The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), a coalition of press freedom advocacy groups from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, expresses grave concern over death threats received by Filipino journalist Marites Danguilan Vitug, and demands swift government action to ensure that Ms. Vitug is secured from harm and protected from further harassment. Specifically, we call on the Philippine government to condemn the cowardly attempt to intimidate Ms. Vitug, and move government police and investigators to unmask and bring to justice those responsible for the threatening messages that have been coming the journalist's way in recent days.
Ms. Vitug has called attention to threatening messages sent to her cell phone from an unregistered mobile number. She believes the messages may be linked to a book she wrote, launched last week, focusing on members of the Philippine Supreme Court, and which raises questions of ethics, independence and political interests of the justices. Prior to the launch of her book, Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court, Ms. Vitug was sued for libel by one member of the High Court, and had to hurdle publication and distribution obstacles which seemed to suggest a campaign to stop the dissemination of her work.
SEAPA has condemned the libel suit as a troubling attempt—lodged by a Supreme Court associate justice, no less—to muzzle a journalistic effort dealing with a subject of clear public interest. SEAPA now also condemns the more brazen threats made against Ms. Vitug's life and sense of safety. Even as it remains unclear who exactly is responsible for the threatening text messages sent to Ms. Vitug, the onus is on the Philippine government to stand by the journalist, her freedom of expression, and the rights of a free Philippine press in general. Any weakness in government's words and response in the coming days, any failure to demonstrate genuine concern, outrage, and action over the threat to Ms. Vitug, should indict the government itself should any harm touch the journalist. Certainly inaction should remind the Philippine public of all the weaknesses, ineptitude, and apathy that have allowed impunity to fester in the Philippines, and that have given the country the dubious reputation of having one of the most hostile environments for independent journalists anywhere in the world.
