Jose Rizal Pajares, a reporter with private radio station Radyo Natin, was arrested on August 2 on the island of Camarines Sur in Visayas by the Iriga City police and detained for three days after trying to access police blotters to search for news reports.
The police blotter, which is a public document as admitted by the statements of the police, is commonly placed in the front desk and is ready for perusal by members of the public, according to National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), Albay.
Pajares, who has worked with Radyo Natin for over a decade, said he has accessed the Iriga City Police Station’s records for years.
He was charged by the police with violation of Data Privacy Act.
“A complaint for violation of Section 29 of Data Privacy Act of 2012 was filed against him,” said Colonel Maria Luisa Calubaquib, police regional spokesperson.
Pajares was temporarily released on August 4, with Radio Natyn paying his bail of PHP 10,000 ($180).
The NUJP questioned the basis for Pajares’ arrest and detention. It said: “While we understand the need for confidentiality in ongoing investigations and to ensure data privacy, police blotters are generally public documents that journalists have access to. Our understanding is that, under the Data Privacy Act, accountability for keeping data safe is on the police and that access to journalistic work is an exemption under the law. The arrest is very irregular since media has, in general practice, had access to police blotter reports and similar documents.”
The Internartional federarion of Journalists (IFJ) said: “This is a clear overreach of police powers. The IFJ calls on Filipino authorities to drop all charges against the journalist and uphold the right to freedom of information.”
This story first appeared on RadioInfo.asia