THE city of Baguio has, perhaps inadvertently, apparently declared itself the enemy of a free press, an informed public and individual entrepreneurs trying to eke out a living in trying times by deeming newsstands “eyesores” to be removed from the streets as part of the city government’s anti-road obstruction (ARO) campaign.

This news comes to us from the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club (BCBC), which earlier issued a statement calling on the city to spare newspaper vendors from persecution. “Newspaper vendors, managing established newspaper stands… contribute to the delivery of news and information to the people,” the group explained.