Journalist safety remains elusive as state repression persists—NUJP

Press freedom remains elusive in the country under the Marcos Jr. administration as cases of journalist attacks amount to 242 since 2024, with the government and state security being the top perpetrators.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) revealed through a statement that 55 attacks were made by the government, while 51 came from state security.

Of the 242 cases recorded, 75 journalists have experienced harassment through verbal form and state surveillance, while 39 have been victims of red-tagging.

NUJP condemned the administration for refusing to abolish the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) which they said is notorious for red-tagging, despite calls from local and international groups supporting the state body’s abolition.

On top of the issue is Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a community journalist who has been imprisoned since 2020 for alleged illegal possession of firearms, as well as terror financing.

Cyber-related attacks also topped the list, having at least 51 journalists who have experienced it: 19 from cyber attacks, 18 from online harassment, and 14 from cyber libel.

The media group stated that libel has been repeatedly used as a weapon to silence journalists, citing two current cases in Roxas City and Cagayan de Oro where two scribes have received complaints for allegedly violating the Data Privacy Act.

“In some instances, politicians threatened colleagues with charges of libel and Data Privacy Act, often as a warning against pursuing controversial stories,” NUJP said.

Data showed that there have also been 10 killings so far, two of which were declared to be non-work related according to the police.

Despite two of the deaths being non-work, NUJP sees this as a point of concern as the government failed to protect journalists and jail the perpetrators.

“Although two of these killings have been declared as non-work related by the police, the fact remains that the state has failed to protect journalists and media workers. Perpetrators have not been brought to justice,” the statement read.

The death of community journalist RJ Ledesma is part of the tally. NUJP and other media groups called for justice after he was killed by the armed forces for being an alleged combatant—a claim the groups dispute.

In the country, 197 journalist attacks were made in Luzon, 46 in Visayas, and 30 in Mindanao. There were also 6 from overseas.

NUJP emphasized that attacks do not happen in a vacuum, but rather reveal a pattern in the society that needs to be addressed.

“Journalists resist repression so that we can continue our mission of telling the truth so that the public will be empowered to take action,” NUJP stated.

This World Press Freedom Day, the call for justice continues to endure repression.