OpPRESSed Liberty

    With Republic Act No. 11440, also known as the National Campus Press Freedom Day established as a “celebration” for the Philippines, journalism stagnantly remains reprimanded in the very sovereign that wishes to commemorate it. 

In spite of the press and media as the Fourth Estate of Parliament — deemed “watchers” of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches,it is undoubtedly heinous just how muzzled journalists are — actively risking their lives 24/7 despite political figures continuously amassing for deception. This is as proactive manipulation shows oppressed liberty through a rose-tinted glass.

     On the other hand, some may argue that the government has secluded journalism and its professionalists, although the House of Representatives have provided full support toward a much more truth-filled future — proposing the House Bill (HB) No. 9465, or the Digital Media Anti-False Information Act as a way to dismantle fake news and uplift journalism. While this is evident, this law neglects democratic freedom and pushes government authority instead over individual expressions, once more plaguing the truth with widespread disinformation, eroding media purposes and convenes public interference, and does not address the most provocative issue of all — red tagging.

    Additionally, fake news has far worsened in the country as public information deems inaccessible to many — explicitly exposed instead to disinformation due to lack of algorithm monetization for social media. This stands as a 2025 Social Weather Station (SWS) survey discovered that 65% of its respondents find it difficult to differentiate whether the information they gather is fake. This embarrassingly dismal result highlights how undermined journalism is within the nation, never becoming a necessity for citizens to need, a reflection of the systematic deficiencies for truthful media — a dilemma that the government would never want its people to fix nor even discover. 

    Another critical issue abrupts as political control still withholds the fourth estate. Despite the proposal for HB 9465, 55 media groups in association with the Movement for Media Safety PH and multiple independent journalists fought against the bill as it advocated the government body to expand its authority over freedom of speech, and ironically never addressed the root of what manufactures disinformation to occur. Such rigid reasoning continues to befall on criminalizing expression, in the face of National Press Freedom Day at that — meagerly a laugh at the press without actually emphasizing on what makes it hard for the latter to continue delivering veracity.

    One of the most glaring indicators of this marred yet deliberate cycle circles back to what has always hindered the lives of every journalist — red tagging, a warrant to kill for the price of authentic news. Adding onto that, former President Rodrigo Duterte further administered red tagging as a means of malpractice evident with his 2017 decree — anyone accused of communist associations were deemed already a terrorist, a horrifying human rights crisis that is kept upheld by higher-ups even after the former president’s term. It manifests the struggles of being tied to official hands despite being a part of the four pillars of democracy, stifling journalists like Frenchie Mae Cumpio — who criticized the government and was deliberately denied the rights of defense against several false statements against her. Therefore, RA 11440 withstands as no more than a flawed law which erodes its very purpose — to commemorate the provocateurs of truth. 

    In essence, the nation’s poor efforts to even celebrate journalism as a whole reflects the multifaceted issues that lie beyond the surface. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) must address the lack of public display of information and display open-ended portals for the citizens to view reviewed and professionally-published articles/news, that are ensured to be nonetheless all constructed by facts. Moreover, it is high-time for the Senate as well as the House of Representatives to work in accordance with the Movement for Media Safety PH to form a law that segregates the official body from independent journalism, and guarantees the safety of journalists in terms of any reports, in spite of unprecedented occurrences. Ultimately, the Supreme Court must uphold a defense system for any red-tagged activists and press, as to provide a fair yet utter chance for the latter to lay out the evidence against the claims made against them — securing accountability for any groups involved.

  For press freedom comes without guarantee, the Fourth Estate will only further succumb to oppressed liberty.