WHERE DOES MEDIA STAND AMID ANTI-TERROR ACT?

Over the years, the Government has targeted the media and journalist with threats, harassments, red-tagging and suspicions, the worst one is killing them to shut their mouths when the journalist’s reports looks like it is against them even what we just do as a journalist is to gather information that are based on facts, write news pieces and present the news to the public in an honest and balanced manner.

When this proposed law started, lots of people reacted regarding this, it is said that this Anti-Terrorism Act can be a Government’s weapon to those who criticize them about their incompetency. This Anti-Terrorism Act is a threat to the freedom of the press and to other people or institutions that are calling for a change into Duterte’s regime. Instead of focusing to an effective response and actions to COVID-19 pandemic here in the Philippines, they really made an effort first to silence the media. According to a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS), 65% of Filipinos agree that it’s dangerous to report or print a news that are critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. Because of this survey, this proves that even the Filipinos believe journalist and media are in a crucial situation nowadays.

As a journalist student, media shouldn’t be scared of this Anti-Terror Act because we always believe that Journalism is a public service, it’s all about letting our fellow-Filipinos know about what is going on to our country without being bias or using filter bubble for the Government’s sake, we are not serving for them. We should defend our democratic rights and the freedom of the press; we should resist the state’s suppression against the people’s rights. just like what a PUP Campus Journalist, John Vincent said during a press conference regarding Junk Terror Law conducted last February 1,2021; “Huwag tayong masindak. Patuloy tayong magsalita, patuloy tayong lumaban.”