Gloria EO ‘curtailing press freedom’ exposed

By Dona Policar and Sherwin C. Olaes
Tuesday, 10 18, 2005


An opposition lawmaker yesterday exposed another controversial executive order (EO) that President Arroyo secretly issued last August.

According to Rep. Rolex Suplico, Mrs. Arroyo issued EO 454, which empowers the government, through the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC), to directly control the telecommunications sector such as radio, television, mobile phones, among others, last Aug. 16, the same time the House of Representatives was busy with the impeachment complaints being pushed against the President.

Suplico, during a press briefing, said EO 454 was aimed at “curtailing the press freedom” especially at a time when Mrs. Arroyo and her government continue to become unpopular to the public because of various alleged irregularities that she, her family and Cabinet officials, have been facing through the media.

The EO, he stressed, has transferred the power of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to oversee the communications sector to the DoTC, under Secretary Leandro Mendoza, perceived to be very loyal to the President.

The transfer of the “control,” Suplico claimed, was in violation of Section 6 of Republic Act 7925, or the Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines, which prohibits the DoTC to directly control the telecommunications sector since the department falls directly under Malacañang.

House Minority Floor Leader Francis Escudero, for his part, said the EO was believed to have been patterned offer the EO 546 issued by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos on July 23, 1979, which empowered his government to take control of the NTC at the time the country was placed under martial law.

He added they would examine the EO when the DoTC appears before the House appropriations committee for its budget next year.

Escudero stressed they would question the legality and the constitutionality of such order.

Over the weekend, there were even reports that Malacañang was targeting critical media for permanent gagging because they continue to hurt the Arroyo administration.

The Palace has reportedly placed under surveillance editors and reporters of newspapers who are very critical of the President.

Worse, they are being monitored for possible arrest once Mrs. Arroyo declares her long-delayed plan of martial law.

Suplico said the EO was illegal because telecommunications companies that have concerns to raise regarding certain policies issued by the NTC could not be raised directly to the Court of Appeals (CA) or the Supreme Court.

Any appeal or concerns, he said, should be brought first to the DoTC which will later go to Malacañang before it can go to either to the CA or Supreme Court.

“In this way, Malacañang could dip its hands in any of these telecommunications companies' affairs,” Suplico said.

With the revealed EO, Bukidnon Rep. Teofisto Guingona III believes Malacañang could also now control text messaging and even calls made through cellular phones and other forms of communications.

But Malacañang also yesterday blasted the opposition lawmakers for alleging that Mrs. Arroyo intends to curtail press freedom through EO 454.

Secretary to the Cabinet Ricardo Saludo, during a phone interview, bashed the opposition, charging it with fanning “unsubstantiated” allegations to cause fear among the masses and in return condemn Mrs. Arroyo.

“This is another attempt of the opposition to sow fear and hatred on our people against our President,” he said.

Saludo stressed the move by Mrs. Arroyo to transfer back the NTC under the control and supervision of the DoTC had been existing before and there had been no curtailment of press freedom.

“Let me ask you, before when it (NTC) was still under the DoTC have we experienced that our President curtailed the broadcast media? There was none, right? We have to point out that this is just part of a streamlining of the bureaucracy,” he said.

Saludo, however, did not mention Mrs. Arroyo's move to transfer the NTC under the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) last Jan. 12, 2004, or a few months before the May presidential elections, was a response from the Chief Executive after critical talk shows such as “Debate” of GMA-7, among others were given a free wheeling discussions in which in the end, according to Palace observers, placed Mrs. Arroyo in a negative light among the public.

He said the President has respected freedom of expression and in case the mass media critical of her suffer harassments, they could always file a complaint before the SC.

Asked if the President blames the media for the continuous plunge in her popularity, Saludo said. “I cannot comment on that, I have not discussed that yet with the President.”