Press freedom index: Philippines falls 2 notches to 134th

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines remains a “difficult country” for journalists as it dropped two spots in the annual press freedom index released by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières/RSF).

Released yesterday in time for World Press Freedom Day, the World Press Freedom Index 2024 showed the Philippines dropping from 132nd out of 180 countries in 2023 to 134th this year.

Philippines obtained a score of 43.36 out of 100, down from last year’s 46.21.

The decrease in the country’s overall score was due to the decline in four out of five indicators: political (from 43.96 to 36.14), economic (from 40.20 to 37.11), legislative (from 52.20 to 47.48) and social (from 57.39 to 51.64). Its score in terms of security improved from 37.30 to 44.44.

Like in previous years, the country’s press freedom situation was classified as “difficult” or those with scores between 40 to 55. Other classifications include “good” (above 85), “satisfactory” (70 to 85), “problematic” (55 to 70) and “very serious” (below 40).

“The Philippine media are extremely dynamic despite the government’s targeted attacks and constant harassment of journalists and media outlets regarded as overly critical, especially since 2016, when Rodrigo Duterte became president,” read the report.

“Since Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. – the son of former dictator and historic press freedom predator, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. – became president in June 2022, there seem to have been fewer and less violent attacks of this kind, but they are still worrisome. Harassment by means of threats and ‘red-tagging’ persists, while defamation and cyber-defamation are still punishable by prison sentences,” it added.

The RSF report noted that some journalists critical of authorities are facing trumped-up charges, citing the case of alternative media editor Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who has been detained since 2020 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

On the part of mainstream media, RSF said ownership “has recently reached even greater levels of concentration,” citing ABS-CBN’s venture agreement with Prime Media and the entry of the Villar group in the broadcast industry.

“The Internet and social media offer a space where many independent media can work freely but their economic viability is uncertain,” it added.

According to RSF, governments around the world “have failed to protect journalism,” saying press freedom is being threatened by political authorities, which it described as “the very people who should be its guarantors.”

“Of the five indicators used to compile the ranking, it is the political indicator that has fallen most, registering a global average fall of 7.6 points,” it added.

Anne Bocandé, RSF editorial director, noted that “states and other political forces are playing a decreasing role in protecting press freedom. This disempowerment sometimes goes hand in hand with more hostile actions that undermine the role of journalists, or even instrumentalize the media through campaigns of harassment or disinformation.”

Based on the report, only eight countries were classified as “good.” Thirty-seven were classified as “satisfactory,” 51 “problematic,” 49 “difficult” and 36 “very serious.”

Norway again topped the list with a score of 91.89, followed by Denmark (89.5), Sweden (88.32), Netherlands (87.73), Finland (86.55), Estonia (86.44), Portugal (85.9), Ireland (85.59), Switzerland (84.01) and Germany (83.84).

At the bottom of the list was Eritrea (16.64), followed by Syria (17.41), Afghanistan (19.09), North Korea (20.66), Iran (21.3), Turkmenistan (22.01), Vietnam (22.31), Bahrain (23.21), China (23.36) and Myanmar (24.41).

In Southeast Asia, ahead of the Philippines are Timor-Leste at 20th, Thailand at 87th, Malaysia at 107th, Indonesia at 111th, Brunei at 117th and Singapore at 126th.

Following the Philippines are Cambodia at 151st, Laos at 153rd, Myanmar at 171st and Vietnam at 174th.

In Quezon City, media workers held a candle-lighting activity at Boy Scout Circle to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. Journalists and press freedom advocates also took part in a two-day summit to discuss various issues on safety, security and media workers in the country.— Cecille Suerte Felipe, Helen Flores