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[From the web] Amnesty International calls on the Philippine government to cease its relentless efforts to muzzle journalists and media organizations

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

#HumanRights #FreedomOfThePress

A free press reporting on the issues that interest us and shape our lives is a key building block of any rights-respecting society. Yet many countries including the Philippines, journalists face repression and attacks.

Since the Duterte administration came to power, it has threatened civil liberties on several fronts. Human rights groups have been increasingly undermined and vilified; government critics and activists have been harassed, arbitrarily detained, and killed; journalists and media organizations have been threatened and targeted with lawsuits.

President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly attacked ABS-CBN for allegedly failing to run his paid political advertisements during the 2016 elections, which he won.

ABS-CBN has produced numerous investigative reports highlighting extrajudicial executions committed as part of the government’s so-called “war on drugs.” Similarly, news website Rappler and Maria Ressa, who have also been critical of the anti-drug campaign in their reporting, are facing a string of lawsuits, including charges of tax evasion, cyber libel and foreign ownership.

Amnesty International calls on the Philippine government to cease its relentless efforts to muzzle journalists and media organizations, and to fulfil its obligations under domestic and international law to safeguard and respect the right to freedom of expression and media freedom.

Source: facebook.com/amnestyph

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From the web

[Statement] of ABS-CBN on the cease and desist order issued by the NTC

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Statement of ABS-CBN on the cease and desist order issued by the NTC

Millions of Filipinos will lose their source of news and entertainment when ABS-CBN is ordered to go off-air on TV and radio tonight (5 May 2020) when people need crucial and timely information as the nation deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is in compliance with the cease and desist order issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) today that prohibits ABS-CBN from continuing its broadcast operations effective immediately.

Despite Senate Resolution No. 40, the House of Representatives’ committee on legislative franchises’ letter, the guidance of the Department of Justice, and the sworn statement of NTC Commissioner-General Gamaliel Cordoba, the NTC did not grant ABS-CBN a provisional authority to operate while its franchise remains pending in Congress.

In an interview with DZMM last week, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano even gave an assurance that there is no move to shut down the network.

ABS-CBN has been providing comprehensive news coverage on the public health crisis and working with local governments and the private sector in providing food and basic goods for those in need through its “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig” campaign. To date, it has delivered over P300 million worth of goods for the benefit of over 600,000 families affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

We trust that the government will decide on our franchise with the best interest of the Filipino people in mind, recognizing ABS-CBN’s role and efforts in providing the latest news and information during these challenging times.

ABS-CBN remains committed to being in the service of the Filipino and we will find ways to continue providing meaningful service to them.

Statement

[From the web] Joshua Molo, editor-in-chief of UE Dawn, the official student publication of the University of the East, was forced to apologize in public over a Facebook post criticizing negligence amid the coronavirus pandemic

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧: Joshua Molo, editor-in-chief of UE Dawn, the official student publication of the University of the East, was forced to apologize in public over a Facebook post criticizing the Duterte administration’s negligence amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This happened after Molo argued with his former high school teachers, who were offended by Molo’s online post.

At around 1:00 p.m. today, April 5, barangay officials of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, escorted Molo, together with her mother, who is also an officer of their barangay.

Meanwhile, one of Molo’s former journalism teachers, namely, Jun Ainne Francisco went to their barangay hall in San Fernando Sur to ask for blotter. Molo was accused of cyber libel because he called out his teachers for making fun of his earlier post.

“Inaamin ko po na ako ay nagkamali, at hindi na muling mauulit ang pangyayari,” said Molo in his public apology posted online.

Moreover, Molo’s case is not the first recorded attack against press freedom this time of the pandemic.

On March 25, Today’s Carolinian (TC), the official student publication of the University of San Carlos, published an article condemning the order of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia against its critics for tracing individuals who will criticize the government’s actions against the COVID-19.

Garcia also commented to the article, inviting the editor-in-chief of TC, Berns Mitra, to discuss the matter, which is a clear manifestation to intimidate her critics.

