They are saying that philippine press in now free after the Marcos regime.

If
we compare the press freedom in Marcos administration and the administration
after him maybe we can say that it is much better but saying its free? No, because
if they are really free why there are reports that about 147 journalists were killed
from 1986? Why are we in 149th place in the most free press country?

The Philippine Daily Inquirer last Sunday published a story quoting unnamed sources describing how
Sen. Joker Arroyo reportedly blocked the testimony of former Socio-Economic Planning SecretaryRomulo
Neri during the Senate close-door hearing. Juliet Labog-Javellana wrote the story.
Senator Arroyo filed a resolution yesterday seeking to investigate the Inquirer for publishing the report.
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Benigno Aquino III and Francis Escudero supported
Arroyo's resolution. Enrile went further to suggest citing the reporter for contempt unless she revealed her
sources. This is intimidation and a violation of the principles of press freedom. This is unacceptable.
Senator Enrile also urged the repeal or amendment of Republic Act No. 53 that protects the publisher, editor,
columnist or duly accredited reporter of any newspaper, magazine or periodical of general circulation from
being compelled to reveal their sources.

The Senate ethics committee wants Juliet Labog Javellana of the Manila broadsheet
"Philippine Daily Inquirer" to reveal her sources for a story she wrote on what transpired during
the executive session.
In her 30 September article, Javellana cited four unnamed sources who she said told her that
Senator Joker Arroyo prevented former socio-economic planning secretary Romulo Neri from
revealing all that the latter knew about the controversial national broadband network (NBN) deal
between the Philippine government and China's ZTE Telecommunications.
Neri was allegedly about to disclose the details of his conversations on the project with
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when Sen. Arroyo said that Neri should avail himself of the
services of legal counsel, after which a member of the Arroyo Cabinet joined the meeting as
Neri's lawyer. In a Senate hearing earlier that day, Neri had repeatedly invoked executive
privilege when he refused to answer questions about the President's part in the contentious
US$329.4 million contract.
Sen. Arroyo claimed that Javellana's report was false, and dared the "Inquirer" to waive its right
not to disclose its sources under Republic Act (R.A.) 53, otherwise known as the Shield Law and
the Press Freedom Law.

"'The Inquirer' cannot maintain the moral high ground if it will not allow Ms. Javellana to reveal
her sources and hide behind the cloak that reporters cannot be compelled to reveal their
sources," Arroyo said.
Four other senators supported Sen. Arroyo's resolution for a probe. Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said
that unless Javellana revealed her sources, the Senate could cite her for contempt. Enrile also
sought Sen. Arroyo's support in amending or repealing R.A. 53.
R.A. 53 protects the publisher, editor, or reporter of any publication from being compelled to
reveal the source(s) of published news or information acquired in confidence, unless the security
of the State requires it.

Campus press freedom in the Philippines

In 1991, the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 (CJA) was enacted, which specified the rights and responsibilities
of student journalists and publications. However, the law did not provide a penalty clause against offenders.
Despite its existence, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) administration under then
president Benjamin Tayabas shut down PLM's student publication Ang Pamantasan in 1992 and 2004 and
dismissed some of its editors and staff after the publication ran stories on probable evidence of corruption and
malversation of funds under the Tayabas administration. A number of cases of student publications which were
shut down were also reported after the enactment of CJA while censorship bodies still exist in a number of
private schools in the Philippines.
As of 2005, a significant number of campus publications in the Philippines were threatened to be closed. Wrote
Lloyd A. Luna of the Network of Campus Journalists of the Philippines:
By the end of 2005, another 20-30% of the total existing publication today will be closed In all parts of the
country, non-mandatory collection of publication fee may be implemented in more than 100 schools. In
the National Capital Region, 35-45% may still exist through advertisement revenues In Northern Luzon,
roughly 10-20% may not be supported by the school administration; in the Visayas, 15-25%; and in Mindanao,,
20-30%

CEGP cited the 2014 Impunity index of the New-York based committee to protect
journalists that placed the Philippines as third after Irag and Somalia as the most
dangerous places to practice journalism
The Philippines has been on the third spot since 2010 following the Ampatuan
massacre which resulted in the deaths of 58 people, including 32 journalists.
The Guild documented more than 250 campus press freedom violations from more than 60
student publications nationwide from April to June 2013, an average of four violations per
publication,

Even with the existence of the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, the freedom and rights of
campus journalists are still attacked, Abila stressed.
In 22 years, this law has been used by school administration to repress and even shut down student
publications.
Out of 250 cases, the Guild has five major cases which includes the libel case against the
former Editor-in-Chief of the University of the Philippines Baguio Outcrop, threat of closure to the
EARIST Technozette of Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, suspended
operations of the Philippine Artisan of Technological University of the Philippines Manila and The
Chronicler of Polytechnic University of the Philippines Taguig, and military harassment and
surveillance on the editors and staff of The Pillar of University of Eastern Philippines in Northern
Samar.

