Media safety training set on April 4 to 5 in Aklan

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL / Manila Bulletin

KALIBO, Aklan - A two-day media safety training organized by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) will be held at the Kalibo Bakhawan Center at New Buswang here.

NUJP national chairman Nestor Burgos, Jr. said the safety training on April 4 to 5 for 25 journalists from the province of Capiz and Aklan is supported by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), an affiliate of NUJP working to defend press freedom and social justice through a strong, free and independent trade unions of journalists worldwide.

"The two-day activity is part of the nationwide effort of the NUJP to make media work safe and professional. It is one of the solutions to end the cycle of violence in the Philippine media landscape that has been littered by killings, assaults and threats to media practitioners," Burgos said.

The country was named as the deadliest peacetime nation for journalists, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), citing the high rate of killings of mediamen.

Burgos said the safety training is designed for participants in the community press and local media which are vulnerable to violence.The safety training participants will also discuss the importance of ethics and journalistic principles and how to keep safe, he added.

NUJP Aklan chairman Jujet Reyes stressed the training includes discussion on practical safety tips during media coverages and the rights of journalists.

"More safety and security training courses in provinces are encouraged that would provide life-saving tips for journalists, especially in high-risk areas and conflicts," said Reyes, program director of IBC DyRG Budyong ng Kalibo.