Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, CCPO information officer
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Policemen here are ready to provide the needed security for media practitioners who may receive threats during the 2022 election season.
This was what Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, information officer of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said as the national elections in May draws near.
However, Macatangay said police will be ready to help as long as threats would be validated first and should be substantiated by other members of the media as well.
Even if they have yet to receive a memo for this, Macatangay said that they are already preparing their protocols and will come up with initiatives replicated on the city level based on the pronouncement of chief of the Philippine National Police, Police General Dionardo Carlos, on Friday, January 21, 2022, to provide media security.
“We will consider also since we have to assess if threats really are validated. This should be substantiated by other members of the media as well kay para walay special treatment. Muagi na og certain process to validate if such threat is real because if they are, diha dayun muhatag og personnel ang atong kapulisan nga mu secure ani nga troubled media personnel,” Macatangay said.
(We will consider also since we have to assess if threats really are validated. This should be substantiated by other members of the media as well so that there won’t be special treatment. It will all go through certain process to validate if such threat is real because if they are, that’s when we will send personnel to secure any troubled media personnel.)
With this, Macatangay appeals to media practitioners here to report to them immediately should they receive threats, such as death threats inline with their duties as watchdogs, especially during the elections.
Last January 21, the Philippine National Police assigned 500 public information officers as point persons for media security. This after Carlos said that police will take appropriate action regarding issues concerning media practitioners covering elections, especially those threatened.
Macatangay, as the information officer of CCPO, in this case, serves as the point person for media security in Cebu City.
/bmjo
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