Houston1

KatherineHouston
4/29/16
Period2

PunishingthePress:FreedominthePhilippines

I.

Introduction
OnNovember23,2009,
gunmen killed32journalistsinMaguindanaoprovinceinthesemiautonomous
Muslim region, Mindanao, along with 25 other civilians. Now known as the
Maguindanao massacre, it is up until today the single deadliest event for
journalistsanywhereintheworld.1

ThemediaisnotsafeinthePhilippines.Theirvocationisadangerousonebecausetheyare
targetedforwhattheypublish.DespitetheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRightsadoptedin
1948,journalistsinthePhilippineshavebeensilencedbyboththelawandgunfire,andthe
governmenthasnotputforthanysignificantmeasurestoimprovethesituation.Freedom
House,anindependentorganizationexpandingfreedomaroundtheworld,reported,
...thePhilippinesremainedoneofthedeadliestcountriesintheworldforjournalists,
withmoreworkrelatedkillingsbetween1992andmid2014thananycountryexcept
Iraq.2
Filipinojournalistsarediscouragedfrompursuingtheirvocationbecauseofdeaththreatsand
thetoooftenkillingsoftheirfellowmediaworkers.Theyaretargetedbydrivebyshooters,
andthesekillersarenotoftenfoundorprosecuted.Inaddition,the
AmericanJournalism
Review
statedintheirOctober2005issuethat,
Inhalfofthecases,mayorsandlocalgovernmentofficialswerementionedas
masterminds,andpoliceofficerswereactuallyhiredtocommitthecrimes3
1

Ng,Naomi."Philippines:ADeadlyCountryforJournalists."CNN.May4,2015.AccessedApril01,2016.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/asia/philippinesdeadlyforjournalists/.
2

"Philippines."Philippines.AccessedApril01,2016.https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedompress/201j5/philippines.
3

"GunTotingJournalists."
AmericanJournalismReview
27,no.5(October2005):42.
MasterFILEPremier
,EBSCO
host
(accessed
February23,2016).

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Thisisduetothejournalistswritingaboutpolitics,corruption,andothercontroversialtopics.
Thecorruptedgovernmentisnotproperlypursuingjusticeassomepartake,directlyor
indirectly,inthemurders,indicatingcorruption.Denyingjournaliststhefreedomofexpression
andkillingthemforitnotonlyaffectsthejournalismcommunity,butallofthoseinfluencedby
whatisreported.Thisformofcensorshipdemonstrateslackofgovernmenttransparency.
Therearegroupstakingactiontocombatthisrightviolation.Forexample,
TaskForceUsig,aunitcreatedbythePhilippineNationalPolicein2007toinvestigate
thesemurders,hasnotbeenabletofullyinvestigatemostofthesekillings,mainlydue
tothelackofwitnesseswillingtopubliclyidentifythemselvesandshareinformation
withpolice.4

Althoughthegovernmentestablishedthisunitforinvestigatingthemurders,thelackof
convictionssuggestthateithertherearenotenoughmeasuresbeingtakenorthatthe
measuresbeingtakenarenottherightonesbecauseofthelackofevidencefromthecrimes.
Therearenotconvictionsinnearly90%ofthecases5 ,soTaskForceUsigisnotcarryingout
theirdutywellenough.Inaddition,onecansuspectthattherewillnotbeanyimprovement
involvingTaskForceUsigseffortsbecauseitiscomprisedofpoliceofficers,andthepolicemen
notonlyinthisunitbutasawholearesuspectedtopartakeinthemurders.

II.

HistoricalBackground
Thegovernmenthasnotproperlyaddressedthisissueforthesituationhasfurther

deteriorated.In2007,anationalsecuritylegislationwasintroducedandcanbeusedtocurb
journaliststraditionalrightsandaccesstosources.6 Thegovernmentisproceedingto

"PhilippinesEventsof2015."HumanRightsWatch.2016.AccessedApril03,2016.
https://www.hrw.org/worldreport/2016/countrychapters/philippines
4

5
6

Philippines:ADeadlyCountryforJournalists
"Philippines."FreedomHouse.

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suppressjournalistsbyfurtherlimitingtheirfreedomofexpression,whichdiscourages
journalistsfromtheirworkbecauseofthedifficultyofaccessingsources.Furthermore,the
currentpresidentBenignoAquinoIII,electedtoofficein2010,expresseddoubtsabout
whetherornotthetargetingofjournaliststrulyexistedandwasquotedsaying,
Didtheydiebecausetheywereinvestigativejournalists?Weretheyexercisingtheir
professioninaresponsiblemanner,livinguptojournalisticethics?Ordidtheyperish
becauseofotherreasons?7
AstheheadoftheFilipinogovernment,PresidentAquinoisamajorinfluence,andby
questioningtheverityofthesituation,heisshowingthatthegovernmentisdismissiveofit.
Furthermore,theCenterofMediaFreedomandResponsibilitystatedinthePhilippinePress
FreedomReportof2008,
MakatiCityRegionalTrialCourt(RTC)Branch56judgeReynaldoLaigodismissedthe
civildamagesuitfiledbyjournalistsandmediaorganizationsagainstgovernment
officialsforthearrestofaround30mediapractitionerscoveringaNov.29,2007press
conferencebyrebelsoldiersatThePeninsulaManilahotel...Laigosaidmediawere
luckythestatedidnotfileappropriatecriminalchargesunderArticle151(Resistance
anddisobediencetoapersoninauthorityortheagentsofsuchperson)oftheRevised
PenalCode.8
Bynotchargingthegovernmentofficialsforunrightfularrest,thecourtdemonstratedhow
muchtheyvaluethewordofthepress.ThegovernmentmisusedtheirauthorityunderArticle
151,andjournalistswillfurtherbecheatedoutofjusticeinthefutureifthereisnochange.
SocialattitudehasmorerecentlychangedFilipinojournalistsapproachtoaddressing
thesituation.Ratherthanwaitingforthegovernmenttomakeachange,theyestablished,
ARMED,agrassrootsselfdefensemovementthathasdrawnworldwideattention,
mostlybecauseitsoclearlybreakswiththeentrenchedtabooagainstjournalists
carryingandusingguns.Facedwithseeminglyintractablesafetyproblemsandthe
lackofgovernmentprotection,theFilipinojournalistshavedecidedthattheysimply
7