Click the link below to read more:

From the web

[From the web] DAKILA condemns the harassment of Joshua Molo, the Editor-in-Chief of the UE Dawn, for publishing his opinion about the current administration’s response in the #COVID19 pandemic

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

We strongly condemn the harassment of Joshua Molo, the Editor-in-Chief of the University of the East’s official publication UE Dawn, for publishing his opinion about the current administration’s response in the #COVID19 pandemic.

Earlier today, Molo was threatened by barangay officials with the filing of a libel case against him if he will not issue a public apology after he criticized the Durterte administration which offended some of his high school teachers.

We believe that this is a direct attack not only to campus journalists, media practitioners, and society’s watchdogs but also to citizen who are expressing their dissent whether online or offline.

Now more than ever, we must never be silenced for upholding our freedoms and rights. Let us continue to #HoldTheLine and #DefendPressFreedom.

#UpholdFreedomOfExpression

From the web

[Statement] Resist the attacks on press freedom. Uphold workers’ rights -Sanlakas, BMP and PLM

Posted on February 22, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Photo from SANLAKAS FB Page

Joint Statement of Sanlakas, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino and Partido Lakas ng Masa

The Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Partido lakas ng Masa and Sanlakas condemn the Duterte Government’s heavy-handed attempt to silence and shut down ABS-CBN.

This is the latest in a series of aggressive frontal attacks on media institutions to intimidate them into at the very least tamed reportage and at most, submission, eroding the people’s right to a free press. To date, 112 cases of attacks and threats have been documented under the Duterte Administration including at least 13 killings of journalists. The Philippines holds the record of among the world’s deadliest countries for media. That the attacks on media workers and institutions are increasing can only be attributed to the undeterred hostility of the Government towards media as highlighted by the moves to shut down ABS-CBN.

In plain view, the Duterte Government is cementing the path towards authoritarianism the hallmarks of which include media censorship. Shutting down ABS-CBN sends a chilling effect to all media institutions signaling an imminent scenario where socio-political realities of the day are defined by Malacanang’s propaganda gurus and spin doctors. Unlike Marcos who needed martial law to achieve this, Duterte is unleashing the entire might of the government – his supermajority in the House of Representatives, the Solicitor-General and his Supreme Court – towards this end.

In the process, 11,000 workers will be displaced. This could spell poverty and hunger to tens of thousands of Filipinos who rely on their breadwinner to ensure food on the table. In Duterte’s fascist arm-twisting of ABS-CBN fueled by his personal vendetta against the company, the workers and their families have been reduced to mere sacrificial lambs – the unavoidable collateral damage to the Government’s malevolent designs against media.

We lend our unconditional support to the struggle of ABS-CBN workers for continued and secure employment. This struggle for job security is intertwined with the defense of democratic rights as the threat of displacement comes from a regime that seeks to quell civil rights and political freedoms, not only in retaliation for the non-airing of Duterte’s campaign ads in 2016 but also to prepare for its electoral plans in 2022.

It is in situations like these when the horrors of contractualization are brought to the fore. Thousands of contractual workers, in the event of ABS-CBN’s shutdown, will be booted out of work without the benefits enjoyed by their regular counterparts. We, thus, reiterate our call to regularize all workers, provide increase in wages and salaries, implement safe and humane conditions of work, and ensure the rights of workers to unionize and bargain collectively with the ABS-CBN employers.

It is worth noting that the Duterte cronies are salivating over the purchase of ABS-CBN and the equities of Lopez holdings, and with the House approval of total foreign ownership to “public service”, including wire and wireless broadcast comminication, the stage is set for the total, unfettered, and open subjugation of mainstream media by foreign monopolies.

It is highly ironic that 34 years after the 1986 People Power that ousted a dictator, we are again up against an aspiring tyrant, who is in desperate attempt to have formal absolute power over the entire state apparatus. The little that was gained by a people’s uprising that was hijacked by the anti-Marcos elite, is now being taken back by the Duterte regime. The sacrifice of the martyrs of the anti-dictatorship struggle will not be in vain. Onward with the struggle for democracy. Resist the attacks on press freedom. Uphold workers’ rights.

Statement

[From the web] Enchong Dee to fellow artists: Speak up not only because our job is in peril -INQUIRER.net

Posted on February 22, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

MANILA, Philippines — As Enchong Dee backed ABS-CBN in its franchise ordeal, the actor called on his fellow artists to speak up and be alert not only because their job is on the line but because it’s their duty as Filipinos to fight for democracy.

