TV crew placed under surveillance

Crew members of the Abu Dhabi Television covering the U.S.-Philippine war games in the southern Philippines were placed under surveillance because they could not present accreditation from the International Press Centre (IPC) in Manila, according to a television report.

"They have proper travel documents, but they did not have the IPC accreditation which should have been facilitated by their coordinators in Manila," the TV report quoted an official as saying.

"Members of foreign media should have IPC accreditation, especially if they are going to the provinces, for their own protection," said the official.

Some of the 13 media outfits which are covering the U.S.-Philippine joint military exercises in Zamboanga City and Basilan Island in Mindanao, do not have the proper media accreditation they need to be allowed into areas requiring special access, said the TV report, adding that other media men were also asked to get IPC accreditation in Manila.

The military is also apprehensive that terrorists might pose as journalists, sources said.

The report did not say if IPC would send a representative to the southern command to facilitate the accreditation of foreign media.

The Southern Command wanted to monitor the movements of the foreign and local journalists who flocked to Zamboanga City to cover the war games.

IPC is a government-run agency, which issues accreditation to members of all foreign agencies with or without offices in Manila.