“These attacks not only jeopardize their personal safety but also undermine the vital role of a free press in fostering transparency, accountability, democracy and legitimacy of media as the 4th estate.”
“It is not just the journalist that can benefit from this, but also others who have been red-tagged in social media by anonymous media accounts. What this case will do is to surface that, to actually know who is doing this evil thing so we can take action.”
“We will continue to report, and we will continue to insist on being free.”
Petitioners are asking the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order and/or a writ of preliminary injunction; declare the law unconstitutional; and order respondents to refrain from using, storing, transferring, as well as to destroy data gathered so far.
A few weeks before the start of the trial, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) asked the Quezon City trial judge handling the website blocking case to inhibit, saying that she has shown “bias and partiality” in favor of Bulatlat.
“Dean Luis was and is a pillar of Philippine journalism, credited with advancing the ideals of pro-people journalism both as a respected member of the academe and through the alternative media that he helped to organize in the Philippines.”
Fourteen of the 47 cases involved women journalists, many of whom were subjected to harassment, death threats, and red-tagging. Two are facing charges of libel and cyber-libel, as well as other forms of judicial harassment filed against them by government officials.
Alternative online news Bulatlat assailed the attempt of former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. to exonerate himself over his own website blocking order by saying the current security chief should replace him as a defendant.
Journalists and progressive lawmakers have reiterated their demand for the dropping of charges against community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and four other human rights defenders based in Tacloban City.
Human rights group Karapatan assailed the terrorist designation of red-tagged community doctor Natividad Castro per the Anti-Terrorism Council Resolution No. 35.
Detained Tacloban-based community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio celebrated her 24th birthday today with two court hearings over trumped-up cases filed against her.