Palace: Journalist deaths not necessarily work-related

Not all journalists who died over the past years were killed in the line of duty, Malacañang said Friday, after a report found the Philippines as among the worst places in Southeast Asia for media workers.

The Southeast Asia Media Freedom report, published by the International Federation of Journalists , said the Philippines received a score of a 7.7 out of 10, with 10 being the worst on IFJ’s impunity scale.

Other countries included in the report got a lower rating such as Cambodia (6.1), Indonesia (7.4) and Myanmar (7.5).

The report pointed to the media killings in the Philippines, which according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines now stands at 185 since democracy was restored in 1986.

“Well, for one, the deaths of journalists in this country appears not to be connected with their job,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

“From what I gather from those who have been killed, may kinalaman sa personal na pamumuhay nila, nothing to do with journalism. Meron din, one or two, pero hindi iyong as a rule.”

According to the report, there are “no signs of any government willingness to stop the targeting of journalist and media organisations who believe this official apathy, or even open hostility.”

“It has fueled a culture of impunity which has emboldened those seeking to silence the press,” it added.

Panelo countered by citing the case of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, who is facing tax evasion and other charges which he said had “nothing to do with freedom of expression.”

“You violate a law, you cannot be immune from prosecution. And binibigyan naman siya ng due process,” he said.

Rappler, which ran articles that scrutinized the government’s war on drugs, said the charges are part of the Duterte administration's efforts to stifle press freedom. —LDF, GMA News