THE Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) has renewed its partnership with the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to provide continuous legal aid and support services to media personnel.
Held at PAO’s central office in Quezon City, the MOA signing between the two agencies would also ensure the conduct of legal education programs and workshops for media practitioners, including editors and even some vloggers in the near future, PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta told The Manila Times on Tuesday.
A former director of the National Press Club (NPC), PTFOMS Executive Director Joe Torres Jr. said the agreement would symbolize the two agencies’ strong commitment to ensuring the safety, rights and welfare of media workers across the country.
“In this MOA, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to a common goal: the protection, safety and security of media practitioners,” Torres, also a former Philippine Information Agency chief, pointed out.
Under the agreement, PTFOMS will oversee coordination efforts, identify and refer media personnel in need of legal assistance, and collaborate with PAO on training programs and policy advocacy.
PAO, for its part, will provide legal aid, representation and conduct workshops to inform media workers about their rights.
“I would like to thank PAO chief Acosta and the entire PAO team for their unwavering dedication and steadfast support for press freedom and media safety,” Torres said.
The chief public attorney noted that her agency had already worked with PTFOMS, extending numerous legal services to several media workers in the past.
“So, it was a renewal of the partnership that would always be beneficial to the media practitioners who need legal services, especially court representation, among others,” Rueda-Acosta said.
During the ceremonial MOA signing, she stressed that the freedom of the press and of expression is the bastion of democracy.
“Any individuals, especially people in the government, should be transparent, and if the media practitioners have erred, they should be held accountable in court,” the PAO head said.
“Without the media, we have no democracy. Democracy is by the people, for the people, and of the people,” she emphasized.
Both Rueda-Acosta and Torres reiterated that PAO and PTFOMS shall promote awareness and understanding of media-related laws and regulations among media personnel and enhance the overall safety and security environment for media personnel in the Philippines.
Deputy Chief Public Attorney Erwin Erfe also signed the agreement as a witness, along with NPC President Leonel Abasola, who thanked the PAO leadership for its commitment to extend all forms of assistance, specifically legal concerns of members of the so-called Fourth Estate.
