THE National Press Club (NPC) lauded several members of the Senate for “thwarting” the apparent attempt by some officers of the Public Relations Information Bureau (PRIB) identified with Senate President Franklin Drilon, to put a “gag” on media interviews with a further threat to remove the accreditation of those violating the “new” rule.
“The NPC takes comfort over the fact that rather than take refuge in secrecy due to the many controversies now hounding the Senate by restricting media interviews, there are enough of its members who continue to stand up for the unhampered exercise of the freedom of the press especially within the confines of its walls,” said NPC president Benny Antiporda.
He noted that since Drilon was elected Senate president last July, some officers of the PRIB already made it known that media interviews, especially at the plenary, would soon be a “thing of the past.”
In particular, Antiporda cited Senate Assistant Minority Leader Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III, for standing up last Wednesday at the plenary to question the move by the PRIB to ban media interviews in the area with a threat of revoking the Senate accreditation of those who would dare to violate it.
Aside from Sen. Sotto, Antiporda also lauded Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate Committee on Public Information, Sen. Loren Legarda and Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, for throwing their support behind the stand of Sotto.
“With the number of senators supporting rejecting the attempt at media ‘censorship’ in the Senate, the NPC also expects that the issues raised by the press and those manifested in the plenary by Sen. Sotto would also be resolved and reported out by the Senate Secretariat at the soonest time possible,” Antiporda added.
Antiporda said the NPC is very much aware of the goings-on in the Senate, especially those involving the media.
“I once covered the Senate as a beat reporter and at present, three officers of the NPC, as well as many of our members, are also assigned there.
“Thus, any effort by some quarters to hold back the result of the investigation requested by Sen. Sotto and other lawmakers on these media-related issues would be surely thwarted,” Antiporda warned.
“Likewise, the NPC, this early, is also thanking our lawmakers, Sen. Poe in particular, for assuring that the ‘Freedom of Information’ (FOI) bill would be passed in record time under the present Congress.
“Sen. Poe’s stand and commitment is truly laudable considering that her stand on the FOI bill is in direct contrast to the wish of Pres. Benigno Aquino III not to have an FOI law under his term,” Antiporda said.
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