“I always tell people that ‘Artists should be the first line of defense of our democracy’, people tend to agree, but most do nothing about it or get reprimanded for saying something political,” Dee said.

“Very few listen and even fewer are brave enough to stand their ground because of their ‘reputation’. Now that ABS-CBN (my home for almost 15 years) is being wrongly accused of so many things… I am angry. I am sad. I am bothered,” he added.

The actor pointed out the need for vigilance as a Filipino fighting for democracy, and not simply due to the possibility of their jobs being jeopardized.

“I am a Filipino first and my job comes second. Let’s be vigilant not only because our jobs are in peril but mainly because we are Filipinos fighting for the democracy and Constitution of our country,” Dee said.

Click the link below to read more:

From the web

[From the web] EU body flags grave concern over human rights, ‘shrinking’ media freedom in PH -CNN Philippines

Posted on February 22, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 12) — The European Commission flagged “grave” concerns over drug war deaths, attacks on human rights defenders, and shrinking media freedom in the Philippines.

The body, which evaluates the grant of duty-free exports for Philippine companies sending their goods to the European Union, pointed out pressing issues in the country.

“The conclusions from the mission showed a mixed picture with continuing violations of civil and political rights and some positive developments in the socio-economic and environmental fields,” the commission said in the report published Monday.

[Statement] Withdraw gag order plea against ABS-CBN TV network -AIph

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Responding to news that Philippine Solicitor General Jose Calida has asked the Supreme Court for a gag order against statements about its pending petition to nullify the franchises of TV network ABS-CBN, Amnesty International’s Regional Director Nicholas Bequelin said:

“This gag order is a clear attempt to silence critics of the government and would set a very dangerous precedent in violation of the right to freedom of expression. It is particularly reprehensible that the government is requesting to prevent people from freely discussing issues of public interest such as media freedom, and ongoing human rights violations in the country.

“The authorities are cracking down not just on the TV network but also on the right of every Filipino to freely express themselves. This plea must be withdrawn.

“It is unacceptable for the authorities to blatantly attempt to restrict freedom of expression and then expect people in the Philippines to simply remain silent. If anything, the government’s continued efforts to undermine the press’s ability to report freely will only invite more criticism. The government would do better by listening and addressing what is driving such criticism rather than resorting to legal theatrics to suppress human rights.”

[Statement] HRW reaction to petition by Solicitor General Calida asking the Philippine Supreme Court to issue a gag order on ABS-CBN case

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

HRW reaction to the petition by Solicitor General Calida asking the Philippine Supreme Court to issue a gag order on ABS-CBN case:

“This is ridiculous, a clear case of adding insult to injury. First, the government petitions to end the ABS-CBN franchise and now it is proposing to silence all critics with an absurd gag order on specious grounds. Why are President Duterte and the Philippine government so scared of independent opinions and a free press? Let’s hope the Supreme Court upholds the principle of freedom of expression and rules against the Solicitor-General’s request.”

Phil Robertson
Deputy Asia Director
Human Rights Watch
@reaproy

Statement

[From the web] Duterte Seeks to Shut Network, Case Against ABS-CBN Attacks Media Freedom -HRW

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

The Philippine Congress should reject President Rodrigo Duterte’s apparent misuse of regulatory powers against the country’s largest broadcast network, Human Rights Watch said today. On February 10, 2020, the Office of the Solicitor General filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking to nullify the franchise of ABS-CBN, which has long faced Duterte’s ire for criticizing his “war on drugs” and other policies.

Congress is authorized to renew the licenses of broadcasting companies, but the House of Representatives has yet to act on nearly a dozen renewal bills already filed. The administration’s legal action could prevent Congress from extending the 25-year-old network’s permit, which expires on March 30.

“Philippine legislators have a responsibility to uphold media freedom and resist administration efforts to pressure news outlets to toe the government’s line,” said Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher at Human Rights Watch. “President Duterte’s administration should cease its politically motivated legal actions against the network.”

