Palace downplays country’s downgrading in world press freedom ranking

Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy 13/02/2013

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Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said the government acknowledges the Philippines' "slight decline" in the rankings.

For the 2nd year in a row and against the backdrop of unsolved media killings and the President's refusal to endorse the Freedom of Information bill, the Philippines dropped in press freedom rankings across the world.

Out of 180 countries surveyed by Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders or Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), the Philippines ranked 149th in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index. It dropped even further from 147th in 2013 and 140th in 2012.

The results of the survey come two months after the killing of 3 media practitioners within just two weeks. (READ: Gov't probes media killings)


The index ranks countries based on the following criteria:

· pluralism or options presented to the media

· media independence or the degree to which media are able to function independently of authorities

· environment and self-censorship

· legislative framework or the quality of legislative framework and its effectiveness

· transparency

· infrastructure

The report did not specify what contributed to the Philippines' low rankings.

According to Phelim Kine, deputy Asia HRW director, “The body count of Filipino journalists speaks volumes for the wide gap between the Aquino government’s rhetoric in addressing rights problems and the reality on the ground,”

12 journalists were killed in 2013, bringing the total number of members of the media killed to 26 since President Benigno Aquino III assumed office in June 2010.

Police have arrested suspects in only six of the 26 cases of media killings. Of these cases, the government has only secured convictions in two cases only, the HRW said.

The Philippines hit its lowest ranking in the World Press Freedom Index in 2010 after the November 2009 massacre of 58 people in Ampatuan, Maguindanao in November. At least 32 journalists were killed in the incident. Four years after, the case remains unsolved.