I don’t agree with Ka Eric but, please, release him

By Alex P. Vidal

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

—Albert Camus

I MAY not agree with Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) News host and former Iloilo student activist and rebel, Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz, but I will defend to death his right to freedom of speech and expression.

Thus, I disagree that he should be detained in the House of Representatives starting on December 5 upon orders by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises, for his failure to reveal his sources about the alleged P1.8 billion travel expenses of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

I found the figure to be bloated or unrealistic, and we don’t believe the speaker would be so reckless enough and stupid to spend such gargantuan amount of taxpayers’ money for his wanderlust.

I agree that Ka Eric should apologize if his facts aren’t accurate. We have been always guided by a principle in journalism that there’s no substitute for accuracy when we convey an important message to the public as purveyors of truth.

As members of the media organization, we don’t believe that in a democracy, anyone—a media practitioner or an ordinary communicator—must spend a minute in jail for his failure to reveal the source or sources of his subject matter.

There are other “tamer” sanctions, or rather lighter punitive measures in a democratic society for those who may have erred on the side of freedom of expression other than sending a critic behind bars, which is too harsh and one that borders on curtailment of a person’s bill of rights as enshrined in the Constitution.

I have disagreed with Ka Eric on many issues in the past, and I will not hesitate to disagree with him again and again if needed, but I vehemently oppose the move to detain him.

We call on the House of Representatives to release him ASAP.

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In the spirit of fair play and balance, we are accommodating here the statement, Ka Eric, secretary general of Sambayanan, and host of SMNI News Laban Kasama Ang Bayan: “Let us mourn and condemn the death of democracy inside the ‘Halls of Congress’; let us condemn and resist the ‘Silent Martial Law’ and the brazen attacks on Press Freedom and Free Speech as a form of political persecution being implemented by the House of Representatives led by House Speaker Martin T. Romualdez and their collusion with CPP-NPA-NDF Kamatayan Bloc urban operatives.”

Below is additional statement released by Ka Eric’s camp following his detention in the House of Representatives:

The guarantee of Free Speech and the Freedom of Expression as well as the Freedom of the Press are inviolable rights of the people guaranteed by the constitution; and such are the bedrock of democracy in a democratic republican government.

These are the rights that Ka Eric stood strongly and continues to stand in the face of scandalous abuse of power by the members of House of Representatives who are acting as criminal prosecutors, judges and executioners of the resource persons duly invited in their hearing.

This is no longer an issue of legislative franchise regarding SMNI TV network; this is now a clear and categorical issue of scandalous violation and abuse of  power by the House of Representatives in the guised of Committee hearings but in  truth and reality, are instruments of political persecution, harassment and intimidation which are manifest signs of creeping martial law inside congress which are being weaponized in the form of the political interest of abusive politicians who are now in cahoots with the CPP-NPA-NDF Urban Operatives.

What happened to Ka Eric is least expected by the people to happen inside the Halls of Congress, especially that Congress is among the pillars of democracy where people’s fundamental rights and freedom must be guaranteed, respected and promoted, instead of being scandalously violated.

May our people learn the true meaning of how it is important to fight for our freedom and rights as shown by Ka Eric in his defiance today, where Ka Eric did not give up his fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution such as: FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND FREE SPEECH.

Let us all be reminded that: “When tyranny becomes a law, like what is happening now inside Congress, or as being exercised by any part of the government, then, rebellion becomes a duty” for the people.

LET US STAND WITH KA ERIC, OUR PEOPLE AND OUR BELOVED COUNTRY AS WE REJECT AND OPPOSE THE TYRANNICAL RULE AND SILENT MARTIAL LAW THAT IS HAPPENING NOW INSIDE CONGRESS WITH THE CONSPIRACY AND COLLUSION OF THE CPP-NPA-NDF URBAN OPERATIVES, AND THEIR KAMATAYAN PARTYLIST.

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DETAINED JOURNALIST. American Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been detained in Russia for 250 days now. Gershkovich was arrested in March while on a reporting trip in the country. Russian authorities accused him of trying to obtain state secrets—a charge Gershkovich, his employer and the US government have strenuously denied. A 30-year-old YouTube creator staged a small plane crash for social media clicks. He now faces six months behind bars for his “daredevil” conduct.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)