PNP to Sanction Cops if Photojournalist Harassment is Proven

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) will penalize the law enforcers who reportedly tried to arrest two photojournalists covering a protest in Pasay City, if it will be proven that the cops did not enforce “maximum tolerance.” PNP public information chief Col. Allen Rae Co said this in a press briefing at Camp Crame on Thursday. His statement comes a day after the incident took place outside the Philippine International Convention Center during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Wednesday. “We’ll take a look at that,” Co said when asked if the PNP is finding out whether or not the the police failed to handle the tense situation with utmost patience and courtesy. The Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines described the encounter as “harassment.” Photojournalists Bullit Marquez and Rene Dilan were reportedly confronted by the police personnel and were prevented them from taking pictures while protesters were being arrested at the rally. As a reaction, Marquez allegedly cursed, which prompted the police officers to attempt to apprehend him and Dilan as well. READ: PPP: Cops ‘harassing’ photojournalists clear violation of press freedom According to Co, cursing police officers has a corresponding offense, but he noted that “it doesn’t mean that we will make the arrest.” “Our police practice maximum tolerance. That’s part of the job,” the PNP official emphasized. READ: Media groups hit police harassment of 2 photojournalists “So if this is a result of being cursed, that will also come out in our [investigation], and we will take the appropriate action to discipline our personnel,” Co noted. The PNP official, however, did not elaborate on the sanctions police officers might face if it is proven that they committed a wrongdoing. Co pointed out that it is not yet conclusive to say that the police officers tried to arrest the photojournalists, emphasizing that the investigation is still ongoing. He also reiterated that the PNP has nothing to hide from the public, and it did not prevent anyone from documenting the events at the demonstration. “As I’ve stated earlier, they suddenly rushed in—they wanted to breach the line formed by the police for the restricted area. So they were pushed back. They were prevented from doing so,” Co said. He also told reporters that one of the photojournalists was allegedly not wearing any visible IDs and that his camera was dropped on the ground, “so there was no way of knowing that he was a journalist.” But a photojournalist who personally witnessed the incident told the INQUIRER otherwise, attesting that both Marquez and Dilan wore visible IDs during that time. She said her fellow photojournalists went near the area to capture the instance wherein a Muslim woman was being dragged by the police and her hijab (headscarf) was touched. The Press Photographers of the Philippines earlier released a statement on the incident, condemning the reported “harassment”of the photojournalists that as a “clear violation of press freedom.” /apl