KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/01 July) -- The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) today condemned the allegedly arbitrary detention of journalists yesterday in Maguindanao.

In a statement, the NUJP said it expressed concern and outrage at the recent attempt by the Philippine army to prevent journalists from accessing evacuation centers in Maguindanao by holding them for an hour.

Worse, Paraan said the soldiers tried to bring the journalists from Bagan to the brigade headquarters, to which the journalists objected.

The group was on three-day coverage in Cotabato and Maguindanao to look into the conditions of evacuees displaced by the ongoing conflict between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. 

“After a flurry of reactions from media groups and outfits, as well as from the journalists themselves who were being held by the soldiers, 601st Army Brigade commander Col. Medardo Geslani said that they were merely clearing the area to foil a supposed plan to attack the "high-profile" group of journalists.

The journalists were then released, but only after over an hour of waiting,” the NUJP said.

The media convoy was reportedly singled out and was the only one blocked.

“This leads us to believe that journalists were prevented from proceeding to the area due to other reasons, least of which is security. It now becomes clear that one highly possible intention is to prevent media from reporting on the plight of the evacuees, particularly in Datu Piang. One refugee center was reported to have been without food rations for over four months now,” it added. 

Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, in a text message sent to reporters said it was not their intention to prevent media from accessing the areas in conflict.

“It is a routine security measure to hold visitors while troops are clearing the main route, particularly the road leading to inner municipalities of Maguindanao due to the series of roadside bombing incidents in central Mindanao,” he said. 

“The security of the civilians is military’s paramount concern,” he stressed. 

The NUJP called on the military, particularly the 46th Infantry Battalion, to cease placing journalists in a situation of fear and allow them full access to the evacuation sites in Cotabato and Maguindanao.

“We demand an answer as to why the journalists were arbitrarily held this morning (Tuesday) with no clear reason,” Paraan said.

“This incident makes us think that those who claim to be vanguards of our freedoms and safety are often the first to imperil them,” she said. (Malu Cadelina Manar/MindaNews)

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