should stop the house-to-house visit of cops to media personnel.

“May threat ba or what pero sabi ko general you mean well pero alam mo ang dating sa iba hindi maganda. Andiyan tayo to protect them pero siguro ang gawin na lang natin, unang una ihinto mo muna yan and then let's apologize (Is there a threat or what but I said general you mean well but you know what happened to others was not good. We are there to protect them but maybe we should just do it, first of all stop it and then let's apologize),” the Interior Secretary stressed. 

Meanwhile, the PNP said they would be coming out with a more specific guideline on how authorities should reach out to media practitioners.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the order for police officers to strengthen their coordination with media workers in their jurisdiction came following the killing of veteran radio host Percy Lapid. 

Fajardo said that there is nothing wrong with house visits.

She, however, clarified that there was no direct order from the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame or with the regional director for authorities to conduct security checks on journalists' residences, mainly to ask if they had been threatened.

Fajardo said that the instruction was to coordinate with media personalities and know if they had received threats after the death of broadcaster Percy Lapid.

“There was no direct instruction or directive coming from the national headquarters na magkaroon ng house visitation sa bahay ng ating kasamahan sa media,” she said in the radio interview.

"Itong nangyari sa ilang mga lugar, we can only presume, na iba-iba ang naging interpretation on how to proceed dito sa coordination sa ating mga media practitioners sa kani-kanilang mga areas of jurisdiction(What happened in the other areas, we can only presume, there had been different interpretation on how to proceed with the coordination with the media practitioners in their areas of jurisdiction)," she added.

Fajardo also said that PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. had already ordered an investigation into the matter and instructed to conduct corrective measures.

"We are not making excuses. May mali talaga sa naging procedure. Kung maganda ang intensyon, maganda ‘yung efforts nila, subalit dapat talaga nagkaron muna ng coordination or probably isinama ‘yung barangay (We are not making excuses. Indeed, there was something wrong with the procedure. If the intention was good, the efforts are good, but a coordination should have first been done or probably the village officials should have been with them)," Fajardo said.

“Pinatigil na ng pamunuan ng PNP itong practice na ito until such time na magkaron ng magandang dayalogo at specific guidelines na ilalabas from PNP para masigurado na hindi na mangyayari ito (The PNP had ordered that this practice be stopped until that there is a good dialogue and specific guidelines from the PNP to ensure that this will not happen again),” she added.

For his part, Estomo ordered a stop to house visits when several journalists aired concerns over the incidents as per journalists, violating the Privacy Act.

"In as much as the NCRP O is concerned about the safety and welfare of our mediamen, we confirm that it was our gesture to know if there are threats on their lives and of their 

families in order to assess the security assistance that we have to accord to them," said Estomo in a statement.

He said the NCRPO's commitment to protect them from danger and ensure their safety has been reaching out to our friends from the media, especially those receiving threats.

"Though we have good intentions to this endeavor, I personally apologize to all our media friends and an investigation is already in place pertaining to this incident," said Estomo. 

Meanwhile, Col. Wilson Asueta, the acting director of the Eastern Police District (EPD), apologized on Sunday to the media members for the incident.

"Kung privacy ang pinag-uusapan, our [apologies] na lang. Basta, it's not our intention to violate their privacy. Ang kailangan namin, maging proactive lang kami(If privacy is being talked about, our apologies. It is not our intention to violate their privacy. What we need is to be proactive)," Asueta said.

Asueta confirmed that PNP personnel had visited some media members in his area of responsibility. It was implemented in Metro Manila, but he refused to comment when asked where the order came from.

Asueta said the objective of the visit is to get information so they can anticipate their possible actions and offer counter-measures in case the media personnel has threats and regularly travels.

It is not to conduct surveillance, he said.