Philippines bans some foreign journalists over APEC Bali incident

[Monseratto]

Wait for this to blow up in the goverment's face...

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines said Saturday it had banned certain foreign journalists from the country over an incident last year, when President Benigno Aquino was taunted by a group of Hong Kong reporters during a visit to Indonesia.

The immigration bureau said the journalists, whom it did not name, were blacklisted on the recommendation of the intelligence services over "acts committed against the president during a summit in Bali, Indonesia".

"The rationale is that the subject is a threat to public safety and blacklisting minimizes that risk," immigration bureau spokeswoman Elaine Tan said in a statement to AFP.

Hong Kong newspapers reported that nine journalists from the Chinese territory have been banned ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be hosted by the Philippines next year.

In October last year APEC summit host Indonesia withdrew the credentials of nine Hong Kong journalists for shouting questions at the Philippine leader, insisting they had posed a security threat.

Hong Kong media said the journalists and technicians were from Now TV, RTHK and Commercial Radio.

An Aquino spokesman at the time said the journalists had "crossed the line" by aggressively questioning Aquino about a hostage siege in Manila that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead in 2010.

When an individual "shows disrespect or makes offensive utterances to symbols of Philippine authority", it is sufficient ground to ban him or her from the country, immigration spokeswoman Tan said Saturday.

"If he (or she) submits sufficient proof to reverse the blacklist, it may be lifted accordingly."

An Aquino spokesman stressed it had not specifically prevented anyone from covering the APEC summit in the Philippines in November next year.

Herminio Coloma said the presidential office, which is in charge of accrediting journalists who will cover the summit, "has not started the accreditation process for journalists".

Relations between Hong Kong and the Philippines were strained for years following a botched rescue attempt by Manila in 2010 when Hong Kong tourists were taken hostage inside a bus by a disgraced ex-Manila police officer.

In April the two governments announced they had resolved the row.

The Manila city government issued a formal apology while the Philippines expressed "its most sorrowful regret and profound sympathy".

The Philippine government also provided undisclosed financial compensation to victims and their relatives from money donated by private individuals.

© 1994-2014 Agence France-Presse

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp...-incident.html

[Monseratto]

Palace denies blacklisting of HK journalists
Kristine Angeli Sabillo
*KSabilloINQ
INQUIRER.net
7:20 PM | Friday, November 21st, 2014


MANILA, Philippines–Malacañang on Friday denied reports that Hong-Kong based journalists were barred from entering the Philippines for heckling President Benigno Aquino III in Indonesia last year.

“According to Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Siegfred Mison, there is no such ‘blacklist’ of journalists who are denied entry to the Philippines on account of their actions during the Apec summit in Bali, Indonesia, last year,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.

Reports from news websites, such as the South China Morning Post, said the nine journalists were forced to return to Hong Kong after being denied entry. One of them, Now TV cameraman Eric Lee Kwok-keung, was given a letter from the airline he traveled with.

The letter, published by SCMP, said the Office of the President requested that the nine be prevented from entering the country and from covering the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila for the “heckling of President Benigno S. Aquino III during the latter’s visit to Bali, Indonesia during the October last year CEO Summit.”

But Coloma insisted that the “specific actions attributed to the journalists in the 2013 APEC summit, is not one of the grounds for denial of entry into the country.”

He said the BI will verify from its records if indeed the cameraman was denied entry.

“The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), which is the office that gives accreditation to international and Filipino journalists covering official government events, has not started the accreditation process for journalists who will cover the Apec summit in the Philippines in 2015. Therefore, no journalist has been given or denied accreditation, and there is no factual basis for the existence of a so-called ‘blacklist,’” Coloma said.

The said reporters were expelled from the Apec summit last year for shouting questions at Aquino about the controversial Luneta hostage crisis in Manila in 2010, which left eight Hong Kong nationals dead.

Read more: Palace denies blacklisting of HK journalists | Inquirer Global Nation
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[yebo]

I for one would like to allow those chinese to come here. Tapos pag nasa pinas na e di kuyugin!

[macsd]

Wait for this to blow up in the goverment's face...



Philippines bans some foreign journalists over APEC Bali incident | Daily Mail Online

Meron ng documento, tumatangi pa mga taga Malacanang. Kaya tumagal ang mga katulad ni Binay kasi meron cyang mga katulad sa palasio.

[macsd]

PH reviews blacklisting of Hong Kong journalists | Inquirer Global Nation

Kaya ang daming spokes person sa Malacanang para palitan sila sa pagsisinungaling. Pero kahit gaano pa sila magsinungaling, nabubuking pa rin. Hindi kasi nakatono sa pagkanta eh kaya maagang bumigay si Carandang.