TAYTAY, Rizal -- Are local cops hiding something from journos? Maybe, says Daily Tribune reporter Neil Adrales Alcober moments after the Rizal provincial police public information office removed him from its official Viber group channel in what appears to be an effort to rid of ‘toxic and cry babies’ in the group.
“Maganda at isang mapagpalang umaga po sa lahat… Lahat po kayo ay mahalaga at nirerespeto namin. Bawal lang ang toxic at iyakin dito,” reads a message of Rizal Provincial Police Public Information Office chief Lt. Mariesol Tactaquin after booting Alcober from the Rizal PPO Accredited Media viber group.
The messaging group is the information channel of Rizal Provincial Police Office where they send press releases, communicate and coordinate with journalists. Alcober covers the eastern portion of Metro Manila and the entire Rizal province.
“Rizal PPO-PIO has removed me from its official Viber group after I asked why our group – the Pasig Marikina Mandaluyong San Juan-Rizal (Pamamarisan) Press Corps, was neither informed nor invited in an event where we could have squeezed some news,” Alcober in his capacity as president of the press group, told OpinYon Rizal.
Alcober said that Tactaquin may have been appalled by his sentiment – “Kung sino pa ang mga legit at nakakapag contribute, iyon pa ang hindi kinikilala at hindi pinapahalagahan,”
Recurring Incidents
Three years ago, a similar incident made headlines after the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) dropped Rappler reporter Rambo Talabong from its official Viber group channel.
According to reports, Talabong was removed from the NCRPO messaging group after the online news organization published the story on then NCRPO chief Major General Debold Sinas’ birthday celebration inside Camp Bagong Diwa despite nationwide restrictions in view of the COVID-19 health concerns.
Rappler, in a statement, condemned Talabong’s removal, saying it “constitutes prior restraint on the freedom of the press.” The organization also, “expects the NCRPO leadership and its PIO to approach and resolve this matter responsibly and professionally” as Talabong “truthfully report what happened.”
In 2012, then Tribune reporter Fernan Angeles narrowly escaped death in an ambush in Pasig City moments after texting a top PNP official regarding a drug trade which involved men in uniform. He sustained seven gunshot wounds and was unconscious for weeks.
Need For Transparency
Earlier this year, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda cited the role of transparency in governance and the need for accountability and transparency in the government.
"Whether it is to hide incompetence, reduce the work they have to do, or actually hide corruption, transparency in government will remain a lofty concept if civil servants do not take the servant part of their role to heart," Legarda stated.
Interestingly, a bill seeking to institute Freedom of Information (FOI) remains pending in Congress.
FOI, also called the “right to information,” is a fundamental human right enshrined in many international treaties, national constitutions, as well as domestic laws.
Pillars of Transparency
In several studies, renowned sociologists identified three crucial aspects of transparency.
The first is an informed and active citizenry as the driving force behind accountability and good governance. Similarly. The media should brace for challenges in striving to be watchdogs. Government officials – whether elected, appointed or men in uniform, should acknowledge the fact that as public servants, they are duty bound to be transparent.
The second is the role of brave and disciplined media in upholding the truth. Journalists should act as gatekeepers of truth, especially in the age of disinformation and historical revisionism.
The third is the responsibility of the government itself to be transparent. Civil servants must shun fear and embrace the demands for transparency from the public.
Rizal PNP Keeps Mum
As of this writing, the Rizal PNP has yet to issue an official statement as to why they removed Alcober from its official viber channel.
Prior to the booting incident, Alcober and members of the Pamamarisan media group paid a courtesy call on the top provincial police officials to whom the press corps members cited the need to professionalize the relationship between the Rizal PNP and the local media.
“Nag-courtesy call pa nga kami nung isang buwan kung saan iminungkahi namin linisin ang hanay ng media na nagko-cover sa Rizal. Naglatag din kami ng mga proyekto para mas paigtingin ang relasyon ng media at kapulisan – hindi lamang sa larangan ng pagbabalita kundi maging sa community service,” Alcober said in a statement written in all capital letters.
“Hindi po tayo nagsasalita dahil galit tayo sa kanila, walang personal issue dito. Hindi lang talaga nakakatuwa ang hindi magandang pakikitungo nila sa mga lehitimong peryodista… uulitin ko po, hindi tayo nagpapaka-VIP. Tratuhin lang tayo nang maayos.”
Few months ago, Rizal PNP-PIO chief Tactaquin refused to issue a statement regarding the proliferation of illegal gambling activities in Rizal and the supposed payout of a province-based gambling lord by the name of James Barroga.
Journos Want Her Out
Upon being informed, other media personalities denounced what they described as Rizal PNP’s selective policy.
“Dapat pantay pantay ang kanyang pakikitungo sa lahat bilang PIO Spokesperson dapat marunong siyang makisalamuha.Iwasan ang favoritism at dapat pantay ang kanyang pagtrato sa lahat ng mga pumupunta at kumukuha ng balita,” reads the statement of DZXL reporter Rambo Labay.
Tabloid reporter Knots Alforte described the Rizal PNP policy as more like Martial law – “Parang martial law dyan sa kampo, di ka basta makakapasok kasi kailangan itatawag muna tapos aprubado ni Tactaquin.”
Radio news anchor Felix Tambongco for his part described the relationship between the Rizal PNP and legitimate media as “parasitic.”
“Ang problema nag-effort tayo hindi naman pinapahalagahan o pinasasalamatan… naging parasitic ang relationship natin sa PNP Rizal… mula ng umupo si Tactaquin nagkanda letse-letse na ang pakikitungo sa media, ngayon nga kahit pumunta ka dun kailangan pa ng clearance na para bang terorista ang papasok sa kampo.”
“Mahirap mag set ng appointment kay PD dahil hinaharangan ng PIO,” says Abante correspondent Vicky Aquino.
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