Celebration of Cebu Press Freedom Week Starts

Cebu media practitioners on Sunday opened the week-long celebration of the 22nd Cebu Press Freedom Week with a Walk for Press Freedom and a holy mass.

The walk was participated by members of the working press in such publications as Sun.Star Cebu, Superbalita Cebu, The Freeman, Banat News and Cebu Daily News and radio stations under the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas.

The walk started Monday morning from the Cebu Capitol grounds to Osmena Blvd. to the University of San Carlos north campus gymnasium on Gen. Maxilom Ave. where the mass was held.

Fr. Roberto “Bobby” Ebisa, general manager of radio station DYRF in Cebu City who celebrated the mass, said in his homily that the truth should always be the “true north” in the blueprint for media practitioners.

“The truth is just another word for God,” he said.

Ebisa said a lot of buildings are being constructed in Cebu City today. And if one enters the construction site, one can see workers carrying a blueprint.

He said the blueprint is something important in every construction because it contains the architectural and engineering design of the building. The blueprint dictates how a building will look like after the construction.

Ebisa said media practitioners need a blueprint, too.

“That blueprint is something that will guide us in everything that we do as media practitioners, especially that we are in these trying times. We have the social media, which doesn’t tell us the whole truth yet is being patronized by thousands. And we, who are legitimate, are considered to be biased,” Ebisa said.

“Don’t sacrifice the blueprint in our reporting. Don’t sacrifice the truth for the sake of personal gain,” Ediza said. (PNA) LDV/EB/EBP