Malacañang cited a World Press Freedom report saying that “Philippine media are extremely vibrant” despite the country’s ranking falling to 147th spot this year from 138th in 2021.
Based on the latest World Press Freedom Index which assessed the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories, the Philippines scored 41.84, lower than its 2021 record of 54.36.
“Although the Philippines ranked 147th in this year’s index, Reporters Without Borders (RFS) has acknowledged that the Philippine media are extremely vibrant,” Acting Presidential Spokesperson Martin Andanar said in a briefing Wednesday, May 4.
Andanar noted that the country was not included in the world’s 10 worst countries for press freedom which currently lists Myanmar at 176th spot, China at 175th, Turkmenistan 177th, Iran 178th, Eritrea 179th, and North Korea 180th.
In a separate statement, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said the media environment under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration “has greatly improved.”
“Even with the new method used by the Paris-based RSF in determining each nation’s rankings in the 2022 World Press Freedom Index, the present administration still fared way better than past administrations, a testament to President Rodrigo Duterte’s unwavering commitment to media freedom,” PTFoMS Executive Director Joel Egco said.
“We at the task force acknowledge that there is more that needs to be done… Despite our limited financial resources, the government through the PTFoMS has made tremendous and verifiable steps to ensure media safety in the country,” he added.
With the upcoming 2022 national and local elections, the press undersecretary called on presidential candidates to “further strengthen and reinforce the PTFoMS” for the protection of media workers. KC – ag
