In observance of World Press Freedom Day, Filipino journalists and media professionals were hailed as heroes in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said in a statement on Sunday.
“As the whole world wages war against an invisible enemy, Filipinos have come to realize the importance of the role that journalists and media workers play in this time of crisis,” it said.
“Much have been done by the present administration to ensure every Filipinos’ right to freedom of expression, of opinion and of the press. The government firmly believes that a free press and media that provide accurate, fair and relevant information to the Filipino people is vital to our democracy, especially during this time of crisis.”
PTFoMS Executive Director Undersecretary Joel Egco said that the government is serious in upholding press freedom by ensuring the security of media practitioners.
Egco also said that through the continuing efforts of the task force, the government has identified and suppressed most threats against Filipino journalists and media professionals.
According to Egco, press freedom has been strengthened when President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016.
This is the reason why since 2018, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has already excluded the Philippines from the list of “Most Dangerous Countries in the World for Journalists,” he said.
In addition, Egco said the Committee to Protect Journalist has noted in its database that no journalist in the Philippines has remained in prison.
As a fitting tribute to all Filipino media workers, Egco added that PTFoMS is actively pushing for the passage of House Bill No. 2476, otherwise known as the “Media Workers’ Welfare Act.”
Introduced by Rep. Nina Taduran, the bill seeks to provide better wages, benefits and conditions of work to all Filipino journalists and other media professionals. Duterte has already endorsed it as a priority bill.
The government through PTFoMS will continue to be relentless and proactive in its drive to protect the lives and liberty of Filipino media worker and to ensure their economic well-being and security, Egco said.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 3 as World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In a related development, the Free Legal Assistance Group has vowed to fight against all acts and laws that continue to threaten the members of the media’s constitutional right to freedom of the press, such as libel, cyberlibel and sedition.
In a solidarity statement on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day 2020, FLAG said that while the 1987 Constitution affirms the protection of the members of the media under the freedom of the press, this right is continuously being threatened by existing laws.
FLAG assured its media partners that it would continue to affirm that that the existence of a free and responsible press is absolutely essential in having a truly transparent, accountable and democratic government.
“A free press is not an optional extra but an integral part of the liberty to enjoy all other freedoms,” the statement said.
