EDITORIAL - Champions of press freedom

Today marks the beginning of another celebration of the Cebu Press Freedom Week. All roads will lead this morning to the Social Hall of the Cebu Provincial Capitol for a short program kicking off the celebration.

For the whole week, members of the Cebu media from print and broadcast will again gather to unite not only to celebrate being part of a free press, which has been a major foundation of the nation’s democratic life.

Highlights of the celebration are forums where local journalists can find ways to improve their profession. These forums are an essential venue for practitioners to craft more skills aimed at enhancing their vocation.

Local journalists are really proud of the fact that there is no other place in the country that honors and values the media profession by participating in the celebration of press freedom other than Cebu.

Cebu’s vibrant journalism industry has been largely due to the Cebuanos’ active role as, for decades, frontliners in the effort to sustain press freedom. That even Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorial regime failed to silence the local media owed largely to Cebuanos’ painstaking lead in the crusade to protect freedom of expression during the dark days of the nation’s history.

This year’s press freedom celebration is even made more memorable by the approval by the Senate of the bill declaring September 21 as Cebu Press Freedom Day. The date also falls on the anniversary of the declaration of martial law.

House Bill No. 5688, authored by Cebu City North District Representative Raul del Mar, seeks to declare the date a special working holiday in Cebu Province in celebration of the ‘Cebu Press Freedom Day.’

The bill, according to del Mar, acknowledges the important role of the media “both as a government watchdog and as guardians of human rights.” The veteran lawmaker’s move is just an example of Cebuanos’ undying role as champions of press freedom.