The Philippines: CFWIJ Condemns The Unprovoked Threat Against Chiara Zambrano And Her News Team
Location: The Philippines
Date: April 13, 2021
Chiara Zambrano from ABS-CBN, and her news team were on an assignment in the west Philippines sea close to Palawan province. The journalist was investigating where Filipino fishermen relocated after losing their former fishing grounds to Chinese vessels. The news team was headed towards a reef surface to interview Philippine military detachments who presumably provide security to fishermen anchored there. On their way to Ayungin Shoal, the Filipino crew spotted a Chinese coast guard ship and received a radio message to identify themselves. The boat operator could not respond as the message was in English, and he did not understand. Moments later, the Filipino vessel carrying Chiara Zambrano and her news team was chased by two missile-equipped Chinese boats until they returned to Palawan region. CFWIJ is concerned by this drastic and unjustified threat to Chiara Zambrano and her team.
Chiara and her crew were put in a precarious position after being chased by Chinese missile-equipped vessel boats. This movement followed the earlier verbal threats and pursuit from Chinese coast guards. A statement from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines states that Chiara and her news team were carrying out their coverage in a civilian boat in Philippine waters, which is legal and presumably safe. The statement also raised concern over the response of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that says the incident was the result of “journalists’ insatiable desire to be ahead in reporting”.
STATEMENT | It is almost like the military is asking the Filipino journalists "what were you doing there?" even when the better question might be aimed at the AFP: What were you not doing there? pic.twitter.com/83Y2WALP3l
— NUJP (@nujp) April 9, 2021
The NUJP statement says that a more appropriate question would be to ask what the Chinese military was doing in Philippine waters. The University of the Philippines journalism department also condemned the aggressive attack against the ABS-CBN news team. The statement calls the move an unprovoked threat and unnecesary use of force against unarmed civilians. The Coalition For Women In Journalism commends Chiara Zambrano for her courage and commitment to reporting. We hope that The Philippines’ official authorities will conduct an in-depth inquiry of the matter. We reiterate that journalists should feel safe while performing their job, especially within the borders of their own country.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.
