UN Rapporteur to gov't: Do more to protect journalists

A United Nations special rapporteur has called for a complete overhaul of the Philippines' system for protecting journalists, saying the current approach is inadequate and leaves many journalists vulnerable to attack and intimidation.

In a press briefing in UN House Manila in Mandaluyong City on Friday, United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan expressed concern about the number of Filipino journalists facing threats, harassment and violence, with many fearing to report on sensitive topics due to fear of reprisal.

"In the context of protection or prevention of attacks on journalists, I feel there is no proper system for that," Khan said.

"You have to feel confident about approaching that protection mechanism. But from what I have heard, many journalists are actually afraid of the police. They're afraid of the security system," she added.

Khan highlighted the chilling effect this fear has on free speech and on young, inspiring journalists who are crucial for a vibrant democracy.

Hence, Khan called for a system that journalists can trust to protect them, not further endanger them.

"Leaving them to languish, leave young people like that, inspiring, articulate, resilient young people in prison, sends a terrible message for the youth of this country," Khan said.

The UN expert pointed out a few "ad hoc" measures taken by the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoms), including the deployment of police "media security vanguards" in 2022 to shield journalists from threats and harassment in the run-up to the elections.

However, the UN rapporteur stated that these are "not enough."

Khan stated that the Philippine government has to create a "systematic" and "institutionalized" process that media practitioners will employ to ward off threats.

Paul Gutierrez, PTFoMS's executive director, stated on Thursday that Khan has shared her findings with authorities, which he thinks the government would "eventually address."

Since the beginning of the Marcos administration in July 2022, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has recorded at least 109 cases of violence and threats against media professionals.

When compared to the same period under former President Rodrigo Duterte, this number is 47 percent higher.

Media workers being red-tagged accounted for about 25 percent of the occurrences recorded by NUJP in 2023.