Philippines improves in press freedom index but still a ‘difficult’ country for journalists

by Gaea KatReena CabiCo Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines climbed 15 notches in this year’s World Press Freedom Index, but it continued to be among the world’s “most dangerous” countries for journalists, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Wednesday, May 3.

The country ranked 132nd out of 180 countries, according to an annual report that was published on World Press Freedom Day. It placed 147th in 2022. Despite the improvement, the Philippines obtained a score of 46.21, keeping it a “difficult” country for journalists.

“The Philippine media are extremely vibrant despite the government’s targeted attacks and constant harassment, since 2016, of journalists and media outlets that are too critical,” RSF said.

RSF: New admin ‘loosened constraints’ on media

In its report, the Parisbased media watchdog said the election of Ferdinand

“Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as president in June 2022 was “very unsettling” for most Filipino journalists because of the reputation of his father, a former dictator who silenced and controlled the media during Martial Law.

But it noted the change of government “loosened constraints” on the media.

It added the acquittal of Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa in a tax evasion case is an encouraging development.

Despite these, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines stressed that many journalists are still facing threats, and that press freedom in the country remains fragile.

“Nearly a year into the Marcos Jr. presidency and as dominant media adjusts to reporting on an administration that is not openly hostile to the press, it is tempting to consider that maybe the situation for media workers has improved and will continue improving,” NUJP said.

NUJP documented 60 reported violations against journalists from June 30, 2022 to April 30, 2023. These include two killings—Rey Blanco and Percy Lapid, a popular broadcaster who criticized several government officials.

In the Philippines, journalists who do not toe the government line are tagged as rebels or supporters of the communist movement. Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who had been redtagged and subjected to surveillance, was arrested in a Tacloban City raid in 2020.

“The slow pace of the case— especially in contrast with the quick resolution of other, more high profile ones—is a violation of her right to a quick trial and also deprives the communities on Negros Island that she used to report on and for,” NUJP said.

It added that policies blocking access to alternative news outlets Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly have not been reversed. On World Press Freedom Day, Bulatlat reported its Facebook page has been restricted over alleged violations of community standards. There are also moves in Congress seeking to penalize “fake news.” n

In a briefing on Tuesday, Health Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire attributed the increase in the number of cases to the increased mobility of individuals, especially during Holy Week, and the presence of highly infectious variants.

“We also see that people test only if they have symptoms and this practice increases the positivity rate. All of these are the reasons why the cases are increasing,” she said.

A decline in the number of cases, Vergeire said, will depend on the behavior of individuals, especially when it comes to masking and vaccinations. Based on projections by the DoH, at least 600 cases per day will be reported until June, when it will expect a decline.

Vergeire urged the public to be more “tolerable” of increases in COVID-19 cases, as the virus will continue to be present until the foreseeable future.

Her remarks came after cardiologist and health advocate Dr. Anthony Leachon urged the government to bring back the masking mandate in light of increasing COVID-19 cases.

In a message to The Manila Times, Leachon said that masking was a “cost-effective way to reduce the re-emergence of the COVID-19 virus in the medium run.”

“Wearing face masks is the cheapest, most important protective measure and the least disruptive of the minimum public health standards,” he added.

He said that having a mask would also give some hope of removing the need to put the economy into a “switch-on, switch-off mode — which would require many businesses to close, open, and close again on short notice.”

While Vergeire agreed with the value of masking being used to protect one’s self against the virus, she reiterated that it was up to Filipinos to understand their risks on whether they would wear their face masks or not.

“We are not opposed to people wearing their masks. We will encourage that as always. What we need to do is to balance it out, as the national government cannot go back and forth on policies as it affects the other sectors of society,” Vergeire said. She also said that around 390,000 bivalent vaccines would arrive in the country by the end of May from a donor country that she did not disclose. n