PTFoMS WELCOMES REPORT CITING PH GAINS IN SAFETY OF JOURNOS By Azer Parrocha MEDIA WORKERS MATTER. Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary and Presidential Task Force on Media Security co-chair Secretary Martin Andanar on Sunday (March 14, 2021) says the government values the life, liberty, and security of media workers. He cited the UNESCO’s 2020 Director-General Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity that indicated the Philippines showed significant progress in protecting the welfare of media workers. (PNA file photo)
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) recognition of the Philippines’ significant progress in protecting journalists is a “validation” of the Duterte administration’s efforts to uphold press freedom in the country, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said on Sunday. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary and PTFoMS co-chair Martin Andanar issued the remark after the UNESCO’s 2020 DirectorGeneral Report on the Caraga INFOCUS
Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity showed that “significant progress was made” by the country in the case of the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre, pointing out that on December 19, 2019, the court convicted 43 individuals, including the masterminds behind the attack. “This is a validation of the relentless efforts of the government through the task force in protecting the life, liberty, and security of media workers in the country amid the pandemic. While there is more work that needs to be done, rest assured that
the Duterte administration will always uphold press freedom,” Andanar said in a press statement. PTFoMS Executive Director Undersecretary Joel Sy, for his part, noted how the UNESCO report highlighted that the Philippines was among the countries which have strengthened monitoring mechanisms to track attacks against journalists. The UNESCO report also emphasized that the Philippines put up measures to prevent crimes against journalists and media workers and established specific bodies March 13-19, 2021 |
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