MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Human Rights urged media companies on Tuesday, November 26, to be more transparent about their layoff decisions and provide adequate support to displaced workers after job cuts hit around 400 this year.
The call follows ABS-CBN's layoff of 100 employees this October and CNN Philippines' shutdown in January that displaced an estimated 300 media workers.
"While we acknowledge that traditional media outlets face revenue declines due to shifting audiences and the growth of new media, the Commission emphasizes the employees' right to transparency from their companies' management," the human rights body said in a statement.
ABS-CBN, whose franchise renewal bid was killed in 2020 during the Duterte administration, laid off 3% of its workforce in October due to declining advertising revenues.
This follows the shutdown of CNN Philippines earlier this year, which closed its operations due to "serious financial losses" that were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
RELATED: CNN Philippines announces closure due to 'financial losses'
The CHR expressed concern that "media workers are being forced to accept abrupt job losses as inevitable," particularly when prices for essential goods are soaring.
Beyond transparency, the human rights body stressed that "laid-off media workers be provided ample assistance and benefits in this difficult period.
The CHR specifically addressed the circumstances surrounding ABS-CBN's financial situation, where employees continue to face uncertainty following the network's franchise denial in 2020.
"The CHR has previously stressed that this decision—lacking fairness and justice—has inevitably cast a chilling effect on press freedom," the human rights body said.
While acknowledging that media outlets operate as businesses, the CHR emphasized that "journalism is a vital public service.
"The CHR also said media companies must strike a balance between their business interests and their responsibility to their workers, particularly given the media's crucial role in democracy and the approaching 2025 elections."
With the 2025 local and national elections approaching, timely and credible information is even more crucial in empowering Filipinos to choose competent public servants. We cannot uphold a firm standard of truth in the country if journalists are unable to carry out their duties," it said.
"Just as the media has consistently played its valuable role in shaping communities and societies, it is now imperative that we equally ensure the protection of their rights as workers and as bastions of truth," it added.
Irene Khan, the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, said in February that CNN Philippines' closure was a "worrying sign" for media freedom in the country.
After her 10-day assessment of human rights and press freedom in the country, Khan noted that media's essential function in public information and dialogue was being undermined by powerful economic and political interests, which she said was eroding media and editorial freedom both in the Philippines and globally.
RELATED: ‘Media is a public good:’ Closure of CNN Philippines draws concerns from UN expert