IMPUNITY INDEX | Philippines remains in seventh spot as the deadliest country for journalists in the world

October 29, 2021 , 10:11 PM

By Clarist Mae Zablan, News5 Digital

(October 29, 2021) – The Philippines kept its seventh spot as the most dangerous nation in the world for journalists because of the unresolved killings of media workers, a U.S.-based media watchdog has said, but the Duterte government expressed confidence the country will be out of the list soon.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the Philippines was ranked 7th behind countries with conflict, like Somalia, Syria and Libya, the same ranking it had last year as the Global Impunity Index reported 13 unsolved murders in the country from September 2011 to August 2021. Last year, there were 11 unresolved journalist killings.

Three cases of media killings were recorded in the last twelve months, namely that of radio journalist Renante Cortes last July, radio commentator and columnist Virgilio Maganes in November 2020, and internet reporter Jobert Bercasio in September 2020.

All three were shot by unidentified assailants, and their deaths were suspected by media watchdogs and human rights groups to be related to their line of work.

Maganes was facing a libel case against a civil society group he criticized over an alleged mishandling of funds, while Bercasio’s reportage had been hitting on issues such as illegal logging. Cortes’s radio commentaries also put him into conflict with political personalities, the police said.

Nonetheless, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), which was formed in 2016 to address the rampant media killings in the Philippines, rejoiced over the lack of comment from the CPJ on the country in its latest report, viewing it as a sign of improvement.

“This is the first time that it happened since we were included in the list more than a decade ago,” the task force’s executive director Joel Sy Egco said in a statement. “There’s no other way of looking at it but a huge leap, a great improvement in our collective effort to end impunity against media workers.”

Beyond killings, a joint statement by media workers deplored the state of press freedom in the Philippines, which they described as “fragile” amid lawsuits filed against journalists such as Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and the shutting down of media giant ABS-CBN.

Ressa won a Nobel Peace Prize for her fighting for freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

The media workers also expressed concerns on the harassment and attacks faced by journalists and news organizations from online trolls, the challenges in gathering information during a pandemic, and financial struggles faced by media companies.

“But so many soldier on, bringing fact-based news and opinion in their belief that truth-telling matters, even in the era of lies and disinformation,” the media workers said in the statement.

(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.