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, which found the country’s media landscape as still “largely grim” despite the change of administration from Rodrigo Duterte to Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Authored by veteran journalist and University of the Philippines professor Yvonne Chua, the section on the Philippines said Red-tagging, killings, and the use of “lawfare” against journalists have not abated in the Philippines.
“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 new administration, with 75 cases monitored between June 2022 and April 2023. These include 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 plainclothes to homes of reporters, raising fears that they were under government surveillance. The “systematic Red-tagging” of journalists also persisted, according to the report, targeting correspondents from both mainstream and alternative media organizations. The use of “lawfare” or legal action against Filipino reporters, has also increased.
Reached for comment, the executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, Paul Gutierrez, as expected, 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,” he said.
Foreign groups that believe they know better are usually the reason why nations that listen to feedback end up doing better. The critiques may not always be good for the ego of those in charge, but if the issues that are raised are consistently addressed, even a situation that was assessed as “largely grim” still has a good chance of being a model for other countries to follow, as long as the necessary and appropriate actions are taken as soon as possible.*
