Palace welcomes PH rank in press freedom index

Malacañang on Monday welcomed the Philippines' improvement in the global press freedom rank.  

''Yes, definitely that’s good news. The President is delighted with that latest ranking of the Philippines in relation to its upholding the press freedom, okay. It shows the President respects one's right of expression and the responsible journalism,'' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a briefing.

Castro emphasized that this proves President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. is not gearing towards dictatorship.

She added that the President has since made a commitment to protect the rights of journalists.

The 2025 World Press Freedom Index showed that from 134 out of 180 countries, the Philippines ranks 116th, several notches higher than its 134th ranking in 2024.

In a press release, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the country received a global score of 49.57, which is higher compared to last year’s 43.36. —KG/RSJ, GMA Integrated News