By ANTHONY IAN CRUZ
Malaya
February 27, 2008

Few arrests and zero convictions in connection with the murders of 70 Filipino journalists since the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship 22 years ago have prompted legal experts and press freedom advocates to go to Manila for a conference to help solve the problem.

Attending the Feb. 27-29 “Impunity and Press Freedom” conference at the Peninsula Manila are prosecutors, judges, human rights advocates and magistrates from Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina, Spain, the US, Indonesia, and Southeast Asian countries.

Filipino journalists will be represented by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, the Freedom Fund for Journalists in the Philippines and the Philippine Press Institute.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno will deliver the keynote address.

A highlight of the conference is the launch of the “International Campaign to Fight Impunity and Protect Press Freedom in the Philippines” on Friday.

Spearheading the conference is the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) , with support from the Open Society Institute and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.