Women journalists gather in Quezon City on January 25, 2024, to launch their butterfly campaign as they call for an end to gender-based and politically-motivated attacks that their ranks are being subjected to. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file 

Darcie de Galicia is a broadcast journalist in Quezon province known for his hard-hitting commentaries regarding issues concerning his province. 

But sometime in 2022, right after the national and local elections, De Galicia was startled when a local executive slapped him and four others with 941 counts of libel, in reaction to his critical views about the said official.

De Galicia was a block-timer in a local radio station when he was charged.

“First time sa Philippines na nagkaroon ng ganitong nai-file na kaso. Sabi nga ng ating mga fellow journalists, pang-book of world record ito kasi hindi siya pangkaraniwang kaso. At kapag na-file-an ka ng ganitong kaso, nakaka-praning,” De Galicia said.

(First time in the Philippines cases of this nature were filed. As my fellow journalists said, this was for book of world records because it’s not an ordinary case. And once you face these cases, you will have anxiety.) 

“Hindi mo alam bakit ka pinile-an (file) ng ganito. Sa dami-dami ng nagki-criticize sa kanya, bakit kami ang napili.  At sa part ng trabaho, may chilling effect. Kasi, after that filing of cases against us… para kang binibigyan ng order na kailangan hindi mo kami i-criticize, kasi we are perfect,” he said.

(You do not understand why you were sued when many were criticizing that individual. It gave us a chilling effect. As if you are being ordered not to criticize them because they are perfect.)

It was the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) who supported De Galicia when he battled the cases against him.

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The charges against De Galicia and others did not prosper and were dismissed by the prosecutor.

Today, De Galicia writes for Rappler and despite the dismissal of the case against him, the so-called “chilling effect” in their profession persists. 

“Sa part po ng colleagues natin sa Quezon province… yun nga nagkaroon ng chilling effect. Kasi nga, natakot, takot talaga. Kasi, biro mo, 941 (counts)... Once it has prospered, yung piyansa ita-times mo sa 941. So, saan tayo kukuha non?,” De Galicia admitted. 

(My colleagues in Quezon province became afraid. Imagine, 941 counts of cases. Once it prospered, you will multiply the amount of bail to 941 times. And where are we going to get that money?)

For De Galicia, this year’s celebration of the “World Press Freedom Day” has become so memorable given his own experience. 

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"Pambihira… kaparehas din po ito sa pagbabanta sa press freedom. Hindi lang po ito sa institusyon. Ito po ay banta rin sa susunod na henerasyon (ng mamamahayag) na dapat bantayan… we  still need to fight, and fight. Para kung ano yung totoo, maipalabas natin,” De Galicia said. 

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

The May 3 World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993 as product of the UNESCO’s General Conference recommendation.

In the Philippines, more than 100 journalists marked the occasion by attending the three day-conference entitled “Innovating Investigative Journalism: Towards Collaboration and Public Engagement” through the holding of various sessions involving the nation’s future related to geo-politics, war on drugs, elections, economy, as well as the power of the press using different platforms including the social media. 

During Thursday’s plenary session, key figures in the profession also took turns in presenting the current status of Philippine journalism. 

NUJP Secretary General Len Olea said the Philippines is 132nd in the World Press Freedom Index. 

Olea reported under the current administration, there have been 118 incidents of attacks on journalists.

She said libel laws in the country are still being used as a weapon to harass journalists as shown by at least 50 journalists facing libel or cyber libel cases from June 2016 to March 2023.

These difficulties meanwhile, are doubled by the “red-tagging” of journalists which now number to “21 incidents of red-tagging against journalists and media organizations,” she said. 

From the journalists’ side, the issue of low salary persists, as shown by the NUJP’s 2021 survey which underlined the average salary of a practitioner between P16,000 to P25,000. In Bohol province according to PCIJ Training Director Rowena Paraan, a journalist’s story is only paid P14 per article. 

All these challenges are also compounded by the journalists’ fight against the widespread problem on disinformation and misinformation in the country, Olea said. 

“I want to believe that we are slowly regaining the trust of the public. And we have to continue doing that. Kasi, hindi naman natin kayang tayo lang… I think journalism will continue to be relevant especially in the time of disinformation and misinformation. Now, that we’re approaching the midterm elections next year, all the more na kailangan nating magpursige sa ating propesyon ng paghahatid n katotohanan sa publiko,” Olea said. 

HERE TO STAY 

Regardless of how difficult the situation is and the varying degrees of harassment journalists are experiencing, the journalism profession in the Philippines will remain, PCIJ Training Director Rowena Paraan said. 

Asked if it is worth it to be a journalist these days, Paraan said: “Of course.”

“Kapag merong acts being done to suppress information that makes journalists even more important. So, hindi sya usapin ng, maging journalist tayo kasi hindi tayo masyadong minumura ngayon… ang point is, information is needed by the public.

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(The more that there are acts to suppress information, that makes journalists even more important. So, it is not an issue of, we should be a journalist because there are less cursing these days. The point is, we have the obligation to provide the public the information because they need it.)

It’s the responsibility of the journalists to provide that information,” Paraan said.