JINGGOY ALARMED OVER 'CODDLER OF CRIMINALS' TAG BY AFP OFFICIAL ON MEDIA NETWORK

Opposition stalwart Sen. Jinggoy Estrada yesterday expressed alarm over the reported statement by Philippine Marines commandant, Brigadier General Nelson Allaga, that a media network was coddling criminals if it would not hand over video footage taken of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerillas right after the July 10 fight with Marine soldiers in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan where 14 soldiers were killed, ten of them beheaded.

Estrada was reacting to reports that Allaga warned ABS-CBN it would be "coddling criminals" and "covering up (a crime)" if it would not give the AFP the video, allegedly showing MILF guerillas retrieving firearms of the fallen soldiers. Allaga allegedly told reporters that ABS-CBN should hand the military copies of the photos or videos taken of MILF rebels in Basilan so that the Marines' attackers could be identified.

Allaga was quoted in the news reports as saying, "Sinong ABS-CBN dito?... di ba nung after pinikture-picture pa yung baril na nacapture nila, sinong nagpicture nun, kung hindi nyo ibigay, e you are coddling a criminal, you are covering up"

ABS-CBN reportedly said it felt that it would be the first to be hit by the Human Security Act, under which, individuals who know the identities of criminals could be charged with abetting crime if they refuse to cooperate with the government.

Estrada noted the statement by ABS-CBN that it was in fact MILF members who were helping retrieve bodies of the slain soldiers that they took a video of.

"Is this a preview of how our authorities, particularly the military, would implement the Human Security Act? If this is so, it's very, very frightening," Estrada said, adding:

"With that statement, General Allaga was not encouraging cooperation from ABS-CBN or any other media outfit or practitioner for that matter. The general was high-handedly demanding for the media materials, threatening with charges, and in fact, was already declaring ABS-CBN guilty of offense."

"This is dangerous. This is the reason why I am pushing for defined protection of journalists under the Human Security Act," Estrada said.

Estrada has filed Magna Carta for Journalists and a bill seeking to decriminalize libel.