President Arroyo has ordered the police to offer reward for the immediate arrest of 27 killers of journalists.

Mrs. Arroyo summoned representatives from Task Force 211 and Task Force Usig to the Palace yesterday amid reports that ?violence against media will escalate as the 2010 election nears,? Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said. The task forces deal with extra-judicial and media killings.

Remonde said the President also ordered the release of another P2 million from her personal fund for the Freedom Fund for Journalists during the meeting that was also attended by officials from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, Philippine Press Institute and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines.

According to police director Raul Bacalzo, head of Task Force Usig, an agreement was also reached during an hour-long meeting to change the definition of ?solved cases? as requested by the media groups.

?Before, a case is considered solved if we have already filed a case in court, whether a suspect is arrested or not. Now, we will only consider a case of media killing solved if a suspect has been arrested,? Bacalzo said.

In his report to President Arroyo, Bacalzo said at least 61 media practitioners were killed from 2001 to 2009. Joyce P. Pa?ares