“Press freedom does exist in the Philippines despite attempts of some administrations in power to curtail it in many ways”
Many people, including myself, have been wondering why President Marcos Jr. appears reluctant to give up his appointment of himself as Department of Agriculture secretary now that, my gulay, the first year of his six-year term in office is about to end.
There had been clamors for BBM to appoint a full-time secretary because as President there are so many other concerns and challenges he must attend to.
Now, Santa Banana, I understand why BBM continues to stay at the DA when he said he will continue as DA secretary until systems are in place to ensure food security and better living conditions for the country’s farmers.
According to BBM, there are needs to put in place structural changes in the DA before leaving it as secretary.
Indeed, only a President can undertake such structural changes, Santa Banana, and guarantee food supply with affordable prices for the common good as the first and foremost priority.
That indeed must be the first concern as President.
His second concern is the need for affordable prices for the people.
Number three, that farmers make a good living.
I would like to add, as No. 4, the need for the country to be globally competitive.
I must give it to BBM for his knowing full well the first concern of the people to have food security at affordable prices.
And to be guaranteed that rice is assured first and foremost, it being the first staple of every household.
And above all, the farmers must be guaranteed good living conditions since they are at the forefront in guaranteeing food security.
Now, I understand why Marcos Jr. is staying on as DA secretary.
Afghan refugees
It is well and good, my gulay, that the conundrum over the request of the United States for the Philippines to host some 50,000 Afghan refugees from the Taliban-controlled country of Afghanistan has brought fire for the pros and cons .
The Philippines cannot just accede to what the US wants just because it is our best and foremost ally.
The US has requested the Philippines to temporarily host those 50,000 Afghans until they are relocated to the US.
First and foremost, Santa Banana, the question of national security must be taken into consideration since those refugees come from Afghanistan, now controlled by the Talibans, a member of the Islamic State which are considered terrorists.
My gulay, that could in effect mean that the country would be hosting refugees from a Taliban country. That’s a national security concern.
Vice President Sara Duterte, being the secretary of education, had brought up a very good argument, wondering what it would look like to the world if we host the refugees , some of whom could be terrorists of the Islamic State.
Hosting 50,000 Afghan refugees can become an issue of national security, and also become a matter of sovereignty.
Yes, the United States says it would shoulder the cost of those refugees until the US government can relocate them.
But still, there’s the threat of national security which could infringe on our sovereignty as a nation.
And it is true, as Sara said, that students would be caught in the crossfire between the government and terrorists supporting the Taliban should the terrorists launch an attack on the Afghans in the Philippines.
The Philippines being a sovereign country should use its right to decide who can enter the country, and not just because the US government wants it that we should comply right away.
That’s why it’s timely for the Senate to conduct a probe on this issue since the issue of national security and sovereignty is involved.
President Marcos Jr. should put his foot down on this issue.
Press freedom
In a 2023 study reported by the Reuters Institute released last week, the state of Philippine media is still “largely grim,” Santa Banana!
As a journalist myself for more than seven decades now, I can believe it.
Reuters cited “red-tagging, killings and the use of “lawfare” against journalists have not abated, even with the change of administration from former President Duterte to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
According to the 160-page digital news report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which includes a country page focusing on the Philippine media situation authored by a veteran and a University of the Philippines professor, the country’s landscape is “largely grim” with attacks on journalists which escalated during the six-year term of Duterte.
My gulay, the report may have been exaggerated a bit, but in my view it’s largely true, coming from a UP professor who claimed that dozens of violations of press freedom have been recorded under the Duterte administration.
The report cited the killing of a radio broadcast commentator and only recently another broadcast commentator and also the reported “surprise visits” by plain-clothes members of the police on journalists which denoted that they are under surveillance.
According to the report, the “systematic red-tagging” of some journalists and activists also shows that press freedom is not all that free in the Philippines.
“Red-tagging” in the Philippine context refers to the system of raising suspicion that the person referred to is sympathetic to the communist insurgency movement, a reference which is not entirely correct.
“Red-tagging,” my gulay, has often been directed to journalists by ABS-CBN, Rappler, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and alternative media organizations.
According to the report, the use of “lawfare” or legal action against Filipino reporters has also reportedly increased.
The use of “lawfare” as an instrument for those who get touchy on “ red-tagging” is that ultra-rightists tend to tag almost all sympathizers of the Left as sympathizers of the communist movement.
I disagree, however, with the Reuter Institute media report that as a rule press freedom in the Philippines is “largely grim.”
Yes, Santa Banana, there are elements that tend to exaggerate instances like killings of journalists, instances where members of the police force in plain-clothes make surprise visits on some reporters, raising suspicions that they are under surveillance and that the press freedom in the Philippines is being threatened.
I would believe that press freedom in the country is so free that some journalists like me can afford to say anything for or against anything, Santa Banana!
It’s for this reason that I admire and respect opinion writers who are free to say what’s in their minds. That’s press freedom, my gulay!
Libel
While there is press freedom in the Philippines, we journalists cannot say or write anything against anybody since press freedom is not absolute.
We may believe that we write the truth but people we identify, including those in public office, can always sue us journalists.
I, myself, have been sued so many times in my seven decades as a journalist that I can no longer remember.
In fact, I was sued and threatened with libel so many times, but the cases against me did not proper because it was the truth.
There are three elements of libel that every journalist must remember:
First, that the person accused of venalities that tend to ruin and tarnish his reputation or character must be identified; that the identification of the person allegedly committing any venality would ruin his character and reputation; and third, that the accusation or charge is done with malice which is the most difficult to prove.
Malice includes when a person accused of any venality will deny it yet the journalist will continuously accuse him.
In any case, press freedom does exist in the Philippines despite attempts of some administrations in power to curtail it in many ways.
