PRESS FREEDOM | Philippines climbs 15 places in press freedom index, but concerns on attacks remain

May 3, 2023 , 09:34 PM

By Clarist Zablan, News5 Digital

(May 3, 2023) – The Philippines improved by 15 places in this year’s global press freedom index, a France-based media rights watchdog said on Tuesday, noting government restrictions on the press have loosened but still remained under a new administration.

In an annual report coinciding with the commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) placed the Philippines as the 132nd freest country in the world for journalists out of 180 in its 2023 report. The country ranked 147th last year.

“The Philippine media are extremely vibrant despite the government’s targeted attacks and constant harassment, since 2016, of journalists and media outlets that are too critical,” RSF said in its report.

The organization noted that the election of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as president last year was “unsettling” for most media practitioners in the country due to the reputation of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Sr. whose rule saw widespread closure of news organizations and arrest of journalists.

There appeared to have been fewer and less violent attacks against the press under Marcos Jr. compared to his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, but the issue is “still worrisome,” it said.

“Under Duterte, who was nicknamed the ‘Punisher’, journalists who tried to cover his expeditious “war on drugs” were the target of the worst attacks. In this respect, the policy of his successor, Bongbong Marcos, is more consensual. But the authorities still often resort to ‘red-tagging,’” said RSF.

In a separate statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) tallied 60 incidents of violations against press freedom under the Marcos Jr. administration.

Two media killings were reported under the administration as of April 30, including the gruesome death of popular radio commentator Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa.

The group noted the Marcos Jr. administration has not been openly hostile to media since he took office, but threats to press freedom remained with many journalists still continuing to face harassment and “red-tagging,” or accusations of links to the Maoist-led rebellion.

“On World Press Freedom Day, we remind ourselves that while there have been victories – in court, with the acquittal of Maria Ressa and Rappler of tax cases, for example – many, far too many of us are still facing threats and that our freedom is still fragile,” NUJP said.

Last month, rights group Amnesty International raised concerns on the continuing attacks against journalists even after Duterte formally stepped down.

For his part, Marcos has pledged to work “hand-in-hand” with the media to ensure transparency in the government and the protection of their civil liberties.

(MM)

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.