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The forms of attacks under the Marcos administration – red-tagging, filing of libel and other fabricated criminal charges, harassment – are the same as during the Duterte administration.
Ms. Manuba, reporting for Bulatlat on election day, did not violate any provision of the Data Privacy Act. Section 4(d) of the said law expressly excludes the processing of personal information for journalistic purposes from its scope. Verily, a photograph taken of a public officer, in a public place, and on the occasion of an important public event for eventual publication as journalistic content cannot be a violation of the law. Moreover, merely citing that fact that police personnel are on site cannot at all be considered a defamatory imputation.
We assert that journalism is no crime. The public service that journalism brings is essential now more than ever amid our increasingly fragile democracy. We urge the public to join our call: End the systematic use of anti-terrorism policies against civilians, junk the Anti-Terror Law, and abolish the NTF-ELCAC.
Bulatlat condemns the latest red-tagging of Albay-based journalist Reynard Magtoto who wrote an in-depth report about the lies and deceptive activities of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in the region.
This is exactly what we mean by red-tagging: a senior government official linking civilians to alleged communist groups without proof. May we remind Mr. Gutierrez that Ms. Cumpio is contesting the charges filed against her in court and has yet to be convicted. There is absolutely no point for anyone, more so a high government official, to forget that “everyone is innocent until proven in a court of law.”
Bulatlat maintains that these so-called “cyber security” efforts could mean online surveillance, distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks, “fake news” and other forms of attacks aimed to suppress freedom of the press and of expression, as well as the people’s right to information. This issue was brought to the attention of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan who will hold her official country visit next week.
President Marcos Jr. pledged to uphold press freedom. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, however, recorded 84 incidents of attacks on the media from June 30, 2022 until July 22, 2023. This number is 42 percent higher compared to the documented cases during Duterte’s first 13 months in office.
“It is an insult to the intelligence and independence of the presiding Judge, and the entire judicial system for that matter."
For nearly two decades, Len has been part of Bulatlat from her days as a contributor to becoming the managing editor of one of the country's longest-running online news. She is a champion of human rights reporting, media workers' welfare, and journalists' safety.
We condemn the Philippine Army for carrying out cyber crimes against independent media outfits. We take offense at the duplicity they have shown regarding this incident – publicly professing respect for press freedom but launching vicious digital attacks, and never cooperating with other government agencies.
The conference aims to deepen the discourse about the martial law years and correct the twisted narratives being perpetrated by groups who want Filipinos to forget those dark years in the nation's history.
While we all agree that the fight against terrorism is important and needs the participation and cooperation of everyone, we maintain that the proposed law is open to abuse by despotic governments to visit terror against critics and the people in general.
Local government executives should keep in mind that that the current national emergency does not empower officials to silence dissent and curtail press freedom, both of which are essential to a functional democracy in which elected officials are duty-bound to defend the Constitution.
While we acknowledge the need to fight disinformation in this time of crisis, we fear the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act will only end up criminalizing free speech. We assert that the best way to fight disinformation is through education and the truth.
Like other human rights defenders, journalists writing about human rights have been treated as targets by those who have no respect for life and liberties of the Filipino people.
These are attempts by those in power to drown out the voice of the marginalized and the oppressed, displaying Duterte’s fear of committed journalism that seeks to inform, educate and guide the public in decision-making.
Community journalists are crucial in bringing underreported issues in the regions to national and international audiences. They give voice to the marginalized whose grievances are often ignored by the corporate media.
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