Duterte has publicly attacked ABS-CBN, accusing it of “swindling” him by not airing his advertisements during the 2016 presidential campaign, a charge the network has denied. He has also urged the media company to “just sell” its assets, vowing that he would make sure its franchise would not be renewed. Duterte and his allies have accused the network of being sympathetic to the political opposition. Its owners, the Lopez family, are longtime political opponents of the former Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. Administration officials have also complained about the network’s critical coverage of the “drug war.”

The suit filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida, the government’s chief lawyer, called a quo warranto petition, seeks to nullify ABS-CBN’s original franchise, contending that the network has engaged in “abusive practices” that violate its franchise. Calida also alleged that ABS-CBN allowed foreigners to invest in the company, in violation of Philippine Constitution.

ABS-CBN said in a statement that it “complies with all pertinent laws governing its franchise and has secured all necessary government and regulatory approvals for its business operations.” It called the petition an attempt to shut down its operations.

The Philippines’ license renewal process allows congress to put inappropriate pressure on broadcast networks, Human Rights Watch said. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, the independent expert body that monitors government compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which the Philippines is a party, has stated that governments “must avoid imposing onerous licensing conditions … on the broadcast media. The criteria for the application of such conditions and license fees should be reasonable and objective, clear, transparent, nondiscriminatory and otherwise in compliance with the Covenant.”

The Duterte administration’s apparent efforts to intimidate and control ABS-CBN mimic its actions against the news website Rappler, Human Rights Watch said. Rappler and its editor, Maria Ressa, are facing numerous court cases as a result of their critical coverage of the “drug war.” Rappler and ABS-CBN have documented many of the thousands of killings by the police and their agents in Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. The Philippine Daily Inquirer has also faced attacks from Duterte because of its “drug war” reporting and commentary.

“The administration’s attempt to cancel ABS-CBN’s franchise or deny its extension is not just an attack on a single network, but an all-out assault on media freedom,” Conde said. “Complaints against broadcasters should be addressed in the proper forum, such as the National Telecommunications Commission.”

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on the Philippines, please visit:
https://www.hrw.org/asia/philippines

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/02/11/philippines-duterte-seeks-shut-network

From the web

[In the news] Valle’s camp to file charges against PNP-CIDG -INQUIRER.net

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

The camp of veteran community journalist Margarita Valle is seeking to file arbitrary detention charges against the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) following her arrest that police claimed a mistaken identity.

“We are definitely looking at the possibility of filing arbitrary detention charges laban dito sa PNP-CIDG,” Valle’s legal counsel Atty. Kathy Panguban of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said Wednesday in a press briefing.

Panguban said they are committed to fight for the case of Valle, who was wrongfully arrested Sunday, June 9.

“Lahat ng elemento ng krimen na ‘to ay present doon sa naging karanasan. Kaya definitely hindi natin bibitawan ang laban na ito sa loob at labas ng korte,” Panguban said.

Click the link to read more:

In the News

[Statement] Statement of CHR Spokesperson, Atty. Jacqueline Ann de Guia, on the mistaken arrest of journalist Margarita Valle

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Carrying out arrests must be done with the utmost due diligence. The slightest mistake impacts the fundamental rights of the arrested person. The Constitution clearly outlines the standards on how it should be carried out, which law enforcement authorities must always abide in the exercise of their duty. In particular, the right to call or have access to a lawyer is guaranteed in the bill of rights.

The mistaken arrest of Margarita Valle puts into question the PNP’s manner and guidelines of serving arrest warrants. When fundamental rights are at stake, only the highest standards must be observed for the consequences could be irreversible. Considering the current climate of impunity and growing reports of harassment and red tagging, cases of mistaken identity raise doubts and fears. For our part, the CHR Regions X and IX have dispatched a quick response team to investigate and closely monitor this case towards its just resolution.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/commission-on-human-rights-of-the-philippines/statement-of-chr-spokesperson-atty-jacqueline-ann-de-guia-on-the-mistaken-arrest/2138491302934070/

Statement

[Statement] Human Rights Online Philippines reaction on the arrest of Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Human Rights Online Philippines reaction on the arrest of Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa

The Human Rights Online Philippines (HRonlinePH) today called on the government authorities to immediately release Maria Ressa who have been arrested yesterday, 13 February in connection with a cyber libel cased filed by the Department of Justice.

