I WRITE this piece from my hospital bed where I am undergoing various tests for what I hope and pray is not a life-threatening disease. I think the issue at hand is grave enough to allow me to set aside my own physical well-being in favor of the greater common good. At stake is a fundamental liberty dear to all newspapermen and all Filipinos — it has nourished my whole moral and intellectual existence throughout my public and private life.
The name of this creature is Freedom of the Press, which gathers together all those who stand in its name. The parties involved in this case — Dr. Lorraine Badoy-Partosa and Mr. Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz, both of Sunshine Media Network International (SMNI) — are barely known to me, but with them, I share a common brotherhood and sisterhood. For 10 long years, I was press secretary, presidential spokesman and information minister; before and after that, I have been a legislator and an independent newspaperman. Whatever I am today, I am nothing without the press.
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