The Palace downplayed the Philippines’ fall in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, saying the country was not in the “red list” of very bad press freedom situations, despite the ranking drop.
Acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar issued the statement after the Reporters Without Borders (RFS) placed the Philippines at the 147th spot out of 180 countries regarding press freedom, a nine-rungs fall from its rank of 138th last year.
“Despite the low ranking, press freedom in the country is still vibrant compared to other nations,” Andanar said, adding “although the Philippines ranked 147th in this year’s Index, Reporters Without Borders, has acknowledged that the Philippine media are extremely vibrant.”
“In addition, it should be pointed out that the Philippines is not included in its category of countries in the so-called ‘red list’ which RSF says indicates very bad press freedom situations,” he added.
According to RSF, the situation in 28 countries was classified as “very bad,” while 12 countries, including Belarus and Russia, were on the index’s red list.
He said the Presidential Task Force on Media Security would release a more comprehensive statement on the matter.
Meanwhile, among the world’s 10 worst countries for press freedom include Myanmar, China, Turkmenistan, Iran, Eritrea, and North Korea, RSF added.
