MANILA — Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. told journalists recently that he was amenable to a voluntary right of reply adopted by media.

Speaking at a Right of Reply Forum organized by the PPI Press Council at the Century Park hotel, Pimentel noted that government already had so many problems in its hands.

“If we can pass some of the problems to the private sector, the mass media, for instance, in relation to the right of reply bill, let’s do it,” he said.

Pimentel is proponent of Senate Bill 1178 (”An Act Granting the Right of Reply and Providing Penalties for Violation Thereof”).

He added: “But let us also make sure that we have an honest to goodness working remedy to balance the right of the mass media to publish what they want to publish with the right of the objects of their libel, defamation or criticism to explain their side within the ambit of the right of reply bill.”

Joy de los Reyes, Malaya editor in chief and Press Council vice chairman, assured Sen. Pimentel of the Council’s efforts at validly addressing a news subject’s right-of-reply claim.

Pimentel also said he was considering a “sunset clause” which would provide for a period of up to three years, giving other media time to set up reply mechanisms, after which the statutory right of reply, if enacted, would expire.

The Press Council invited Pimentel and other lawmakers to address journalists on the proposed legislation, which calls for fines and prison terms — even closure of a media outlet — for failure or refusal to comply with a compulsory right of reply.

Aisa Abdula made a presentation on behalf of Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara (Aurora), sponsor of House Bill 162 also calling for a mandatory right of reply. Rep. Monico Puentevella (Bacolod), proponent of HB 1001, was unable to attend.