Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Delegates of the 60th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) hold a chalk art protest at Vinzons Hall on February 7, 2026 to commemorate the sixth year of the illegal arrest of the Tacloban 5. College Editors Guild of the Philippines

Article (news)

Marilyn Cahatol

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776579643329628226222_1191994163094563_2737824638031362386_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Delegates of the 60th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) hold a chalk art protest at Vinzons Hall on February 7, 2026 to commemorate the sixth year of the illegal arrest of the Tacloban 5. <em>College Editors Guild of the Philippines</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — A bill aimed at protecting student journalists’ freedom of publication has been filed at the House of Representatives.</p><p>Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila De Lima filed House Bill No. 8718 or the “Campus Press Freedom Act,” which seeks to repeal Republic Act No. 7079, or the “Campus Journalism Act of 1991” and address “flaws and deficiencies in the law that have resulted in further violations of campus press freedom.”</p><p>“Threats and intimidation have become more pervasive, underscoring the need for stronger legal protections for campus journalists,” De Lima stressed.</p><p>She pointed out that student journalists “continue to face harassment and censorship from school administrations” and have been subjected to “red-tagging and surveillance from state forces such as the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).”</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/10/pup-campus-journalist-declines-cidg-subpoena-over-mendiola-protest-1708">PUP campus journalist declines CIDG subpoena over Mendiola protest<br/></a></div><p>De Lima noted that RA 7079 was found “seriously flawed and insufficient” to protect campus publications and student journalists’ rights and welfare.</p><p>She said it legalizes the non-mandatory collection of the publication fee, which is the “life blood” of most student publications.</p><p>“It only provides a provision that enumerates the sources where the student publication funds may be taken.”</p><p>The law also does not mandate all colleges and universities in the Philippines to establish student publications, or for closed student publications to reopen, she added.</p><p>She said RA 7079 has no penalty clause, allowing school administrations to commit offenses without any consequences.</p><p>The proposed campus press freedom law, according to De Lima, will establish clear safeguards against censorship, guarantee the editorial independence of student publications, and provide campus press with a reliable source of funding.</p><p>It will help all public and private educational institutions from elementary to tertiary levels to establish their own student publications and revive those that have ceased operations upon the schools’ directives.</p><p>“Sa disiplina, husay, tapang, at proteksyon sa pag-uulat ng ating mga student journalists, bukod sa maitataguyod ang karapatan sa malayang pamamahayag, ay mas mailalantad ang mga baluktot na polisiya at pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan, malalabanan ang fake news at disinformation, at mas maihahayag ang katotohanan hindi lang sa mga kapwa nila mag-aaral kundi pati na sa marami pa nating kababayan,” she said.</p><p>(Through discipline, skill, courage and protection in the reportage of our student journalists, aside from upholding press freedom, it will also expose the bent policies and abuse of power, combat fake news and disinformation, and further spread the truth not only to their fellow students, but to the rest of the citizens.)</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">Freedom of the press at its lowest in 50 years: study</a></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1776580519018627905421_1191994026427910_124649020713440126_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Delegates of the 60th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) hold a chalk art protest at Vinzons Hall on February 7, 2026 to commemorate the sixth year of the illegal arrest of the Tacloban 5. College Editors Guild of the Philippines </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><strong>PUP STUDENT PUB HACKED, DELETED</strong></div><p>On Saturday, the Facebook page of The Catalyst, PUP’s official student publication, was hacked and removed from Meta.</p><p>The publication shared that its page was temporarily suspended by Meta on Saturday morning over alleged violations of community guidelines.</p><p>The Catalyst requested that Meta conduct a review of the suspension, citing that it was “compromised by unauthorized access.”</p><p>But the page was taken down and made unsearchable on the platform.</p><p>According to the publication, the incident follows its report on the<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2026/4/18/dimsum-workers-seek-understanding-support-amid-strike-over-unpaid-pay-hikes-1324"> Kowloon House workers&#x27; strike</a> in West Avenue, Quezon City.</p><p>It said it is pursuing appeals for account recovery via Meta.</p><p>“The publication will continue its reporting and publishing operations through our alternative official channels,” it said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/17/deped-s-flagship-student-journalism-event-pushes-through-amid-cost-cutting-1206">DepEd&#x27;s flagship student journalism event pushes through amid cost-cutting</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I9OP5GhcK9M?si=6TL1_Vw2z3qcSYbd" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>ML Rep. Leila De Lima filed the House Bill (HB) No. 8718 or the “Campus Press Freedom Act,” which seeks to repeal Republic Act No. 7079, or the “Campus Journalism Act of 1991” and address “flaws and deficiencies in the law that have resulted in further violations of campus press freedom.”</p>

ML Rep. Leila De Lima filed the House Bill (HB) No. 8718 or the “Campus Press Freedom Act,” which seeks to repeal Republic Act No. 7079, or the “Campus Journalism Act of 1991” and address “flaws and deficiencies in the law that have resulted in further violations of campus press freedom.”

Campus press freedom bill filed in House

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Campus press freedom bill filed in House

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 19, 2026 02:32 PM PHT

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Updated April 19, 2026 02:36 PM PHT

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campus press freedom

student journalism

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