Pressed for freedom

In a global survey of media independence (conducted by Washington-based Freedom House) the Philippines was able to raise its ranking — from a previous standing of 93, it is now currently ranked at 88 (with zero being the most free, and 100 being the least free). The Philippines has been rated “partly free,” along with 13 other countries.
The yearly survey also cited the improved rating of the country — from 46 points to 42 points. The reduction of violence against journalists and the attempts made by the Aquino administration to address impunity were the factors behind our improved rating.
In 2009, the Philippines garnered the least free ranking due to the Maguindanao Massacre, where 30 journalists and 20 civilians were murdered.
While Freedom House noted the Philippines’ improvement (when it comes to exercising press freedom), another independent organization, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported otherwise.
Released on April 17, CPJ’s 2012 Impunity Index reported that the Philippines remains on the third spot, showing “virtually no signs of progress” when it comes to press freedom.
The Maguindanao Massacre case was also cited, where “the prosecution of dozens of politically connected suspects in the 2009 Maguindanao attack has been marked by delays and marred by allegations of bribery and witness intimidation.”
“Despite the Philippines’ tradition of press freedom, the country’s dysfunctional and corrupt criminal justice system has failed to bring justice in 55 journalist murders in the past decade,” says CPJ’s website.
The CPJ 2012 Index indicated that “the Philippines had an impunity index rating of 0.589 unsolved journalist murders per million inhabitants,” according to a report from GMA.
“But in terms of the number of unsolved cases from 2002 to 2011, the Philippines – with 55 unsolved cases – would have been second only to Iraq’s 93, with Pakistan’s 19 a distant third,” GMA reported further.
While the Maguindanao Massacre case remains unresolved, President Aquino called on the media to participate in helping build a better image for the country during the recent 16th National Press Forum, by providing a balanced delivery of the news — a mix of both good and bad.
For a country that’s been lingering at the bottom of the list, any signs of improvement should, at least, be met with a bit of optimism. However, achieving these minimal improvements should not be an excuse for us to revert back to complacency.
As American founding father Thomas Jefferson once said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend May 5-8. 2012 Sec. A pg. 10)