Chiz to vote against right-to-reply bill in bicam

Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Tuesday said he will vote against the right-to-reply bill when it goes to the Senate-House bicameral committee for final deliberation.

"I will oppose and vote against the proposed measure when it is taken up by the committee," he said in a statement after meeting last Monday with members of Samahang Plaridel, an organization of veteran newsmen.

"There is a classic balancing of interests issue in this case. I have decided to cross the line on the side of press freedom," Escudero said. "I am convinced that the issue can best be addressed by self-regulation among media."

The opposition senator, who is chair of the senate committee on justice and human rights, said that he had undertaken a review of the proposed measure after informal meetings with other journalists opposed to the bill.

Senate Bill No. 2150 was principally sponsored by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel and taken up by the Committee on Public Information by Sen. Ramon "Bong": Revilla, Jr. It was unanimously passed in the Senate on third reading.

The bill seeks to compel media to provide equal space or air time to persons who are subjects of negative reports or risk being fined.

"I voted for the bill because there was an issue that needed to be addressed and my take is that when this is brought out for final scrutiny, as it is now, all views will have to be taken into consideration and weighed," Escudero explained.

He said that when it was taken up in the committee, there was no expression of serious reservations about the bill. Several media groups, including Samahang Plaridel, have said that they were never invited to present their views on the measure when it was taken up by the Senate committee.

Escudero said that belated as it may seem, the reactions of groups opposing the measure have opened his mind and brought him to a better understanding of where the resistance is coming from.

"There are times when you need to step back so you could get a clearer view of what's before you and appreciate it better. This is one of those times- I have listened, understood and reconsidered. If the measure is indeed a mistake and unacceptable, then it should not be passed at all."