Gov’t vows to double efforts to protect journalists—Marcos

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday that his administration remains committed to improving efforts to provide a safe environment for journalists in the country.

“Be assured that we are doubling down on our commitment to protect our journalists and uphold press freedom,” the President said in his speech during the 50th anniversary of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. “We stand with you, hand in hand in this fight.”

Marcos added that his administration is also doing its best to bring justice to the murders of radio broadcasters Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, [Juan] “DJ Johnny Walker” Jumalon and Cresenciano Bundoquin.

“They are not just names in a report; they are faces with families, colleagues, and communities that grieve their loss,” said the Chief Executive.

“All our efforts to bring them justice is a testament to the belief that no story, however dangerous, is too small or too insignificant to be told.”

Further, Marcos called on the public to always verify information amid the rise of technology, emphasizing how online trolls affected work in the newsroom.

“From the anonymous troll farms to the deliberate spread of conspiracy theories, this fight has evolved far beyond the newsroom; it is now in the palm of every hand that scrolls through social media,” he said.

“So I call on every Filipino: do not just fight; lead the change. Verify, question, [and] hold the line. We have a duty to protect the sanctity of facts, not just as citizens, but as guardians of our shared reality.”

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines previously reported that there have been 135 incidents of attacks and threats against media workers since Marcos took the presidency from July 1, 2022 to April 30 this year. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News