‘uUSE OF RELAL-SENTATIVES
Republic of the Philippines: RECESVED
HOUSE OF REPRESENATIVES ‘OF AUG 708 U
Quezon City | DATE:
{Times a

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS gy.
First Regular Session |

REG!
House Bill No. eae BILLS AND

INTRODUCED BY Hon. Mauyag “Jun” Papandayan, Jr.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

One of the most important basic tenet of our criminal justice system is the
presumption of innocence.

However, even though a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty,
oftentimes Media, whether in the news or in television, have a no-holds-barred
policy in immediately labeling suspects according to their nationality or religion.
Thus, the nation is bombarded with headlines like "Muslim Bomber", "Muslim
Terrorists", "Christian rapist" "Catholic Adulterer", “Islamic" hoodlums, and the
like.

This manner of reporting about persons suspected of having committed
various crimes, are offensively biased not only to the person himself, but more
injurious to their nationality, culture and collective image. It contributes to the
mindset that the Muslim as a whole, is an undesirable, ethnic group of people. In
the minds of many, they are already guilty, until proven innocent.

Although our Muslim brothers are a minority among the Filipino majority,
they deserve and should be treated with the same respect and privilege as any other
Batanguefio, Visayan or Tagalog citizen.



When a first world country defined their imported maids as "Pinay", because
many Filipina OF Ws were working as Maids, we as a nation rose up in protest and
uproar. Why then are we doing the same thing to our Muslim countrymen?

This name-calling is becoming a public malady, thanks to the prejudicial use
in Media of such "name branding". Only by penalizing such acts and providing
penalties therefor to the offenders and to the offenders’ higher authorities in media,
such as their editors, could the unwholesome, culturally and religiously biased
practice be curbed and discarded. Then and only then, could there be positive social
and cultural exchanges of goodwill and understanding among our different races and
cultures, fanned by the widespread use of information and mass media among all.

The immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

Hon. Mauyag “Jun” Papandayan, Jr.


. mtg,
“omic”
Republic of the Philippines
House of Representutines
Quezon City, Metro Manila

OUR,

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

2474
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Honorable Mauyag “Jun” Papandayan, Jr.

AN ACT
PROHIBITING THE USE OF THE WORDS “MUSLIM” AND
“CHRISTIAN” IN MASS MEDIA TO DESCRIBE ANY PERSON
SUSPECTED
OF OR CONVICTED FOR HAVING COMMITTED CRIMINAL OR
UNLAWFUL
ACTS, AND PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREOF

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of the Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Prohibited Act. It is hereby declared unlawful for any person
to use in mass media, the words “Muslim” and/or “Christian” or any other word
that would denote religious, regional or ethnic affiliation to describe any person
suspected of or convicted for having committed criminal or unlawful acts.

SECTION 2. Penalties. The penalty of arresto mayor or a fine ranging from
Five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) to Ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00), or both, at
the discretion of the courts, shall be imposed upon any person found guilty of
violating Section | hereof.

The editor-in-chief, in the case of print media, and the news editor in the case
of broadcast media and other forms of mass media, shall be imposed a fine not
lower than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00).


‘The juridical entity violating this Act shall be imposed a fine not lower than
Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) for every violation.

For the second and succeeding offenses, the penalties shall be doubled.

SECTION 3. Implementing Rules. The Philippine Information Agency, in
coordination with the concerned sectors and entities, shall promulgate the rules
and regulations to implement this Act within three months after its effectivity.

SECTION 4. Repealing Clause. All laws, orders, issuances, rules and
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with provisions of this Act are hereby

repealed, modified or amended accordingly.

Approved,