(CMFR/IFEX) – In a move echoing the national government’s suppression of the media, the city council barred video-taping of its meetings and sessions in San Pablo, Laguna, located around 75 kilometers south of Manila. In a resolution dated 21 February 2006, the San Pablo City Council, headed by Vice-mayor Lauro Vidal, banned “video taping inside […]
(CMFR/IFEX) – In a move echoing the national government’s suppression of the media, the city council barred video-taping of its meetings and sessions in San Pablo, Laguna, located around 75 kilometers south of Manila.
In a resolution dated 21 February 2006, the San Pablo City Council, headed by Vice-mayor Lauro Vidal, banned “video taping inside the session hall during the regular and special sessions of the Sangguniang Panlunsod (City Council), as well as during its committee meetings and hearings, to ensure a more efficient and non-biased presentation of discussions to the general public through the tri-media.”
According to the resolution, the local government’s City Information Office would be given the “sole authority to provide video coverage” of the council meetings.
This would be the first time that the local government has sought to limit press coverage of their sessions. Prior to the resolution, two cable television stations operating in San Pablo – Telmarc and Celestron – regularly broadcast the council’s sessions and public hearings.
In fact, despite the local media’s consistent criticism of the past administrations, no such efforts to restrict video-taping during sessions were made by the local government in the past, said Dodie Banzuela, associate publisher of “Derecho Balita” (“Straight News”) newspaper.
Banzuela believes that the prohibition on video-taping may be in reaction to the local media’s coverage of the council voting on the issues of land-buying and liquidation of government funds.
Prior to the said resolution, several media outlets in San Pablo had asked the government to give local journalists guidelines for covering the council sessions.
CMFR could not reach Vidal for his comments and reactions.
“Video coverage is now banned. If we let this (resolution) just pass by, we would wake up sooner or later, expecting a ban on print media coverage as well,” Banzuela said.
He added, “they (the city council) are worse than Malacañang and Congress, neither of which have made efforts to monopolize coverage. It seems that the council majority are hiding something away from the local media’s eyes.”
“Derecho Balita” and other local media outlets are planning to question the legality of the resolution in the court.
