Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid
A most disturbing pre-Christmas event that occurred on International Human Rights Day last December 10,and on the second day of the 2020 World Press Freedom conference, was the arrest of Lady Ann “Icy” Salem in Mandaluyong for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosive. Icy is a journalist for Manila Today and the international communications officer at the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) which has national chapters in 14 countries of the world, including the Philippines.
In a video following her inquest proceedings, she said in Filipino: “We had our backs turned for an hour while the “evidence” was being planted.” As IAWRT Philippines said, “this is an irrational accusation against a journalist who has used her platform to amplify stories of the oppressed, and expose injustices, and a communications officer of a global network of women communicators.”