Maria Ressa was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents and detained at the Pasay court. The arrest warrant was issued on 12 February by Presiding Judge Rainelda Estacio Montesa of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46.

HRonlinePH stress that the arrest of Maria Ressa shows the fragility of the government rather than strength. The arrest clearly shows systematic efforts by the government to quell press freedom. The arrest has fostered a climate fear in which journalists and human rights defenders who are critical of the government do not if, or when, they will face arrest or other forms of harassment.

We called on the government authorities to observe the rule of law by dropping the trump up charge against Maria Ressa and release her immediately from detention.

Free Maria Ressa now!

Statement

[From the web] Best protection of journalists: A community that understands role of media -ABS-CBN news

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Best protection of journalists: A community that understands role of media

At a consultation meeting on safety of journalists organized by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication November last year, former Dean of UP College of Mass Communication Luis V. Teodoro, now chairperson of AlterMidya, said there is a need for media to explain to the communities the role that journalists play in society and in the strengthening of democracy.

A community that understands the role of media in their daily life is the most effective safeguard for journalists.

This has become urgent in the light of harassments and the demonization being waged against media groups and individual journalists by powerful forces.

This week, there were stories that came out in the tabloids tagging the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) as a communist front based on a story of a certain “Ka Ernesto,” who claimed to be a former member and supposedly “admitted” that the organization had links to Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison.

NUJP at first laughed off what it called was a “stupid” allegation. “It is hilarious that they keep repeating these charges since the NUJP’s membership represents a broad spectrum of creeds and political beliefs bound by a common dedication to defending and expanding the bounds of freedom of the press and of expression,” the NUJP statement said.

Read full article @news.abs-cbn.com

From the web

[From the web] Tabloids link NUJP to CPP-NPA-NDF -CMFR

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Tabloids link NUJP to CPP-NPA-NDF

CMFR/PHILIPPINES — Three Manila-based tabloids published similar banner stories on 7 January 2019 linking the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

The NUJP said it was an orchestrated government attack through unscrupulous elements in the media intended to silence journalists.

Local tabloids Police Files Tonite, Bagong Bomba and Saksi Mata ng Katotohanan used the same headline, “NUJP Pinamumunuan ng CPP-NPA-NDF” (NUJP headed by CPP-NPA-NDF ), in their “reports.” All three said their source was a certain “Ka Ernesto” who claimed to be a former member of the NUJP and who said the organization has links with CPP founder Jose Maria Sison.

NUJP said it was the second time in a few weeks that they have been linked to the “rebels.” On 26 December 2018, the 50th founding anniversary of the CPP, a certain Mario Ludades, who claimed to be a founder and former member of the CPP, accused the Union of being a “legal front of the communist movement.” The Union said it was part of an “orchestrated effort” to intimidate and silence them.

Read full article @cmfr-phil.org

From the web

[From the web] Relentless Assault on the Philippine Press Legal Restrictions, Intimidation Seek to Suppress Criticism -HRW

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Relentless Assault on the Philippine Press
Legal Restrictions, Intimidation Seek to Suppress Criticism

By Carlos H. Conde
Researcher, Asia Division
@condeHRW

Filipino journalists will spend World Press Freedom Day on May 3 under government attack. New draft regulations issued by the Philippine House of Representatives would allow Congress to ban reporters who “besmirch” the reputation of lawmakers from covering the national legislature. Journalists and some members of Congress have denounced the proposed rule as dangerously ambiguous and stifling. And to many Filipinos this restriction on freedom of expression is an affront to their pride in their country’s free if freewheeling press.

These restrictions are just the latest in a series of attacks on the Philippine press by President Rodrigo Duterte’s government and its supporters, aimed at silencing critical voices. While the government has been especially ferocious against people and organizations demanding accountability for the government’s “drug war,” which has killed more than 12,000 people since July 2016, any criticism of the administration seems subject to reprisal.

Duterte has made incendiary public statements against journalists, even justifying death threats against them. The main target has been the news website Rappler, which has been highly critical of the administration. Since February, the government has blacklisted Rappler reporters from covering Malacanang Palace, the president’s residence. In March, the government initiated tax evasion and libel prosecutions against Rappler. An ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of Rappler’s ownership structure could result in the outlet’s closure.

