NEW NOR
PRESS
“CHANGE IS COMING”-the famous tagline of this century’s most promising Presidential candidate of the Republic of the Philippines, and now, the President Rodrigo Roa Duterte of the Philippines. Then in just a sneeze of a nose… CHANGE has come. 2020 is the year where we have felt the most significant changes during the Duterte administration. As we opted for the President of change, refashioning of the country gets better by the minute. It explores trends from war on drugs to armed battles. However, today, the Corona takes over the world. It is a trend like no other-faster and unbelievably contagious. The question now is, can Philippines handle the crown? In the time that the glitter and glamour of Corona Virus force Filipinos to stay at home, the paparazzi is expected to crowd the aisle and cover the story as the renowned stars of the congress and state make their way through the red carpet. This is just how it “normally” goes. Yet there are no paparazzi. There is no press. There is just oppressed press. In silence, we dwell. Abnormal as it may seem, it is the Absolute Normal of this decade of change. The pandemic may have taken our freedom to vacation but it is not as worse as how our government does the job. This year, the state formally shut down the country’s largest broadcast network. This signifies the latest major blow against news media under the President’s administration. Lawmakers, proceeding with 13 hearings then voting of a committee of the House of Representatives that concluded a majority to deny the ABS-CBN’s application for renewal, forced the biggest broadcaster off air. Following the shut down is the arrest of Rappler’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maria Ressa. She was accused of cyber-libel after violating a law that was implemented months after the alleged offense. Further, the president has accused Rappler of being funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) without any evidence. The baseless convictions and accusations did nothing than solidify the power of the Duterte administration through griev- ous assaults on press freedom. Now more than ever, the country needs responsive and accurate news platforms than fortifying the current administration’s disposal. Are the people reminded how dismissing press freedom can address the need for news? Or better, are we reminded of how taking these people out of the equation can solve media biases? Thousands of jobs are lost in the shut down. Worse, freedoms of millions of Filipinos are jeopardized. And this does not end here. It starts here. ANTI-TERROR LAW. It allows the state to overreach some human rights in order to achieve responsive security system in the hopes of achieving a “peaceful” Philippines. While it (anti-terror law) attests to the idea of being the trump card of security forces, it is indeed a masterful weapon. It has in all sense given the government the freedom to take from its citizens essential freedoms. Vague is the best it can get with its definition of terrorism. And Vague is the best we can get in envisioning the democracy of this country. It leaves the people with no recourse to question defective governance and misuse of power. It leaves the state with no voice to compel for a better sovereign. The problem is not the protocols of Humans Rights. In fact, it is what should be protected. The problem lies on the competence of our security forces. Regardless, a bigger problem is how we are solving it through red tagging and boycotting potential threats especially journalists. The pandemic can force us to adapt to the new normal yet the government cannot force us to surrender our freedoms. New normal poses questions crucial to adapting to this drastic global change and that is why we need press freedom. We need the truth delivered to our doorsteps in this time that we cannot go out of our homes. We need to impose accountability not just to the government but to ourselves too. The state needs reminding that we are all at stake. Press freedom is not for the press. It is a gift for the people’s becoming. Claim it. It is yours.
MAL
EDITORIAL | 32
FREE
DOM
