‘Journalists should be given insurance coverage’

MANILA, Philippines – Reporters covering the high-risk election campaign should not just be provided with firearms but also with decent insurance coverage to protect them and their families should a tragedy like the Maguindanao massacre befall them, an opposition lawmaker said.

Ilocos Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said providing insurance to journalists should be the primary concern of employers because they are exposed to harassment and threats.

Marcos, who is seeking a Senate seat next year, said media practitioners are “without the comfort of financial security for themselves and their loved ones in case of misfortune.”

“Because we regularly hear their voices when we turn on our radio and TV sets and read their bylines while we sip our coffee, many have taken it for granted what our press people go through to deliver our daily doses of information and hard news,” he said.

“The reality is that the majority in this highly professional group of men and women do not even get decent wages,” Marcos noted. “Journalists must be provided also with bullet proof vest for their added protection,” he added.

Reporters will literally be in the line of fire in next year’s election coverage and are at risk of injuries and death by natural and man-made causes.

Marcos said on top of hazard pay, employers should create an insurance pool for journalists covering the frontlines of the election even if only for the duration of the election period.

The only son and namesake of the late strongman also appealed to authorities to allow journalists assigned to cover election hot spots to carry weapons if they choose to.

“If the government is not able to defend journalists, it must allow them to defend themselves by letting them carry firearms. This will give them protection against violence that may well escalate as the May elections draw near,” Marcos said.

“We should not let reporters become sitting ducks. If there’s a way they can defend themselves, we must give it to them. If they are armed, they can have protection against lawless elements,” he added. –Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star)