abs-cbnNEWS.com

Lawyer
Harry Roque said a ruling by the Makati Regional Trial Court allows
police to arrest, handcuff and detain journalists and "robs [the media]
of [its] last resort for press freedom.

In a ruling that was
reportedly signed on June 20 but only released on Friday, June 27, the
Makati RTC dismissed a class suit by media practitioners and media
organizations against police officers who arrested reporters and other
media professionals at the scene of the Manila Peninsula siege on
November 29, 2007.

Roque also questioned the fact that the
ruling was kept secret for a week and only released on Friday. He said
the timing of the release seems to have been intended to prevent a
quicker reaction by the media and other concerned parties.

Roque sent this text message to abs-cbnNEWS.com:

"Trial
court ruling on Pen affair, signed 20th but kept secret and released
27th, a Friday, obviously to suppress the right to promptly react,
provides effectively: police order for newsmen to leave, subsequent
arrests, cuffing, detention of newspeople legal; in fact, they should
have been indicted. Meaning, the police can do all that again This
sends biggest chill yet in media population and robs it of last resort
for press freedom."

One of the plaintiffs in the class suit,
Vergel Santos of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, told
the ABS-CBN News Channel in an interview that the Manila Peninsula
siege was obviously "news territory" and that all journalists and
mediamen present deserved to be there.

Santos called the Makati RTC ruling "unconstitutional".