Senator Jinggoy Estrada isn’t happy with the Philippine National Police (PNP) after an officer visited the private residence of a media practitioner last Oct. 15.
A police officer in plainclothes–not in uniform–visited the home of GMA broadcast journalist JP Soriano last Oct. 15. This was done in accordance with the PNP’s initiative to check on the safety of media practitioners after the brutal killing of veteran journalist Percy Lapid.
“The PNP has a lot of explaining to do. If the purpose of ‘home visits’ of their personnel to the journalists’ residence is to ensure that there are no ‘threats’ to their lives, why are they not in their proper uniform? Why was there no coordination with the local officials and media company/outlet with which the concerned journalist is affiliated?” Estrada asked on Sunday, Oct. 16.
“And the most glaring of all, how could they get hold of very personal and sensitive information such as a home address of a journalist?” he said.
Fellow Senator Sherwin Gatchalian expressed similar sentiments regarding the incident: How did the PNP get access to the reporter’s private information?
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/16/sen-gatchalian-weighs-in-on-cops-visiting-journalists-homes/
“I can see the sense in this move of the PNP but its execution is rather contemptible. It’s the most stupid idea, I must say,” Estrada continued.
“Kung gusto nilang alamin kung sino ang mga may pagbabanta sa buhay ng mga journalists, hindi ba dapat na una nila itong inalam sa mga news organization na kinabibilangan ng mga mamahayag? Sa ganoong paraan, mas mapapadali ang proseso ng pag-identify kung sino ang nangangailangan ng kanilang tulong (If they want to know who might be threatening the lives of journalists, shouldn’t they have found out from organizations run by journalists? In tht way, the identification process to see who needs help will be easier),” he said.
“Ang mga tagapagpatupad ng batas ay dapat alam kung paano ang tamang pagpapatupad ng mga umiiral na mga batas, hindi ang paglabag ng mga ito. Malinaw na nilabag ng hanay ng PNP ang Data Privacy Act at dapat na managot sila dito (Law enforcement should know how to proper enforce laws and not violate these. Its clear that the PNP violated the Data Privacy Act and they should answer for this),” the senator concluded.