Umapela para sa malayang pamamahayag ang National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) nitong Linggo, Mayo 3, kasabay ang paggunita ng World Press Freedom Day.
Sa isang pahayag na ibinahagi ng NUJP sa kanilang official at verified Facebook page, ipinagdiinan din nila ang estado at kalagayan ng pamamahayag sa bansa—sa ilalim ng admnistrasyong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.
“The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) marks this year’s World Press Freedom Day with a commitment to continue pushing back against attacks on media freedom,” panimula ng NUJP.
Anila, “Under the Marcos Jr. administration, the NUJP recorded 242 incidents of violations to media freedom. Of the total number of attacks, 43 percent were perpetrated by government and state security forces.”
“Ten journalists have been slain. 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,” dagdag pa nila.
Binanggit din nila ang dalawang mamamahayag na sina community journalist RJ Ledesma, isa sa 19 kataong nasawi sa engkuwentro ng mga armadong grupo at militar kamakailan sa Toboso, Negros Occidental; at Frenchie Mae Cumpio, na nakadetine matapos hatulang guilty sa “terrorism financing.”
“In the case of community journalist RJ Ledesma, the Philippine military lied through its teeth claiming that our colleague was a combatant in an attempt to justify the murder,” anang NUJP.
Record high! Utang na Pilipinas, pumalo na sa ₱18.49 trilyon!
Anila, “Another community journalist, Frenchie Mae Cumpio, remains behind bars over trumped-up charges of financing terrorism. Like RJ, Frenchie was also repeatedly red-tagged before she was arrested and detained.”
“Red-tagging of journalists has persisted, with 39 incidents recorded since June 2016. The Marcos Jr. administration has refused to abolish the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which is notorious for red-tagging, despite calls from two UN independent experts and from local and international human rights groups. The Marcos Jr administration has also chosen to ignore the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling which declares red-tagging as a threat to life, liberty and security,” dagdag pa nila.
Sinita rin ng unyon ang anila’y binging tainga ng pamahalaan hinggil sa ilang isyu patungkol sa pamamahayag.
“The recommendations from UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion Irene Khan have largely fallen on deaf ears. The Philippine government has failed or refused to do the following: Undertake drastic measures to stop media killings and bring perpetrators to justice; Decriminalize libel; Put an end to red-tagging; Enact Freedom of Information Law,” anang unyon.
Anila, “The climate of impunity remains and so, no amount of safety measures would be enough to protect ourselves from harm. The attacks do not happen in a vacuum. Those in power want the truth to be hidden, obfuscated or distorted for their selfish interests.”
“Journalists resist repression so that we can continue our mission of telling the truth so that the public will be empowered to take action. We call on the public to stand with us in defending media freedom and democracy,” pagtatapos ng NUJP.
