April 9, 2010
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Office of the President
Malacanang Palace
The Philippines
Fax: +3 2 736 1010
Dear President Macapagal-Arroyo:
We are writing on behalf of the International Women’s Media Foundation to express our concern regarding veteran editor and reporter Marites Vitug, who has received alarming new death threats.
Vitug, who won an IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 1991, received a series of anonymous text messages on her mobile phone starting on March 22. The first message said: “The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the sword kills faster than the word.” Another message threatened her family.
Threats against Vitug began after the recent release of her book, Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court, which included an allegation that Supreme Court Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. was involved in organizing his son’s candidacy for a congressional seat.
Given the history of threats that this brave journalist has endured over the years, we take these incidents very seriously. Additionally, groups in the Philippines have carried out their threats to kill journalists, as in the 2009 election-related massacre during which at least 30 journalists were killed. We don’t want Vitug to suffer the same fate.
As a network of thousands of women and men in the media around the world who are supporters of a worldwide free press, we urge you and Philippine authorities to investigate and protect Vitug so that she can safely continue her work as a journalist. We ask that she and all journalists be protected from groups who think they can kill with impunity. By using your power to ensure that Vitug is protected, you will help create an atmosphere in which journalists in the Philippines are free to do their work without fear.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Campbell Brown, co-chair
Barbara Cochran, co-chair
Cc: General Jesus Verzosa
General Headquarters, Philippine National Police
Camp Crame, Quezon City
Manila
The Philippines
Embassy of the Philippines
1600 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Fax: 202-467-9417