(POOLED EDITORIAL BY MEDIA PRACTIONERS IN ZAMBOANGA CITY ON THE OCCASION OF THE OBSERVANCE OF WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY ON MAY 3, 2010.)

We Shall Overcome!

TODAY, May 3, societies and democracies around the globe are celebrating World Press Freedom Day, initiated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for people’s fundamental rights of expression and access to information and to honor the world’s journalists, especially those who experienced or are experiencing extraordinary circumstances in the performance of their work. Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion andexpression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” This is not an idle or frivolous right, since free expression and access to information are indispensable to people’s right to and realization of their security, welfare, progress and peace.

For media practitioners in the Philippines, and most especially in Mindanao and Zamboanga City, this observance is tremendously important and significant in light of the unresolved murder of 32 of their colleagues in the so-called Maguindanao Massacre last November 2009, plus the still many others in recent years, particularly under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. This fact manifests the deadly irony that while the Philippine press is said to be one of the freest in the world, the country is also rated today as the second most dangerous, next to Iraq, in terms of journalists killed and injured.

By failing to extend appropriate protection to Filipino mediamen or give justice to their murdered colleagues, by often trampling the exercise of their duty, the Arroyo administration has displayed a total and criminal disregard and disdain for the Filipino people’s human rights, for justice, for our welfare and for our security and peace. This the Zamboanga media community once again takes this opportunity to strongly condemn. On this day, on behalf of ourselves and the Filipino people we serve, we demand an end to this kind of insidious, anti-people government and this shameless governance, as well as this culture of impunity towards the media and other citizens by the powerful in our society.

We appeal to the next Congress to speedily pass the Freedom of Information Act bill still awaiting final approval in the House of Representatives.


We renew our resolve to persevere in our duty and mission to report the truth, to disseminate fair opinion, to connect people in their dreams and aspirations. Exactly a week from today, on May 10, we will vote for our political leaders who will govern our nation and communities for the next several years. This exercise is but an extension our rights to free expression and a civic, democratic duty that mass media have helped to make real, for voters to make really good choices through the ballots. By all this we shall overcome!

PHILIP JAMES MONGAYA TREMEDALCALL OR TEXT ME : E-MAIL ME : pjtremedal@gmail.comvisit my website: www.mindanao-online.tk