Police urged to stop harassing campus journo

“This action reveals a troubling pattern of state harassment meant to discourage young people from joining or reporting on anti-corruption protests.”

CAGAYAN DE ORO — Jacob Baluyot, a campus journalist, went to the September 21 protests to cover the people’s mobilization amid systemic corruption. Two weeks later, he received a subpoena from the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), directing him to appear at Camp Crame.

This stemmed from the violence that transpired during the September 21 protests in Mendiola, which the PNP-CIDG is investigating. Two police personnel reportedly visited the journalism student’s house, prompting the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), an alliance of tertiary student publications, to denounce the police’s act.

REALITY CHECK: Government lies about the violence in Mendiola protest

The People’s Alternative Media Network (AlterMidya) urged police authorities to provide clarification about the summons, as Baluyot’s presence during the anti-corruption protests was due to his role as a member of the press.

“This action reveals a troubling pattern of state harassment meant to discourage young people from joining or reporting on anti-corruption protests,” AlterMidya said in a statement, calling on the police to withdraw what it called a baseless subpoena.

The subpoena signed by Major General Robert Morico II, CIDG acting director, was dated October 3. But Baluyot, associate editor of The Catalyst, the official student publication of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), received it on October 7.

In his response letter through the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) submitted to CIDG on October 10, Baluyot, who also serves as chairperson of the Alyansa ng Kabataang Mamamahayag in PUP, stated he was allegedly tagged as one of the leaders of the organizations involved in the violence that occurred during the Trillion Peso March, which he denied.

“By being subpoenaed as an alleged ‘leader,’ I am effectively being treated as a suspect, not merely as a witness,” he said. 

The campus journalist declared his non-appearance to the investigation, invoking her rights under the Philippine Constitution. These included his right to remain silent and to have independent legal counsel, his right against self-incrimination and due process of law, and his right as a member of the press.

On October 11, a day after the submission of Baluyot’s response letter to the CIDG, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines released an alert about the alleged return of police personnel to Baluyot’s community. The group has yet to determine the reason for the visit as of this writing.

Read: ‘Arrested for wearing black’ | Youth groups decries continued detention of student leader

Two other young students reportedly experienced the same, which was condemned by the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines.

Aldrin Kutsine, a film student from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and one of the organizers of Kalayaan Kontra Korapsyon, also received a subpoena from PNP-CIDG. Police personnel from the same unit also reportedly visited the residence of another PUP student, Tiffany Faith Brillante, president of Sentral na Konseho ng Mag-aaral, allegedly carrying printed photos of her from various mobilizations.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) stands in solidarity with Baluyot, stressing that police should stop harassing journalists.

NUJP received a report about the alleged grabbing and hitting of photojournalist Zedrich Madrid during the September 21 protest, where over 200 individuals were arrested according to human rights group Karapatan. There were also reports received by NUJP that journalists covering the protest were denied access to the pedestrian footbridge near Mendiola and later had tear gas thrown near them.

Read: Groups demand probe on ‘cover-up and police brutality’

The Foreign Correspondent Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), on the other hand, also received reports that its members allegedly stopped taking pictures during the protests.
“Journalists must be able to carry out their work without intimidation, obstruction, or threats,” FOCAP said in a statement, reminding authorities that a “free press is fundamental to democracy and the public’s right to know.” (RVO)

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