SPEECHHHH!!!!!

There are many laws here in the philippines that protects the freedom of the press but are those laws
enough to say that there is really freedom of the press? Despite the laws, the philippines still ranked 3rd most
dangerous places to practice journalism next to Iraq and Somalia. Many journalists were accused of having false
report then charge a libel against them, some receive death treats, harrasment but worst of all some of them were
killed. About 147 journalists were killed from 1986.
Yes there are laws but laws are not enough.
One of the example of the laws that protects freedom of speech is the RA 53 or the sotto law that protects
the publisher, editor, columnist or duly accredited reporter of any newspaper, magazine or periodical of general
circulation from being compelled to reveal their sources. However in 2007 Senator Arroyo filed a resolution seeking to
investigate the Inquirer Janet Labog-Javllana for publishing the report about the leak on the executive sessions.
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Benigno Aquino III and Francis Escudero supported
Arroyo's resolution. Enrile went further to suggest citing the reporter for contempt unless she revealed her sources.
This is intimidation and a violation of the principles of press freedom. This is unacceptable. However it happened and
it is not impossible to happen again in the future.
Another law is the Campus journalism act of 1991 which specified the rights and responsibilities of student
journalists and publications. However, the law did not provide a penalty clause against offenders. Despite its
existence the Guild documented more than 250 campus press freedom violations from more than 60 student
publications nationwide from April to June 2013, an average of four violations per publication.
Out of 250 cases, the Guild has five major cases which includes the libel case against the former Editor-inChief of the University of the Philippines Baguio Outcrop, threat of closure to the EARIST Technozette of Eulogio
Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, suspended operations of the Philippine Artisan of

Technological University of the Philippines Manila and The Chronicler of Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Taguig, and military harassment and surveillance on the editors and staff of The Pillar of University of Eastern
Philippines in Northern Samar.
As long as there are people that intimidate and violate the principle of press freedom, as long as there are
journalist being charged of libel because they didnt reveal their sources and as long as there are journalists being
killed because of their profession then the philippine press is not free at all.

.
While all of the aforementioned restrictions have been resolved, more recently the Philippines have enacted The
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 101750). Under the law, a person could be sentenced to 12
years imprisonment for posting online comments judged to be libelous. There were several petitions filed asking the
Philippine Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the law almost as soon as the law went into effect. In early
2013, The Philippine Supreme Court weighed in on the issue. The Supreme Court has stopped the government from
implementing the cybercrime law. Even so, the governments control on public speech has not been diminished. Antimining activist Esperlita Garcia has since been arrested over a Facebook post she made about the dispersal of a rally
in October 2012. That is just one example of how the government continues to restrict the speech of citizens, despite
the Supreme Court ruling.
Free Press:
As previously stated, The 1987 Constitution gives citizens the right to free press. Although citizens are given this
right, there has been incredibly violent backlash towards journalists. Between the years 1986 (when the country
returned to democracy) and 2005, there were 52 journalists murdered, which evokes the thought if the freedom of
press is really there and if it is, does the government protect it? Similarly to the other situations mentioned, other
countries spoke up about this issue. In 2012, members of the global media community on the Safety of Journalists
and the Issue of Impunity issued The London Statement, which called for strong action to protect journalists.
In 2011, the Philippine Supreme Court filed a libel case against a journalist on the charges that the reporter defamed
a Supreme Court justice in a book. In the book, the reporter quoted residents as saying the Supreme Court justice
was active in inviting two local officials to run with his son as councilor and promising to underwrite campaign
expenses. Ultimately the suit was dropped against the reporter.
Currently in the Philippines, the biggest issue regarding the freedom of press is, like the freedom of speech, the
continuing issues with The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and the existing laws restricting libel. Although the
government continues to restrict the freedom of speech and press of citizens to some extent both online and offline,
citizens are fighting back for their rights to speak freely.