IBID

"PhilippinePressFreedomReport2008."CenterofMediaFreedomandResponsibility.AccessedApril5,2016.
http://www.cmfrphil.org/wpcontent/uploads/2009/03/pressfreedomreport2008.pdf.
8

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havetoprotectthemselves.9
Thisshiftwillsparkcontroversyoverbearingarmsaswellastheethicalityoffightinggunfire
withmoregunfire.Thejournalistsaswellasthegovernmentcanexpectthatfutureconflicts
maybeinstore.

III.

ModernDayResponses
Othercountriesaroundtheworldhavebeeneitherimprovingormaintainingfreedom

ofexpression.
In2002,Africanjournalists,withthesupportofmanyofAfricasnewdemocracies,
madeasignificantadvancewiththeadoptionbytheAfricanCommissiononHumanand
PeoplesRightsoftheBanjulDeclarationofPrinciplesonFreedomofExpressionin
Africa.Thedeclaration,whichislegallybindingonsignatoriestothenewAfricanCourt
ofJustice,givesstatutoryforcetofreedomsofexpressionandofthepress.10
TheAfricangovernmentdemonstratedthatchangeisfeasible,andifthePhilippinegovernment
weretoadoptsimilarchange,themediawouldfinallyhavethefreedomtopursuetheir
vocation.
ThePhilippinescanlearnmuchaboutincreasingtheirfreedomofthepressbyfollowing
theexampleofFinland.Finlandhasthemostfreedomofthepressontheplanet11 ,according
toReporterswithoutBorders.ThisisduetoFinnsbeinglargejournalismconsumers,the
countryhavingastrongjournalistsunion,andthetransparencyofthegovernment12 .Asa
result,journalistshaveextensiveaccesstoinformation.Notonlydoesthetransparency
increasemediarights,butitdemonstrateshowcleanandhonestthegovernmentis,increasing

"GunTotingJournalists."
AmericanJournalismReview.

Fleshman,Michael."Africa'sMediaPushesforMoreFreedom|AfricaRenewalOnline."UNNewsCenterAfricanRenewal
Online.2005.AccessedApril03,2016.
http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/july2005/africasmediapushesmorefreedom.
11

Merchant,Brian."WhyFinlandHastheMostFreedomofPressonthePlanet."Motherboard.January30,2013.Accessed
April24,2016.http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/whyfinlandhasthemostfreedomofpressontheplanet
12

Merchant,Brian."WhyFinlandHastheMostFreedomofPressonthePlanet."Motherboard.January30,2013.Accessed
April24,2016.http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/whyfinlandhasthemostfreedomofpressontheplanet
10

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thetrustofthecitizens.
Theactionsbeingtakenhavenotmadesubstantialheadway.ARMEDhasnotbeen
effectivebecausetherehasnotbeensignificantimprovementjournalistsarestillbeingkilled
andthegovernmenthasmadenoindicationofremovingthelibellaw.

IV.

Conclusion
Toincreasethesafetyofthemediaandthefreedomofthepress,thegovernment

needstoabolishlawscurbingthemediasrights,theUnitedNationsmustgetinvolvedand
investigatethegovernment,andthelocalorganizationsmustsetupaprogramwhere
journalistswithcanseekaid.Nowitmustbenotedthatthisisanidealscenariobuttheacts
maynotbefeasible.Abolishinglawscurbingthemediasrightssuchasthenationallegislation
of2007orthelibellawbypassingitthroughalllevelsofthelegislationisnecessarytoensure
accesstoinformationandthefreedomtodosoforjournalists.Ballots,peacefulprotests,and
othermethodsshouldbeusedbylocalorganizationinbringingthiscasetothehighestcourtin
thePhilippines.TheUNmustbecomeinvolvedbecausethePhilippinegovernmenthasbeen
violatingtheagreeduponUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights,andissuspectedof
corruption.TheUNcanserveasaneutralthirdpartytoinvestigatethecorruptionandanypast
relationstothemurdersofmediaworkers.Lastly,localorganizationsneedtosetupaprogram
forprotectingjournalistswithcontroversialwritings.Aidcancomeinseveralforms.Theycan
beputthroughaneducationalprogramonpersonalsafety.Itcanbepaymentforalarm
systems,surveillancecameras,etc.fortheirworkplacesandhomes.Thiswouldgivejournalists
peaceofmindaswellasprotectionbecausekillerswouldbediscouragedfromcommittingthe

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act.Thegovernmentwillbenefitfromthesemeasuresbyobservingoverallcountrywellbeing
aswellasasenseofnationalism,giventhatthecorruptionwilldecrease.Theseactsmaybe
difficulttoachieve,butrightfulchangeforjournalistsinthePhilippinesisbothowedandlong
overdue.

Houston7

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