The College Editors Guild of the Philippines – Negros Island Region vehemently condemned the arrest of Negros Occidental-based journalist Erwin “Ambo” Delilan on January 19, according to a press release from the organization.
Delilan, the station manager of Bacolod City–based Hapi FM, is a known vocal critic of corruption, environmental destruction, and government inefficiency. Prior to his arrest, he was never informed of any complaint filed against him, and the timing of his arrest effectively denied him access to legal counsel. Moreover, the warrant presented to him contained no specific details, stating only an allegation of unjust vexation allegedly committed through information and communication technology.
Delilan’s arrest is yet another stark example of the state’s systematic weaponization of laws to silence dissent, especially amid a deepening political crisis in the country. This pattern is not new. We have seen it in the cases of Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and alternative media journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who remains unjustly detained to this day.
The same repression extends to campus journalism. This is evident in the issuance of a subpoena against The Catalyst Associate Editor Jacob Baluyot on charges of sedition and inciting to sedition, in connection with the September 21, 2025 anti-corruption protest.
Likewise, campus publications continue to face censorship from school administrations through threats, the withholding of funds, and the imposition of onerous and punitive bureaucratic processes—practices that are also prevalent here in Negros. These attacks underscore the urgent need for the immediate passage of the Campus Press Freedom Bill and the long-overdue repeal of the Campus Journalism Act of 1991.
These relentless attacks—through baseless, fabricated, and politically motivated cases—constitute a deliberate effort to instill fear and impose a chilling effect on the press, including student publications. Such actions are clear attempts to silence the media and suppress critical voices through intimidation, undermining press freedom and democratic discourse.
CEGP–NIR stands in solidarity with Erwin “Ambo” Delilan, Frenchie Mae Cumpio, and Jacob Baluyot, and firmly calls for the defense and protection of press freedom—especially at a time when journalists are under relentless attack amid a worsening political crisis.
The Guild reiterates its demand for an immediate end to the harassment of journalists and the weaponization of laws such as cyberlibel, sedition, and other vague and repressive legal provisions used to criminalize dissent. We will not allow the abuse of power to prevail, nor will we remain silent in the face of intimidation and repression.*
