In a unanimous vote, the House of Representatives approved the House Bill No.9182 on Wednesday, declaring August 30 as National Press Freedom Day.
203 lawmakers voted affirmatively on the third reading of the bill in honor of Marcelo H. Del Pilar, the father of Philippine journalism.
The bill orders all government agencies and instrumentalities including the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police to lead public and private sectors in “meaningful observance and celebration of National Press Freedom Day,” on the birthdate of Del Pilar.
House Bill 9182 also directs the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to lead public and private schools in creating consciousness-raising activities about the importance of press freedom and the elimination of violence against the press.
Last April, it was announced by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that the Philippines dropped two places in the World Press Freedom Index, now at 138th.
RSF noted the attacks of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration on media, how state troll armies in countries use the weapon of disinformation on social media and the continuous red-tagging of journalists perceived enemies of the state.
RSF reported that globally, journalism is “completely or partially blocked” in 132 countries - an alarming development in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now, more than ever, people need to be able to trust in journalism and have access to accurate information, which acts like a vaccine. It inoculates citizens against the viral disinformation of falsehoods and conspiracy theories, and in doing so, it strengthens the immune systems of democratic societies, making them more stable and resilient,” said Anna Nelson, executive director of RSF USA.
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