The government has likewise targeted the owners of the Philippines’ largest and most influential newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Most recently, the government restricted media access to a popular island resort and, last week, sought to bar accredited foreign correspondents from covering the Philippines at an ASEAN event in Singapore.

The increasingly hostile environment for the Philippine press has not gone unnoticed. In its 2018 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders reduced the Philippines’ press freedom global ranking from 127 to 133 out of 180 countries. In addition to government threats and media restrictions, four journalists were murdered last year, making the Philippines the deadliest country for journalists in Asia.

The assault on media freedom resonates loudly on World Press Freedom Day. Filipino journalists, true to the tradition of political muckraking, corruption exposés, and wartime reporting, have often put their lives on the line, serving the Philippine people and democratic values in the process. It’s important that their efforts are supported – including by the Philippine Congress.

From the web

[Statement] Defend Rappler. Defend free press -PAHRA

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Defend Rappler. Defend free press

The attack against the media is an affront to press freedom.

The decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revoke Rappler’s registration for allegedly violating the constitutional restrictions on ownership and control of mass media entities is a blatant effort to silence the media for its critical reporting against the government.

The SEC’s kill order against Rappler came as no surprise. Since last year, President Rodrigo Duterte already accused Rappler of being fully owned by American companies and threatened to investigate its ownership during his 2017 State of the Nation Address (SONA). It was not the first time that Duterte tried to arm twist the media he felt uncomfortable with. The Inquirer first took the beating when the Prietos were forced to sell their ownership to Dominguez – a known ally of the President. Duterte has also attacked the ABS-CBN for allegedly failing to air his campaign ads, and for reporting allegations on his bank accounts. He even blackmailed to revoke its license if the network will not help promote his campaign to shift to a federal form of government.

Despite the assurance of Malacanang that it is nothing political but it goes straight from the horse’s mouth. The President himself has made no pretense of his knee-jerk reaction toward critical voices. But making his threat to silence media with arm-twisting in the guise of protecting the public interest is nothing but a tyrannical whiplash. Taming the media as part of a broader move to weaken the checks and balances in a democratic society as it does with other independent institutions such as the judiciary is a Marcosian lure to authoritarian rule.

Free press is a human right. It is enshrined under the Philippine Constitution and guaranteed by international human rights laws. It is the public safeguard against any forms of government abuses. Any attempt to stifle it, be it physical, legal or political violates human rights. That freedom belongs to all of us. The right to freedom of the press goes hand in with our right to be informed, to express our opinions without fear and to freely participate in public discourse that are affecting our lives. The attack against the media is therefore inimical to democracy as it infringes to our right to information and undermining our meaningful participation towards good governance.

The Philippine Alliance of Human Right Advocates therefore stands with Rappler and all media groups in defense of press freedom and the right to information. We believe that the media can only fulfill its role of empowering the public to hold the government accountable without any political interference.

While Rappler can exhaust all legal means to challenge SEC’s kill order, but it is only through our collective voices that we can protect not only the messenger but most importantly the message – “it is our right and no one can take it away from us.”

Follow PAHRA @
Website: philippinehumanrights.org
Facebook: @philippinehumanrights.org

Statement

[People] Journalists risk death for the truth -by Fr. Shay Cullen

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Journalists risk death for the truth
by Fr. Shay Cullen
18 January 2018

Journalists, writers, reporters, commentators will just have to curb their passion for speaking and exposing the truth if they want to continue to live. Too many end up a corpse in a cold dark morgue, silence their only companion. That is just the way it is in the Philippines and elsewhere. More than a 146 journalists, have been assassinated since 1986.

Last November 23 was the 8th anniversary of the mass murder of 58 Filipinos 32 of them journalists, in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao province, in 2009. This was the worse of all violent assaults on the freedom of the press anywhere in one single blow. A powerful political family allegedly carried out the killings against their opponents and killed the 32 journalists covering the elections. No one has been convicted for the brutal heinous killings.

