President Benigno Simeon Aquino III signs the Harvard University official guest book during public forum at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday made an assurance that his administration will continue to work to stop attacks on members of the press “until this number reaches zero.” In his speech during the Annual Presidential Forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines in Marco Polo Ortigas, the President said things have changed since the martial law years, as the country has returned to democratic rule. ‘We no longer live in a country where the media is muzzled, or where the government tries to impose its will on journalists,” he said. In fact, he said, his administration has been in active pursuit of all those who have allegedly committed extralegal killings, including those involving media, and the public can already see the effects of the government’s efforts. “We have made high-profile arrests, recently, most prominently that of Retired Major General Jovito Palparan for alleged violations of human rights,” the Chief Executive noted. There is also a significant reduction of recorded or validated extralegal killings, from a total of 168 during the Arroyo government to 42 in the four years of the present administration, he said. “Indeed, one could consider this as progress, but make no mistake: Our administration will not be content until this number reaches zero,” he emphasized. The President in turn requested the Read More …
