SEN. Loren Legarda yesterday urged Camp Crame to abandon its alleged harassment of media in connection with the November 29 Peninsula Manila hotel standoff.

"We’re afraid nothing good and constructive could possibly come out of this witch-hunt," said Legarda, a former broadcast journalist.

"This is definitely upsetting. Our sense is that some quarters in government want to use the Peninsula Manila incident as an excuse for tougher actions against the media later on, in similar crisis situations," she said.

Legarda issued the warning as media men are set to file today a class suit against the PNP.

PNP chief Avelino Razon over the weekend said it would not stop gathering more evidence on the reported participation of a lady reporter in the escape of Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon at the height of the Peninsula standoff.

The reporter was reportedly seen on footage talking to Faeldon and handing him something that appeared to be an identification card.

Razon has not named the reporter but reports said it was Dana Batnag of the Japanese news service Jiji news. Batnag has told the police to go to court.

Legarda also welcomed a decision of Supreme Court Justice Reynato Puno to come out with a circular directing judges to prefer the payment of fines in libel cases instead of imprisonment in case of conviction.

Legarda is one of the authors of Senate Bill 223 which seeks to abolish the penalty of imprisonment with respect to libel. Instead, the bill proposes to impose bigger fines to discourage the offense.

"While the penalty of a fine must be sustained, for no crime should go unpunished, the penalty of imprisonment has merely served to discourage members of the media from performing their duties with even greater zeal and vigilance," Legarda said.

"Because of the threat of imprisonment, members of the media have been forced to approach their mandates with doubt and hesitation, instead of boldly probing deeper into issues potentially affecting public interest and the general welfare," she added.

The multi-million class suit to be filed today by media practitioners arrested after the Peninsula standoff before the Makati regional trial court will name as respondents Razon; Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno; Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez; Director Geary Barias, chief of the Metro Manila police; Director Luizo Ticman, chief of the Southern Police District; Supt. Leocadio Santriagom chief of the PNP-Special Action Force; and Senior Supt. Asher Dolina, chief of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region.

Harry Roque, human rights lawyer and UP professor, said the suit would send a message that Filipino journalists would fight to assert their constitutionally mandated rights against any abuse or oppression.

Roque’s law firm is advising the media practitioners on the class action.

Roque said the case for injunction and damages will be anchored on the provision of Article 32 of the Philippine Civil Code which states that: "Any public officer or employee, or any private individual, who directly or indirectly obstructs, defeats, violates or in any manner impedes or impairs any of the following rights and liberties of another person shall be liable to the latter for damages…"

He said the class suit would be similar to that filed by 36 print and broadcast journalists and three media entities against First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo last year before the Makati RTC.

The suit which journalists called a "social experiment" accused Arroyo of abusing his right to file libel suits and of curtailing press freedom in the country when he filed a flurry of cases against journalists before various courts in Metro Manila. – JP Lopez and Ashzel Hachero