Impinging on Press Freedom?

There's just too many things happening, too many new developments, too many legal issues, much more than one can reasonably blog about. This entire Gloriagate controversy can be considered a lawyer's, or at the very least, a law enthusiast's delight with all the legal issues and jargon being tossed around. Now, apparently the latest victim in this brouhaha is the freedom of the press.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has supposedly issued a circular banning the airing of the allegedly wiretapped phone conversations of Pres. Arroyo and Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Commissioner Garcillano.

This has earned the ire of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), branding it "an assault against press freedom." I have to say that I'm inclined to agree. The government's interference in what the media, can, and cannot report about reeks heavily of censorship, especially considering the national significance and importance of this issue. Simply put, the people have a right to know.

I won't dwell on this issue any further, the issue pretty much speaks for itself, and besides, nakakapagod na, at nakakasawa na rin. Di ko lang talaga maintindihan kung bakit nagkakaganito ang pamahalaan natin, parang puro sablay yata ang mga pinag-gagagawa, at pati mga karapatan natin na nakasaad sa saligang-batas ay nasasagasaan na rin. Iwasan lang natin magpadala sa mga opisyal na nais itago ang katotohanan sa likod ng batas. Ang batas ay nandiyan para pangalagaan ang kapakanan ng mga mamamayan, at hindi para abusuhin ng mga taong nasa kapangyarihan upang itago ang katotohanan.

Hirap mag-Tagalog ng tuwid. Dahil sa buwisit na isyu na ito, di tuloy ako makapag-blog tungkol sa pagkakawalang sala ni Michael Jackson. :-)

Hanapin ang Katotohanan.

Links:

KBP slams NTC ban on tape as 'assault on press freedom'
KBP speaks out at last
PCIJ's Alternative links to download three-hour tape

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