MANILA, Philippines - A global organization of women journalists is pressing President Arroyo to order a serious probe on the death threats against Newsbreak editor in chief Marites Dañguilan Vitug.

The International Women’s Foundation (IWF) emphasized in a letter that Arroyo, as the president, has the power to “ensure that Vitug is protected.”

The Washington-based group also raised the same concerns with Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jesus Versoza.

Threats against Vitug surfaced after the release of her book “Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court.” Vitug wrote about the politicization of appointments to the judiciary and the lack of independence in the Court.

Death threats against her were sent through text messages. The first message read, “The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the sword kills faster than the word.” The next message said that Vitug should have been killed along with the 32 other members of the media who were massacred in Ampatuan, Maguindanao in November 2009.

IWF also started to gather signatures online to urge Arroyo to fast-track the investigation on the death threats.

The IWF added, “Given the history of threats that this brave journalist has endured over the years, we take these incidents very seriously.”

Vitug has received death threats for her earlier work on the book “Power from the Forest: The politics of logging,” which tackled how the confluence of business and politics led to the destruction of one of the country’s last rain forests.

Vitug was awarded the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 1991 because of the said book.

Prior to the IMP, the global organization the Committee to Protect Journalists and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines also asked authorities to probe and prosecute those behind the death threats.

They also branded as insensitive the remark of Supreme Court spokesperson Midas Marquez that Vitug's claim of receiving death threats was "funny" and his insinuation that it was meant to sell the book. The NUJP said Marquez should apologize to Vitug for his remark. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)