With new attacks on campus press, a clarion call for passage of CPF bill

Bill has been pending for months in the Lower House Attacks on campus press worsen during pandemic

SHAINA MASANGKAY

Amidst the increasing cases of campus press violations (CPFVs), student journalists and progressive groups lobby for the passage of an enhanced campus journalism bill. Being on hold for months in Congress, its passage carries the potential of highlighting true freedom of the campus press.

According to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), there have been almost a thousand violations against campus press freedom since 2010. The cases continue to blow-up as student journalists are exposing the atrocities of the current administration.

In February 2020, the Kabataan Partylist (KPL) filed House Bill 319 or the Campus Press Freedom (CPF) Bill to repeal the 29 year-old Campus Journalism Act (CJA) of 1991.

According to Rep. Sarah Elago, KPL representative and CPF bill author, the CJA has been found to be insufficient and lacking in material aspects to fully maintain the existence of the campus press and protect the rights and welfare of student journalists.

Elago further explained the loopholes of the current law stating that it does not legalize the mandatory collection of publication fees in schools. This led to school publications to be lacking in funds for physical publication.

In her statement during the Committee on Higher and Technical Education’s (CHTE) hearing last February 17 at the House of Representatives, Elago said the “inherent flaws of the law” resulted in “even more campus press freedom violations that are even more clever and devious in form.”

“This bill, thus, seeks to repeal the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 that has been hanging over the campus press for several decades now and replace it with a law that genuinely upholds campus press freedom,” Elago added.

Although the House of Representatives recognized the flaws of the law, the passage of the CPF Bill is still pending for months and the government still fails to address the roots of campus press freedom violations.

CEGP also pointed out the “toothlessness” of the flawed CJA in addressing issues of accountability of oppressors and the lack of setting provisions in determining oppressive acts and crime against campus press.

Intimidation, threats, and arrests During the pandemic, campus press freedom was hindered and reports of intimidation, threats, censorship, and illegal arrests plagued several campus media in the country.

One showcase of these violations was when Joshua Molo, the editor-in-chief of UE Dawn was forced to make a public apology

After the shutdown of ABS-CBN, youth groups and campus journalists organized a mobilization at University Avenue on July 11. [P] PHOTO BY SONYA CASTILLO

last April 5. This was after having a heated conversation with his former teacher about his critical sentiments against the government. In an earlier case last March 25, Today’s Carolinian, the official publication of the University of San Carlos (USC) in Cebu City, faced intimidation from the provincial government of Cebu after an article was published condemning the order of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia on finding individuals who criticize the government’s actions against Covid-19.

According to CEGP, Garcia commented on the article, inviting editor-in-chief Berns Mitra to discuss the matter, on which the group called it as “a clear manifestation to intimidate her critics.”

They also reported cases of censorship similar to the issue experienced by The Bicol Universitarian, wherein their Facebook page was notified that they would be restricted from accessing some features of their page and posting content on the social media platform.

Another censorship case involved the Pamantasan ng Cabuyao (PnC) administration attempting to have the student publication PnC Herald take their alert post down. This concerned an attempt at breaching the school website, with the administration reportedly infuriated at the update.

Additionally, Cavite State University’s (CSU) The Flare also encountered censorship from the police, while they were en route to an anti-communist symposium that redtagged progressive groups.

Moreover, journalists from different publications have been red-tagged and illegally arrested. This includes the recent arrest of CEGP campaign committee head Anton Narciso III, and other three relief volunteers and 14 beneficiaries after conducting relief distribution at Barangay, Central, Quezon City last May 1.

With the Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL) signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, threats to campus press freedom are expected to rise. Even before its implementation, several campus journalists have been red-tagged, threatened, and intimidated by state authorities.

Two days before the ATL was signed, an officer of the Calamba Philippine National Police (PNP) threatened to confiscate the camera of James Jericho Bajar, a UPLB Perspective photojournalist, while covering a protest.

With the onset of the law, student journalists and youth from different campus publications and organizations continue to amplify their call for genuine press freedom.

Call for press freedom On Thursday, July 24, a day before the celebration of the National Campus Press Freedom Day, CEGP filed a complaint before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) against the increasing campus press repression and violations.

In their statement, the numerous accounts of transgressions showed how the administration and oppressors are unafraid of the law and that is crucial for the perpetrators to be accountable for the violations done with the RA 7079 and campus press freedom.

“Instead of giving leverage or putting journalism on a pedestal for having a selfless moral obligation, campus journalists are still being oppressed and downtrodden,” CEGP stressed.

CEGP also called for the attention of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to probe and investigate the reports on the increasing number of campus press violations in colleges and universities. “Such atrocity shall never be overlooked—for this is the main reason why people fail to realize the importance of Campus Journalism,” the guild stated.

Regina Tolentino, deputy secretary-general of CEGP, also expressed that people are in need of responsible and transparent journalism now more than ever and blatant attacks on journalism should never be permitted. “Press freedom is important in a society as it becomes the avenue for information as well as it exposes all the errors in the society without any intervention from anyone who wants to silence it,” Tolentino added. [P]

She also warned that distance learning would give way to school and university officials to wage attacks against press freedom, as repression, censorship on social media, and disciplinary actions will be more rampant.

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