"UP WRITERS AIR CONCERN OVER
PRESS FREEDOM ISSUE"
Creative writers associated with the UP Creative Writing Center, expressed
their concern over the political implications of the Inquirer ad boycott
to the public's right to information. An excerpt of their official statement,
which was signed by National Artist NVM Gonzalez, director Anton Juan,
poets Lilia Quindoza Santiago and Vim Nadera, playwrights Amelia Lapena-Bonifacio
and Rene Villanueva, and writers Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo, Domingo Landicho,
Gemino H. Abad, Jun Cruz Reyes, and Carla Pacis, was quoted in the Philippine
Daily Inquirer last August 3.
"While we may not always agree with editorial policies of some
newspapers and the opinions of individual writers, we nonetheless stand
solidly behind their right to carry out the mandate, i.e., the accurate
reporting of the news and the publishing of views regarding any subject
deemed by them to be important to the general public...
"This right is simply the logical extension of the public's
right to know. Only if the public has unrestricted access to information
can democracy survive. No individual or group can decide which fact of
which point of view should be disseminated.
"One undeniable achievement of the Edsa Revolution which toppled
the Marcos dictatorship was the restoration of freedom of the press. It
was an issue worth fighting for then. It is most certainly an issue worth
fighting for now".
Other writers who had previously made statements also signed the UP letter,
including Jose Lacaba, Bienvenido Lumbera, and Marra Pl. Lanot.
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