NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines — According to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s 2021-2022 “World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report,” the Philippines has achieved “good advances” in protecting journalists (UNESCO).

In a statement released on Thursday, Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), praised the comprehensive and unbiased report as evidence of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration’s genuine commitment to press freedom in the Philippines through the PTFoMS.

According to Egco, the Philippines is one of the few countries in the world that has implemented “excellent practices and constructive measures” to ensure the safety of journalists, according to the UNESCO Global Report.

According to him, the UNESCO report noted the concrete measures taken by the Duterte administration through the PTFoMS, such as “establishing and implementing stronger protection, prosecution, prevention, and reporting measures to enhance the safety of journalists,” “implementing national and subnational monitoring mechanisms for the safety of journalists,” “improving reporting mechanisms, sensitizing and building the capacity of the law enforcement system,” and “creating a culture of accountability.”

The Philippine government also established “a special task group for the safety of journalists,” according to the UNESCO study. According to Egco, the Philippines now has a “specific reporting mechanism for journalists, such as hotlines” as described in the report, which media workers in danger can call directly 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Martin Andanar, the Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and co-chair of the PTFoMS, stated this is “confirmation of the government’s tangible efforts through the PTFoMS in protecting media employees in the country despite the epidemic.”

“Rest confident that the Duterte government will always protect journalistic freedom, especially in the run-up to the elections,” he added.

The Philippines is thought to be the first country in the world to create a government agency solely dedicated to media security.

By virtue of Administrative Order No. 1, President Duterte established PTFoMS on October 11, 2016, with the objective of defending the lives, liberty, and security of media workers.

According to the UNESCO study, additional countries have now formed task forces to protect journalists.

UNESCO’s report, Egco said, shows that the government has made tremendous strides in protecting journalists in the country, despite the rhetoric of some critics of President Duterte, adding that “what President Duterte has started in PTFoMS is now being copied and imitated in various parts of the world.”

The PTFoMS has been implementing intense capacity development for journalist safety, which is not addressed in the report. It successfully ended a series of regional webinars last year targeted at protecting journalists covering the pandemic and the forthcoming elections, with CNN’s Dr. Freddie Gomez and veteran journalist Joe Torres serving as resource persons.

The task force strengthened its capabilities to defend media workers this year with the formal debut of the Media Security Vanguards, which are made up of Philippine National Police Public Information Officers. The vanguards, according to Egco, act as the “first line of protection” for journalists around the country, as they are the first to receive and respond to any threats made against a journalist.

With the support of various media organizations such as the National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC), the Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), and the Philippine Online Broadcasters Association or POBA, the PTfoMS also led the first-ever Philippine Summit on Online Media Security on January 28, 2022, dubbed as a “crucial milestone in the history of Philippines journalism.”

The PTFoMS, in collaboration with security specialists from various law enforcement and government agencies, hosted the first Cyber Security Forum for Media Practitioners on March 3. According to Egco, the forum was a huge success, with over 400 media professionals from all around the country attending.

While UNESCO stated that “roughly 85 percent of the world’s population suffered a loss in press freedom in their country over the past five years,” Egco stated that under the Duterte administration, the Philippine media is free, independent, and pluralistic as ever.

He emphasized that the PTFoMS continues to work closely with the international community to promote press freedom and journalist safety.

He stated that the PTFoMS will continue to be proactive, unyielding, and relentless in its mission to safeguard Philippine press freedom.

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