College Editors Guild of the Philippines | CEGP

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines is disappointed with Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Reynaldo Alhambra, who cleared SPO4 Apolonio Medrano and his co-accused Basilio Yadao for the murder of dzJC commentator Roger Mariano. Mariano was slain in 2004.

CEGP, in behalf of its 750 member publications, is very disappointed with President Benigno Aquino III for the slow pace of the resolution of extra-judicial killings. “He has capitalized in his campaign advertisements when he was running for the presidency that he is the promoter of change. Then show us the change you have promised. Do not neglect your responsibility to give justice.” said Trina Federis, CEGP National President.

“The family of Mariano has been robbed twice of justice: first, the killing of Mariano; second, the clearing of the gunmen.” This does not bode well for the other cases, where even the gunmen have eluded escape, Federis said.

According to Federis, “During the SONA, President Aquino has boasted of the resolution of more than 50 percent of political killings. Is this it? The killings will not stop until the culture of impunity exists. Until the conditions endangering our freedom of expression are decimated, scores of journalists will continue to be threatened and killed.”

“This is not an issue of just one journalist. This is the issue of every citizen deprived of the right to freedom of expression.” Federis concluded.###

2010 July 25
NEWS RELEASE

79 years of upholding campus press freedom
Campus journalists celebrate National Day of Campus Press Freedom

“As the Guild celebrates today the 79 years of patriotic and democratic service, and the National Day of Campus Press freedom, we will continue to be the voice of young journalists.” College Editors Guild of the Philippines National President Trina Federis said.

“During the World War II, members of the campus press gave their lives in defending our Motherland. During the martial law, campus journalists served as the mosquito press, printing news that matter to the people when mainstream press dared not. Today we continue to speak against commercialization of education, US intervention, and other anti-people policies.”

“We are not merely celebrating however, as campus press freedom violations continue unabated. Since Aquino’s inaguration, not much has changed. Such is seen in the campus press freedom violations experienced by The Cordial and UP Vista. The Cordial, the official student publication of Cor Jesu College in Digos City, suffers from oppression by the school administrators; their publication was unceremoniously replaced with a new publication. Members of UP Vista of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of the Philippines Visayas continue to suffer from red-tagging and surveillance by the military. We challenge the PNOY administration to resolve the cases of journalist killings, human rights violations and campus repression in the soonest possible time.”

“We have survived 79 years. And we will carry on.  We continue to fight for genuine campus press freedom. As long as such is not realized, we will not stop. We will join the People’s SONA tomorrow, a testament of our commitment to the people.” Federis concluded.

The Guild celebrated its 79 years in the 1962 Bar near Timog Avenue through a night of nostalgia. Looking back the past seven decades with alumni Hon. Teddy Casino, former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, and other fellow Guilders.###