THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday assured that the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will continue to vigorously pursue all incidents of attacks on journalists as it fully recognizes journalism’s role in nation-building.

DOJ spokesman Jose Dominic Clavano IV made the assurance following the release of the country’s supposed ranking in terms of newspersons’ safety by a private New York based organization.

“This Index will not stop the new administration from investigating and prosecuting work-related killing and harassment of journalists,” he said in a statement.

“We understand the importance of good journalism and we will take concrete steps in protecting those that simply want to keep the government and its officials in check. It is a right we must respect and preserve,” Clavano added.

The 2022 Global Impunity Index by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted that up to 80 percent of 263 incidents of murders of journalists it documented worldwide over the past 10 years remains unsolved.

The CPJ report placed the country seventh among the top 10 countries on its list with 14 slain journalists.

On top of the most unsafe countries for journalists according to the CPJ is Somalia with 19 unsolved murders of journalists in a population of 16.4 million, followed by Syria (16 deaths,18.3 million), South Sudan (5 deaths, 11.4 million), Afghanistan (17 deaths, 39.8 million), Iraq (17 deaths, 41.2million) and Mexico (28 deaths in a population of 130.3 million).

The Philippines ranked just above Myanmar (5 death, 54.8 million population), Brazil (13 deaths, 214 million), Pakistan (9 deaths, 225.2 million), and India (20 deaths, 1.3 billion).

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) noted with concern the Global Impunity Index (GII) released by the CPJ.

The PTFoMS reads:

It should be recalled that the CPJ declared the country as the “most improved” country in the world in its 2020 rankings, moving from 5th to 7th place, said the PTFoMS.

The safety of all journalists and media practitioners is a top priority of President Marcos Jr. The administration of President Marcos condemns in the strongest terms all cases of threats, harassment, or violence committed against the members of the press, and it is working very hard with all government agencies and stakeholders to address this problem through the PTFoMS.

According to CPJ, the GII calculates the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each country’s population. The 7th rank was expected because the report covered a ten-year period between September 1, 2012, and August 31, 2022.

However, it should be noted that most of the cases that transpired during this ten-year period have already been fully investigated, with cases already filed in court. The PTFoMS has already set up plans to work with the judiciary to prioritize these cases.

For instance, the suspect in the killing of radio broadcaster RENATO B. BLANCO that was mentioned in CPJ’S report has already been arrested. Blanco was stabbed to death on September 18, 2022 by accused CHARLES YANOC AMADA. He is currently undergoing trial for MURDER at the Regional Trial Court of Negros Oriental. The PTFoMS has actually communicated this information with Shawn W. Crispin, Senior Southeast Asia Representative of CPJ.

With regard to Percival Mabasa, more popularly known as Percy Lapid, most of us are aware of the importance being given by the government in the investigation of this case in terms of manpower and resources. We have to trust our law enforcement agencies that they will be doing their best in bringing to justice all of the perpetrators behind this heinous crime.

The PTFoMS is also currently working with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and media groups to develop guidelines on how law-enforcement agencies will protect media workers.

It should be noted that the so-called “Media Security Vanguards” or PTFoMS’ focal persons composed of the PNP’s Public Information Officers (PIOs) nationwide that were established during the last election is still an ongoing program, in collaboration with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the PNP.

Through this initiative, journalists all over the country now have a “first line of defense” as these vanguards are tasked and trained to receive and respond to all threats leveled against any media worker.

Please note that the Philippines is not included in CPJ’s list of “World’s Worst Places to Be a Journalist” or “10 Most Censored Countries” in the world.

In the 2022 Director-General Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity released recently by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it has again cited the numerous programs and initiatives made by the government through PTFoMS to protect journalists in the country.

The PTFoMS is also working hand in hand with various media groups and civil society organizations for the implementation of the Philippine Plan Of Action On The Safety Of Journalists or PPASJ, a first in the world, patterned after the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. The PPSAJ which the PTFoMS fully supports was crafted to strengthen the enabling environment for the exercise of press freedom and to establish safety mechanisms for journalists and media workers that are locally anchored and sustainable.

The Marcos administration through the PTFoMS will continue to remain proactive and unwavering in its mandate to defend media freedom in the Philippines by protecting the life, liberty, and security of media workers.

We remind all journalists, broadcasters, and media practitioners to report any incident of threat and harassment so that the matter can be thoroughly and swiftly investigated. The PTFoMS can also provide any journalist or media worker with real-time police security. By ARLENE RIVERA with Philippine News Agency