Journalist safety has improved –Undersecretary

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) held a seminar yesterday on the operational guidelines of Administrative Order No. 1, which seeks to protect the lives of Filipino journalists. The event was held at the Iloilo Convention Center, located in Iloilo City’s Mandurriao district.

PTFoMS executive director, Undersecretary Jose Joel Sy Egco, claimed, after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the order, the safety situation for Filipino journalists has significantly improved.

According to Egco, the improvement was shown in the latest data by Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders). However, reviewing the organization’s 2018 World Press Freedom Index, which is reflective of how free journalists, news organizations, and netizens are in their respective countries, out of 180 countries, the Philippines dropped to 133, down from 127 in last year’s index.

He said the seminar was conducted to discuss the functions of different government agencies in securing the safety of Filipino journalists; adding, every region in the country has had a case of media violence, with the most recorded in Mindanao./DGB, WDJ