The incoming administration of President-elect Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III has promised a “serious” pursuit of justice for the victims of media killings, especially after the brazen murder of two radio news anchors in Davao Oriental and Ilocos Norte earlier this week.

Although Aquino’s spokesperson, Atty. Edwin Lacierda, cannot promise anything different that the next administration will do to curb extrajudicial killings of newsmen, he said protecting the rights and lives of journalists will not be a broken promise for the next six years.

“President-elect Aquino will be serious about protecting the rights of journalists and this will not be a mere lip service. His family has been a victim of human rights violation so it’s natural for him to ensure that the rights of everyone, especially the members of the media, will be upheld,” Lacierda told reporters in an interview outside the residence of Aquino along Times Street in West Triangle, Quezon City.

Lacierda added that an honest to goodness conduct of investigation on the media killings and rendering of just punishment for crimes committed are parts of Aquino’s promise of putting closure to all issues involving the outgoing President.

It was recalled that the nine-year term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo saw the killing of at least 102 media men, including Desidario Camangyan, an anchorman of Sunrise FM in Manay town in Davao Oriental who was shot dead Monday night, and Joselito Agustin, a commentator for DZJC Aksyon Radyo-Laoag who was shot on his way home to Bacarra town Tuesday night and died in a hospital before dawn last Wednesday.

Lacierda said Aquino’s attitude towards solving the media killings will be totally different from his predecessor, citing the incoming President’s standing promise to the families of slain journalists during the infamous Maguindanao Massacre last year. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said a total of 139 media practitioners have been killed since democracy was won back in 1986.

And as part of Aquino’s high regard for press freedom, Lacierda said the incoming President will remain accessible to media unlike the outgoing President who opts to speak through her various spokespersons.

“(Aquino) made a commitment to personally grace a press conference once a week and he intends to do that subject of course to the burdens of the Office (of the President). But what is certain is that you can expect him to be totally different from his predecessor,” he added. (Kris Bayos)