PTFoMS calls out CHR on planned media body

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security on Monday bluntly told the Commission on Human Rights that it was the agency tasked with protecting members of the press from violations of their rights.

PTFoMS executive director and Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez reminded “our good partners at the CHR that even the United Nations Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan” recognized the role played by his agency.

Gutierrez issued the statement in response to the CHR’s reported move to launch a platform to ensure the safety of media workers in the country.

He said Khan saw the PTFoMS as “the main mechanism for the safety of journalists as stated in her preliminary report after the conclusion of her visit last 2 February.”

The task force was created in 2016 through Administrative Order 1.

“In fact, her (Khan’s) opening statement was profuse in thanking the PTFoMS for its valuable assistance that led to the successful conclusion of her visit that included her consultation with the CHR,” Gutierrez said.

He pointed out that under AO1 the CHR is a member of the PTFoMS and it has been regularly attending inter-agency meetings, adding that the Commission on Human Rights’ statement “comes as quite a surprise.”

In addition to acknowledging AO1, Khan put forth various suggestions to enhance its “institutional capacity,” the PTFoMS chief said.

Gutierrez said the Alert System for Media Human Rights Violations being pushed by the CHR after it was proposed by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines should be aligned with the PTFoMS.