The sheer audacity of politicians or corrupt business personalities to quell the truth and the blind power behind the greed and personal vanity that orders killings of journalists is outrageous and there is little that can be done to stop it.

Journalists are just ordinary people with a story to tell; yet to tell the truth is to risk one’s life in many cases. Exposing what is corrupt and damaging to the public, is to challenge the seat of political power and it has dire consequences. No vengeance is as fierce as that of a corrupt politician exposed, a shady business corporation laid bare, no ignorance as painful as an uninformed and uncaring public.

The killings go on to this day and the freedom of the press is at stake as some politicians try to control the message and cover up the truth about their inadequacies and wrong doings. The task of the media is to report the facts, bring to the people the truth about the achievements, success and the failure and wrongdoings of government and the corporate world. That is at the heart of a democracy. Tyranny is the alternative, and it descends like a dark cold cloud of threats and intimidation.

Media practitioners can be compliant, cowardly or courageous and brave. The powerful make accusations against some journalists claiming what they publish is”Fake News, when in fact it is the truth. The supporters of the politicians through blogs or biased columnists spread the Fake News, or propaganda.

Government officials have accountability for the billions of taxpayers,money that too often end up in their personal bank accounts as we have seen so many times in the past. It was the media who exposed the politicians who used fake NGOs to steal billions of pesos of government funds for their personal use. The Ombudsman is presently trying their cases.

That is the duty and role of the media and they need the constitutional freedom to tell the truth, which is essential to praise or question the policies and power of government. Without this freedom there is no institution or individual or group, to reveal corruption and plunder.

If evil persists unchecked human rights will continued to be abused, and the national economy will be damaged as it was during the Marcos regime. President Ferdinand Marcos closed newspapers and radio stations and controlled all the media and he plundered at will. Those who opposed him paid with their lives.

In the Philippines violence against journalists is frequently the response to media exposés of wrongdoing and corrupt practices. As many as 42 journalists have been assassinated since 2007 and no one has been convicted. The killers act with impunity and get away with murder. However in the 2017 Global Impunity Index of the New York-based watchdog Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ) the Philippines dropped from 4th to 5Th.placeon the index.

Turkey is the jailer of the most journalists. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrested many journalists, and charged them with crimes to silence their critical voices. The Stockholm Center for Freedom, says that Erdogan has jailed 240 journalists who languish behind bars since May 12, 2017, more have been jailed since then.

So why do powerful government officials and politicians fear and ry to silence journalists as happened to the dedicated Maltese writer Caruana Galizia. She was killed by a bomb blast under her car. The Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was suing the journalist over her allegations of corruption in that EU country. Three suspects have been arrested but the mastermind behind it has not been named.

The state, corrupt tycoons or mafia have the power to silence the journalists. They can use bombs, bullets, incarceration, threats, false charges, and accusations. Yet the power of the word, with one well-placed out-spoken journalist, armed with the truth, and evidence of corruption, can be a bomb-shell.

The truth can bring down the corrupt politician, expose the movie mogul, or business tycoon, as seen in the “#Metoo” movement. That is why the investigative journalists of integrity are a dangerous threat to the wrong doers in society. They need protection and the freedom to speak and write the truth and tell it as it is.

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[From the web] Philippine Government Targets ‘Rappler’ for Closure Foreign Ownership Allegations Mask Vendetta Against Critical News Website -HRW

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Human Rights Online Philippines Leave a comment

Philippine Government Targets ‘Rappler’ for Closure
Foreign Ownership Allegations Mask Vendetta Against Critical News Website
By Phelim Kine
Deputy Director for Asia
Human Rights Watch

The Philippine government has ratcheted up its attack on media freedom, threatening the closure of Rappler.com. Rappler is a start-up media platform founded in 2012 that has published numerous investigative stories, including many pieces critical of the Duterte administration.

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today announced the revocation of Rappler’s Certificate of Incorporation, or operating license. Although there is an appeal process for SEC decisions, the agency has the power to immediately enforce closure of Rappler’s premises and operations if it so chooses. The SEC ruled that a 2015 investment in Rappler by United States-based Omidyar Network, a fund created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, was a “deceptive scheme” that violated both the Philippine constitution as well as SEC regulations that forbid foreign ownership and management of mass media. The SEC also voided the Omidyar Network investment, describing it as a “fraudulent transaction.” (Full disclosure: The Omidyar family has been a longtime donor to Human Rights Watch.)

