Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar ensured the Filipinos that they will fight disinformation on Friday, May 3 as they commemorate the World Press Freedom Day.
“Tayo naman po sa PCOO ay patuloy ang kampanya natin laban sa disinformation o pagpapakalat ng fake news sapagkat isa po ito sa sumisira sa malayang pamamahayag (We in the PCOO will continue our campaign against disinformation and the spreading of fake news because it is one of the disruptors of free press),” Andanar said in a statement.
The PCOO secretary said the current administration continues to respect press freedom in the Philippines despite various allegations of attacks against the media by President Rodrigo Duterte himself.
“Asahan niyo po na patuloy na irerespeto ng Duterte administration ang press freedom sa bansa taliwas sa mga alegasyon ng iilan (Rest assured that the Duterte administration will continue to respect the press freedom in the country, contrary to the allegations of the few),” Andanar said.
He added that the creation of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFOMS) is intended to support the journalists and condemn the media killings. He said the task force was one of the first directives Duterte signed in his early months as president and shows how the administration “respects and protects” journalists.
Andanar reiterated the administration’s regard for the freedom of press despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent attacks to the media. The strong-mouthed leader threatened to block ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal, called out the Inquirer for its critical reporting, and slammed Rappler as “fake news site,”
“Tayo naman po ay kaisa ng lahat ng mediamen sa bansa at sa buong mundo sa pagsusulong at pangangalaga sa karapatan sa press freedom (We are one with the mediamen of the country and the whole world in promoting and preserving the rights to press freedom),” Andanar said.
The World Press Freedom Index issued in April of this year said that the Philippines dropped one spot from its rank in the 2018 index from 133rd to 134th.
“The government has developed several ways to pressure journalists who dare to be overly critical of the summary methods adopted by ‘Punisher’ Duterte and his notorious ‘war on drugs,” Paris-based Reporters Without Borders stated.
The media group cited three journalism-related deaths in 2019 and the prevalence of “troll armies” who launch “online harassment campaigns” against the media.
