A new report from Reuters assesses the state of Philippine media as being grim. Journalists are regularly threatened and murdered, are red-tagged (branded as communist terrorists), police have shown up at the homes of journalists, and libel cases are routinely lodged against journalists.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1788245/state-of-ph-media-still-largely-grim-reuters-study |
Red-tagging, killings, and the use of “lawfare” against journalists have not abated in the Philippines even with the change in the country’s leadership, according to the 2023 report by the Reuters Institute released on Wednesday.
The 160-page digital news report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism includes a country page focusing on the Philippine media situation, authored by veteran journalist and University of the Philippines professor Yvonne Chua.
The country’s media landscape remained “largely grim” despite the change of administration from Rodrigo Duterte to President Marcos, Chua wrote.
“Attacks on journalists, which escalated during the six-year presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, have not let up since Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,” her report noted.
According to Chua, dozens of violations of press freedom have been recorded under the Marcos administration, with 75 cases monitored between June 2022 and April 2023.
She said these included the killing of radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa in October last year, a crime widely condemned by local and international media organizations as well as foreign dignitaries.
Also cited in the report were the “surprise visits” by policemen in plain clothes to the homes of some reporters, as exposed by TV reporter JP Soriano, raising fears among Filipino journalists that they were under government surveillance.
The “systematic Red-tagging” of journalists also persisted, according to the report, targeting both those in mainstream and alternative media organizations, such as ABS-CBN, GMA Network, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rappler, Bulatlat and community paper Northern Dispatch.
Red-tagging in the Philippine context refers to the marking of a person or group as a supporter or sympathizer of the communist insurgency, often with no proof, exposing them to prosecution or physical harm. A number of red-tagged activists have been killed.
Members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) are among those who have faced red-tagging, which the Reuters report said was led by the “far-right” broadcast network Sonshine Media Network International owned by televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, a staunch supporter of Duterte and Marcos.
The use of “lawfare” or legal action against Filipino reporters, has also increased, Chua reported, prompting NUJP to team up with lawyers in launching “Project Lawfare” to defend journalists from lawsuits.
That is a brief summary of the report which can be read here:
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| https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2023/philippines |
Over all it sounds like business as usual in the Philippines. Let's read on for the government's response.
Reached for comment, the executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), Paul Gutierrez, called the Reuters report “false.”
“Let us not glorify the statements of foreign orgs [sic] who, in their arrogance, always believe they know better than us,” said Gutierrez, a former president of the National Press Club.
Did this man even read the report? It seems not. What exactly about this summary of the state of media in the Philippines is false? He does not say. It is also not the statement of a foreign organization. It was actually written by a professor at the University of the Philippines.
“Is there really such description [of red-tagging] in our laws and jurisprudence? None. [It] is a term concocted by front orgs of the [Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front of the Philippines-New People’s Army] to protect their front orgs from exposure,” he said.
Look at how this man's ignorance shines through even further. Or perhaps it is malevolence. This report mentions the red tagging of INDIVIDUALS and this man is talking about the CPP-NDFP-NPA protecting front organizations! He either does not understand the issue or he is willingly being obtuse.
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| https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/5/5/HRW-on-SMNI-red-tagging.html |
During their show "Laban Kasama ang Bayan" that aired on Wednesday, SMNI anchors Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz claimed that the NUJP (National Union of Journalists of the Philippines) is a "communist-led" organization.
They also tagged NUJP Chairperson and Philstar.com news section head Jonathan de Santos as part of communist organizations during his younger years.
In the show, Badoy and Celis repeatedly accused De Santos and other journalists affiliated with NUJP such as Nestor Burgos Jr. as being members of communist front organizations.
Founded in 1986 by Filipino journalists, the NUJP is most certainly not a communist front. Why does Gutierrez ignore the actions of Badoy and her comrades?
Now let's hear what he has to say about the routine murder of journalists.
While “media killing is truly reprehensible and must be condemned,” he said, “our judicial system is working, even in the Percy Lapid case. The suspects, including the alleged mastermind, have been identified, charged in court, and remain the subject of ongoing manhunt.”
“While media repression and killings remain a problem, the important thing is (that) government is continuously addressing these issues as evidenced (by Mr. Marcos’) decision to continue with PTFoMS. Let us give credit where credit is due,” Gutierrez said.
Again this man simply does not understand the issue. It does not matter if the judicial system is working and that the suspects have been identified. What matters is that Percy Lapid was threatened and then slain. The fact that someone thought they had the right to kill him for thing he said THAT is the issue. No journalist should be killed for the things he says or writes yet this happens too often in the Philippines. He is not alone.
This kind of assessment from both outsiders and insiders about the state of Philippine media is nothing new. As long as people like the executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security Paul Gutierrez ignorantly wave their hand and say "false!" the state of Philippine media will stay this way. What's needed is a change in the way Filipinos think. But concepts like freedom of speech, REAL freedom of speech in the vein of Voltaire, will likely never penetrate the souls much less the minds of Filipinos.
It's much easier to murder your opponent or sue him for libel than to respect his liberty to say things you don't like.
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