BY RAYMOND AFRICA

THE PNP yesterday said it would eject media men from areas of police or military operations if they continued to ignore appeals to leave.

At the weekly Talakayan sa Isyung Pulis media forum, Senior Supt. Nicanor Bartolome, PNP spokesman, said it is similar to that used in calamity situations where people are requested to leave their homes and move to safer areas, and "forced" out if necessary.

Director Silverio Alarcio Jr., chief of the PNP directorate for operations, said in past incidents, like the Manila Peninsula standoff last November 29, there should have been no conflict between the police and media because both camps were only doing their jobs.

During the standoff, police officials asked media men to leave the hotel where Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and fellow leaders of the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and civilian supporters holed out for about six hours while calling for President Arroyo’s ouster.

After the standoff, about 50 media men covering the incident were arrested and brought to the Metro Manila police headquarters in Taguig City, their hands tied with plastic thongs. The media men were later released on President Arroyo’s order.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Friday issued an advisory that said media practitioners interfering in police and military operations would face sanctions. Gonzalez later said his advisory was prompted by intelligence reports of a new destabilization move against government that he said would be launched between tomorrow and January 22.

Gonzalez yesterday said he is open to a possible dialogue with media to avoid any misunderstanding on his advisory.

The dialogue was suggested Monday by Cerge Remonde, chief of the presidential management staff.

Gonzalez said he was wondering why his advisory created so much fuss when all he said was basically a reminder of what "was already discussed in the dialogue between the media and the government a few days after the Manila (Peninsula) incident.

Among those discussed in the dialogue, he said, were rules or guidelines of different media organizations like the National Press Club, the Kapisanan ng nga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas and even those adopted by some media networks.

"The first sentence of that so-called advisory was `Please be reminded...’ I don’t know why we are making big story out of it," he said.

Gonzalez said mere presence of the media in military or police operations would not mean they are already violating the law. Charges would be filed if a media man violates ground rules, like crossing police lines.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said President Arroyo has not made a comment because she is confident her Cabinet secretaries know what they are doing. – With Jocelyn Montemayor