This decision was not wholly unexpected. Six months ago, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte publicly attacked Rappler by falsely alleging it was “fully owned by Americans.” Rappler’s management dismissed the SEC’s move as “pure and simple harassment.” Rappler insists that Omidyar Network’s investment through the purchase of Philippine Depositary Receipts does “not indicate ownership,” and intends to appeal the SEC ruling.

The revocation of Rappler’s operating license follows months of withering criticism and harassment of the media outlet by the Duterte government and his supporters. That criticism has centered on Rappler’s investigative reporting on issues ranging from the deployment of pro-Duterte paid internet trolls and bots to sow misinformation on social media, to an ongoing feature series about the Duterte government’s murderous “war on drugs.” Duterte and his supporters have also targeted the news channel ABS-CBN as well as the Philippine Daily Inquirer, both known for their in-depth investigative reporting.

The government’s move to shutter Rappler suggests a sinister use of state regulatory processes to stifle critical media voices. The Philippine media is just the latest in a growing list of institutions and individuals – including United Nations officials – who have been vilified by Duterte for seeking accountability for human rights violations. Duterte has sought to quash any meaningful inquiries into alleged crimes committed by police and their agents in the “war on drugs” that has killed thousands – a campaign the president has openly endorsed.

If Duterte succeeds in silencing Rappler, it will have a profound chilling effect on Philippine media freedom, encouraging self-censorship by reporters and media outlets fearful of government reprisals for critical reporting at a time when the watchdog role of a free press is more urgently needed than ever.

Read full article @www.hrw.org

From the web

[Statement] FMA calls on the public to stand its ground against the creeping crackdown of the free press masked as legitimate regulation of mass media ownership

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Human Rights Online Philippines One comment

Foundation for Media Alternatives’ statement on press freedom and free speech

The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) condemns all attempts to suppress press freedom in the Philippines. As advocates of human rights and communication rights, FMA believes that freedom of the press and of expression are fundamental to civil liberty and must be upheld especially at a time when the very foundations of democracy are under threat.

On January 15, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked the registration of Rappler, an online media organization in the Philippines. The next day, a subcommittee at the House of Representatives proposed to amend Article III, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution to specify “responsible exercise” as a qualifier for constitutionally protected speech. These two incidents come at the tail end of a series of attacks against Philippine media. In numerous occasions, President Rodrigo Duterte himself has directly threatened to block the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise. In one instance, Duterte offered to arrive at a compromise provided that ABS-CBN promotes federalism. Even the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, which has been a staunch critic of Duterte’s war on drugs, was not spared and the renewal of its broadcast franchise was left to languish in Congress after it expired. This, while the administration builds a close circle of bloggers and opinion makers, a select few favored, accredited and resourced by government agents.

Thus, the defense that the Rappler lockdown is an isolated case simply cannot stand. The government has made its message loud and clear: support our agenda or lose your right to operate.

It is time we reclaim our voices and speak back.

Mass media is often referred to as the Fourth Estate, watchdogs against tyranny and a pillar of democracy. It is a major piece in the elaborate system of checks and balances established to prevent abuse of power. Without a free press, without a public sphere that encourages difference and dissent, individual forces increase their capacity to manipulate and monopolize public opinion. Such is exactly how authoritarian regimes are born. This is why we cannot let any attempt to curtail press freedom—however small or “isolated” they may be—simply come to pass.

FMA has always been resolute in its commitment to uphold the freedom of the press, and we will continue to do so. Under international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Republic of the Philippines is bound to protect the freedom of expression and of the press. But when the State itself emerges as a threat to these freedoms, it is up to civil society and the public to defend them.

We, at FMA, therefore call on the Filipino public to continue to stand its ground against the creeping crackdown of the free press masked as legitimate regulation of mass media ownership. This constitutes indirect media censorship masked as regulatory oversight, with a sinister objective of silencing dissent and free expression.

#StandWithRappler #DefendPressFreedom

For questions, please contact Jess Pacis at (02) 435-6684 or info@fma.ph.