Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES }
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Sixteenth Congress \
First Regular Session ‘

1447

House Bill No, ..

Introduced by REP. PANGALIAN M, BALINDONG

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The presumption of innocence is one of the most important basic tenets of our
criminal justice system. But while a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty,
the manner of reporting or writing about certain persons suspected of having
committed various crimes, are offensively biased not only to the person himself, but to
their culture, nationality or 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.

It may be said that there is already the practice in media of labeling criminal suspects
according to their religious or ethnic culture; thus, they are described as “Muslim
terrorists, Muslim bandits", etc., which smacks of being highly discriminatory to the
entire Muslim people, and not only to the suspected offender. Indeed, our Muslim
brothers are a minority among the Filipino majority, but should be treated with the
same respect and privilege as any other Batangueno, Visayan or other Filipino citizen.

Certainly the whole Filipino nation rose in uproar and protest against the recent
definition/branding by some first world countries of a maid as a “Pinay”, simply
because there are so many Filipina OFWs working as such. Why then is our media
doing the same to our Muslim countrymen?

‘Thus, the use of words “Muslim” or “Islamic” in association with criminals or unlawful
offenders who may be of Muslim heritage are offensively biased against the whole
Muslim People, especially when used in newspapers or in radio, television and other
news outlets which virtually blackmark the entire Muslim community, and is extremely
unfair to the Islamic religious culture, to each and every Muslim individual as well as to


their collective image, and to their social personality as respectable citizens of our
country.

Only be penalizing such acts and providing penalties therefor to the offender and to
the offender's higher authori of media, such as their editors, could this
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 culture, fanned by the widespread
use of information and mass media among all.

The immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

REP. PANGALIAN M. BALINDONG
2™ District, Lanao del Sur



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Sixteenth Congress
First Regular Session

1447

House Bill No.

Introduced by REP. PANGALIAN M. BALINDONG

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 1 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,