At the Percy Lapid Memorial: Journalists urge to build communities of support to protect lives and democracy
By Marivir Montebon
New York – Despite dreary economic and political times, Filipino journalists here say that the recipe for justice remains the same: sticking to facts and accuracy and strengthening communities of support and collaboration in holding power to account.
Veteran journalists senior editor at the Asian American Writers Workshop Noel Pangilinan, Columbia University Journalism school professor Sheila Coronel, and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize awardee Maria Ressa who is the CEO and co-founder of Rappler spoke during a memorial service for slain Filipino journalist Percy Lapid in the Philippines at the Towers on the Park on the upper west side of Manhattan.
Maria Ressa, Sheila Coronel, and Noel Pangilinan, all veteran journalists at the memorial service for slain journalist Percy Lapid. Marivir Montebon hosted the program.
The community event on October 1, 2023 was hosted by Marivir Montebon and initiated by philanthropist and community leader Loida Nicolas Lewis.
Pangilinan presented a Philippine media situation during the recent memorial service. He said that the Philippines is ranked as the seventh worst country in the world, in terms of number of journalists murdered in the line of work and where most of their killers go unpunished.
Lapid, 64, was killed on October 3, 2022, by gunmen while he was on his way to his son’s house. He died instantly. He was a staunch critic of the Duterte and Marcos administration, particularly exposing graft and corrupt practices in his radio program called Lapid Fire.
Lapid’s son Mark and wife Marilou were in attendance at the memorial service, organized by the US Filipinos for Good Governance, the Global Youth Leaders for Democracy, the National Federation of Fil American Associations, and the Filipino American Press Club of New York.
“Pres. Ferdinand Marcos may not be as confrontational as his predecessor Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, but his record on state of human rights, particularly on the assault against media practitioners is just as bad,” Pangilinan noted.
Sheila Coronel, Noel Pangilinan, and Maria Ressa
Pangilinan cited the Committee to Protect Journalists' Global Impunity Index which recorded 85 journalists who have been killed in the Philippines from 1992 to 2021.
Mark Mabasa remembers his father: his exposes were not an act of bravery but of responsibility.
Reading a tribute for his father, a tearful Mark Mabasa remembered ‘Ka Percy’ as having often said that his exposes are not an act of bravery, they are just an act of responsibility. “Papa stood for truth. He said ang tapat (honesty in Pilipino) would still remain tapat even if you reverse the spelling of the word,” he mused.
The Mabasa family is still actively pursuing justice for Percy Lapid’s demise one year ago. His brother Roy is currently taking over his Lapid Fire program.
Pangilinan during the memorial said that from Sept. 1, 2012, to Aug. 31, 2022, 14 cases of Philippine journalists murdered in retaliation for their work remained unsolved.
He cited the Reporters Without Borders which ranked the Philippines 132nd out of 180 countries and territories in its 2023 World Press Freedom Index. The World Press Freedom Index evaluates the environment for journalism in 180 countries and territories and is published annually on World Press Freedom Day May 3rd. The Philippines is still among the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists.
Will justice ever see light in the Philippines was the desperate question during the event. Veteran journalist Sheila Coronel mentioned small community-based successes of justice being delivered as activists pushed for reforms or questioned policies.
Some press people in NYC honoring slain journalist Percy Lapid with son Mark Mabasa (seated left), widow Marilou, Nobel Peace Prize awardee 2021 Maria Ressa, Loida Nicolas Lewis, and Sheila Coronel. Standing from l-r: FilAm Press Club members Fernando Mendez, Lambert Parong, Marivir Montebon, Noel Pangilinan, Momar Visaya, Don Tagala, and Ricky Rillera.
Ressa: A need for media collaboration and community solidarity
Maria Ressa resonated Coronel’s encouraging insight. “I speak for my experience in Rappler. I didn’t do it alone holding power to account. We were a team. We need media collaboration and build safe spaces within our circles, our community. Block upon block to protect and practice democracy,” she said.
Ressa added that the current times may be more difficult because of digital technology where fact and fiction are difficult to distinguish, but you have to do what you have to do, recalling the principle of responsibility stood for by Percy Lapid.
Ressa warned about the increased threats of democracies globally, from 60 to 72 authoritarian governments, because of digital manipulations. “I have always been a staunch critic of digital technology. With it, democracies need more protection. It takes more effort to pursue the truth or find justice, but if the village takes faster to unite and build community, things could get better faster.”
Coronel recalled, there was Martial Law in the Philippines, and then there was people power that ended the Marcos dictatorship. “So, there is hope. Impunity need not be the norm. Justice is attainable if we fight for it, if the stars align. But the stars won’t align alone, we need to prop them to align towards justice and accountability.” #
