FEBRUARY 2020
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a joint statement of student publications and media organizations of the University of Santo Tomas.
Today, we are witnessing another brazen attack against the press.
As members of the Thomasian community, guided by the virtues of veritas in caritate, we, the student publications and media organizations of the University of Santo Tomas, strongly condemn the recent attacks of the Duterte administration on the media especially on ABS-CBN.
Despite the protection of freedom of expression in the 1987 Constitution, President Duterte and his lapdogs continue to find themselves stuck in an endless loop of scrutinizing various media institutions.
From the harassment of campus publications up to threats of revocation against the mainstream media, it is clear that the Duterte administration is not an ally of the press.
In an attempt to hasten the franchise revocation of broadcast network ABS-CBN, Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a quo warranto petition against broadcast network ABS-CBN, last February 10, 2020. Tagged by Calida as a “very urgent omnibus motion”, the petition was filed in the Supreme Court due to the network giant’s “unlawful exercise of legislative franchises.”
The actions of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) and the tolerance of the Duterte administration towards this matter is a grave disrespect to press freedom. The maneuver of the OSG sets a dangerous precedence in the future, where the legalese is bent to further suppress the media.
Censorship has always been the weapon of dictators. In fact, the actions and policies of the current administration strongly live by the Marcosian playbook—where the truth has no place in the society. 47 years ago, the ABS-CBN found itself in the same situation when its channel 2 was shut down after it was seized by the military a day after the declaration of Martial Law. For 13 years, Filipinos lived in the darkness and silence of Martial Law. Any form of criticism was suppressed. The media became a propaganda tool of the government. Behind the “discipline” and “order” are the shadows of cruelty not just on the media but also on the Filipino society. If the Duterte administration can easily threaten network giants, the harm it can conflict to small-scale publications, to human rights defenders, to common Filipinos, is insurmountable.
The crackdown on ABS-CBN not only affects the operations of media in the country but also displaces tens of thousands of employees. Last 2017, Sandy Prieto of the Philippine Daily Inquirer also found herself in the same situation into giving up her family’s 25-year control of Inquirer after pressures from Duterte’s administration, and was ultimately sold to Ramon S. Ang, a business tycoon and close friend of Duterte. Last 2019, Rappler CEO Maria Ressa was arrested for the alleged violation of the Anti-Dummy Law and “cyber libel” charges in 2012. A few weeks ago, a community journalist along with four human rights workers were arrested for alleged possession of firearms and explosives. These recent attacks are reminiscent of the Marcos regime; that era itself marks the rape of the Philippine press.
Our duties and responsibilities as media practitioners are tantamount to our role as the Fourth Estate, which refers to our capability to evaluate and check the government’s performance. Without critical engagement and discourse, the state is free to tamper with our rights without hesitation. Refusing to fight for our rights as campus press further amplifies the systemic aggression that plagues the newsroom we belong to.
Once more, we vehemently condemn President Duterte’s attempts in silencing the press and the administration’s reliance on misinformation to advance its own version of truth.
Amidst the ongoing firestorm that threatens freedom of the press, let us be reminded that we must uphold the truth to protect the sanctity of the freedom of speech and of expression.
RABIN P. BOTE
President, TomasinoWeb
JOHN AARON C. PANGILINAN
Executive Editor, TomasinoWeb
JEFSON ROMEO B. FELIX
EIC, Purple Gazette
JAMES EDVER O. MERCADO
President/Director, UST Tiger S.H.O.O.T.
CLARENCE PRYCE O. ALMAZAN
President, Performing Arts Guild
LOUISE JULIE W. PABICO
Editor-in-Chief, UST College of Science Journal
BERNICE KYRENE P. GUTIERREZ
Editor-in-Chief, Accountancy Journal
PEACH ARIANNA P. MANOS
Associate Editor, The Flame
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