The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Wednesday backed the Cagayan de Oro Press Club’s (COPC) safety training program ahead of the Sept. 14 parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), as well as the Nov. 2 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls this year.
In an interview, PTFoMS Undersecretary Jose Torres said that, as mandated by the President, safety and security are essential to ensure that journalists are well guided in covering the elections.
“Press freedom cannot be realized if our media practitioners are not safe in covering the field,” he said.
This is the second year PTFoMS has collaborated with COPC through its Journalism Institute and with the non-government organization Hanns Seidel Foundation to conduct media safety training here.
This year, the event is supported by the BARMM, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, which is hosting the training from Aug. 19 to 21, and the Police Regional Office in Northern Mindanao (PRO-10).
Close to 40 participants from various news organizations attended the training.
During a courtesy visit at the PRO-10 headquarters in this city, Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano said that media security will always be part of their protocols. (PNA)