Rowegie Abanto

Youth and media groups gather outside Vinzon Hall in UP Diliman, Quezon City, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, to condemn the killing of four Al Jazeera journalists and two other media workers in an Israeli airstrike near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

Youth and media groups gather outside Vinzon Hall in UP Diliman, Quezon City, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, to condemn the killing of four Al Jazeera journalists and two other media workers in an Israeli airstrike near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The groups denounced what they described as an ongoing genocide that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, as well as the continuing attacks on press freedom in the Philippines.
Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

JOURNALISTS PROTECTION- GAZA

Karen De Guzman

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176129710817420250813-gaza-solidarity-journalists-killing-MT11.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Youth and media groups gather outside Vinzon Hall in UP Diliman, Quezon City, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, to condemn the killing of four Al Jazeera journalists and two other media workers in an Israeli airstrike near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span> MANILA <strong>(UPDATED) </strong>— The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said on Friday that not all killings of journalists in the country are connected to their work.</div><p>In a press briefing, PTFoMS Executive Director Jose Torres Jr. said that of the 200 media killings recorded since 1986, only 75 are considered work-related.</p><p>Media organizations like the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility consider media killings and attacks as work-related until proven otherwise. </p><p>“‘Yung out of the 200 cases na nailista, 75 lang ‘yung nakikita natin na work-related. 73 ay not work-related. 12 ay wala pong record tayong nakikita kasi masyadong matagal na, hinahanap pa namin ‘yung record,” Torres said.</p><p>(Out of the 200 cases listed, only 75 were work-related. Seventy-three were not. We are still looking for records for 12 cases because they happened long ago)</p><p>He added that 32 of the recorded cases were from the 2009 Maguindanao massacre.</p><p>“So kung titignan natin, hindi naman gano&#x27;n karami na pinagpapatay na ‘yung media sa Pilipinas,” he said.</p><p>(So, if you look at it, there aren&#x27;t that many media workers killed in the Philippines)</p><p>Over the 39 years since 1986, that averages out to close to two killings per year.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/9/11/freedom-of-the-press-at-its-lowest-in-50-years-study-0852"><strong>Freedom of the press at its lowest in 50 years: study</strong></a></div><p>Torres assured the public that all reported cases of violence against journalists are thoroughly investigated, including the recent killing of Albay broadcaster Noel Bellen Samar, who was shot dead last Monday.</p><p>He said PTFoMS investigators and lawyers were dispatched to Albay and immediately coordinated with local police.</p><p>“So, ang latest ngayon ay meron na tayong litrato noong gunman pati ‘yung kanyang vehicle,” Torres said.</p><p>(The latest update is that we now have a photo of the gunman and his vehicle)</p><p>Authorities are now looking into two possible motives behind Samar’s killing — one related to his work as a broadcaster, and another involving a personal land dispute.</p><p>Torres also refuted claims that the Philippines has a “culture of impunity” when it comes to media killings, noting that convictions have already been made in several major cases, including the Maguindanao massacre.</p><p>Despite Torres&#x27; assurance, media groups hold that a culture of impunity exists around media killings and attacks on media workers because the masterminds in these cases are rarely held to account and because of the time it takes — a decade in the Maguindanao massacre case — for conviction.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/5/2/press-freedom-in-ph-improved-but-global-state-of-journalists-falls-to-difficult-for-first-time-1537"><strong>Press freedom in PH improves but global state of journalists falls to &#x27;difficult&#x27; for first time<br/></strong></a></div><p>The Committee to Protect Journalists, which prepares the annual Impunity Index, put the Philippines ninth on its 2024 list, noting 18 unsolved journalist killings. The Philippines has been on its impunity index for 17 years.</p><p>&quot;Full justice remains elusive for the 32 reporters and media workers killed in the Maguindanao massacre 15 years ago — one of the deadliest attacks on the press — as well as journalists like Gerry Ortega, a radio broadcaster killed in 2011,&quot; <a href="https://cpj.org/special-reports/haiti-israel-most-likely-to-let-journalists-murders-go-unpunished-cpj-2024-impunity-index-shows/">CPJ said last November</a>.</p><div><strong>MOA WITH NAPOLCOM</strong></div><p>PTFoMS and the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) on Friday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) aimed at protecting the rights, promoting the welfare, and ensuring the safety of media workers nationwide. </p><p>“Lahat tayo ay may karapatang magpahayag (We all have the right to report, do our duty), gawin ang ating tungkulin. With this new memorandum of agreement, we will ensure that you can do your jobs properly and freely na hindi mag-aalinlangan,” said NAPOLCOM Vice Chairperson and Executive Officer Rafael Vicente Calinisan.</p><p>The MOA includes the creation of an effective case referral and investigation system to enable faster and more coordinated responses to incidents involving media workers.</p><p>A joint monitoring mechanism will also be established to ensure real-time information sharing between agencies, helping prevent cases from falling through the cracks. </p><p>“This agreement is more than just a document. It is a shared vow, a commitment to protect the rights of media workers, uphold press freedom, and build a future where truth and transparency thrive,” Torres added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-4Iip9n1lns?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said on Friday that not all killings of journalists in the country are connected to their work as members of the media.</p>

The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said on Friday that not all killings of journalists in the country are connected to their work as members of the media.

Not all journalist killings are work-related, says presidential media security task force

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Not all journalist killings are work-related, says presidential media security task force

Karen De Guzman,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 24, 2025 05:54 PM PHT

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Updated October 24, 2025 06:11 PM PHT

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