VLOGGER ACCESS | Veteran journalist raises concerns on opening Palace coverage to vloggers

June 3, 2022 , 09:28 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(June 3, 2022) – The nominated press secretary’s plans to open media accreditation of vloggers to Malacañang might be intended to drown out critical media coverage of president-elect Bongbong Marcos Jr., a veteran journalist said on Friday.

Vergel Santos, trustee of press watchdog Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), is fearing that Trixie Cruz Angeles’s plans will prevent journalists from serving their role as government watchdogs by allowing vloggers to fill the airspace and cyberwaves.

“Bakit kaya ginagawa ito ng magiging gobyerno? Ang tingin ko, gustong sapawan yung mga legitimate na mamamahayag,” Santos said on One PH’s “Sa Totoo Lang.”

“‘Pag sa dami ng vloggers, ‘pag yan ang mga ipinasok mo, they will fill the air, the hallways, and cyberspace ng puro vlogs na lang. Ang mangyayari ngayon, masasapawan yung mga talagang tunay na mamamahayag.”

Earlier, Angeles said that she wanted to prioritize the accreditation of vloggers to allow them to cover Marcos in the Palace, although she has not yet elaborated on the guidelines for it.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said that “democratizing” access to the government is good in principle, but they are wary of this move as this could potentially be used to favor pro-Marcos vloggers while sidelining journalists.

Media reports and political observers have noted that pro-Marcos supporters have used vlogs and various forms of social media over the past years to spread false information in favor of him and his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

“Ayan, nakakatakot ito. Dahil sa ating arrangement, ang demokrasya, ang binibigyan ng kahalagahan e ang mamamahayag, sapagkat iyan ang watchdogs, bantay ng tao. Yung vloggers, wala, bantay lang ng sarili nila yon,” Santos said.

Santos advised journalists, particularly members of the Malacañang Press Corps, to oppose Angeles’s plans and draw the line between “legitimate” media and otherwise.

He noted that a major difference that journalists have compared to vloggers is a set of ethical standards that they are obligated to adhere to. They also undergo training, and once they are accepted in a media organization, their copies go through editors and fact-checkers to prevent errors in reportage.

“Ang teknolohiya ay napapaboran yung mga vloggers at mga trolls, kaya humihirap lalo ang lagay ng mga lehitimong mamamahayag. Pero wala tayong magagawa. Kailangang ilaban iyan kung gusto niyo na manatili ang ating demokrasya,” Santos said.

Marcos himself has been criticized for restricting media access and snubbing queries from journalists during his presidential campaign. Many reporters who covered his campaign trail have experienced heckling from his supporters and harassment from online trolls.

The Philippines has been declining in the global press freedom index amid persisting attacks against the media, with France-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranking the country 147th out of 180 in the index.

(MB)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.