Stand Point

The Altermidya Network reiterates the call to dismiss the charges against our colleague Frenchie Mae Cumpio and the rest of ‘Tacloban 5’ as the community journalist took the stand for the first time in almost five years on Nov. 11.

A decade later, through many trials, we in the Altermidya remain. We continue to tell the people’s stories.

It is essential to recognize that crafting a safe and supportive space for journalists to report freely and accurately is critical to ensuring the integrity of the information that reaches the public.

We have barely survived six years of a drug war that has left the nation bloodied and divided, yet two years after the end of the Duterte presidency that started it, we are seeing another kind of drug war happening.

In light of the situation involving the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) and their claims of human rights violations by the Philippine National Police, it is crucial to analyze this through the lens of social contract theory.

As the country marks National Press Freedom Day, we note that the barriers to its exercise remain.

The tone may have changed, but the press freedom landscape remains virtually unaltered: In the Philippines, journalists remain under attack for reporting the truth; the people’s right to know remains vastly curtailed; and the practice of journalism remains a dangerous act.

Pro-Duterte bloggers have gone to overdrive this week portraying Vice President Sara Duterte as the fighter who “slayed” House members during the August 28 budget hearing.

Marcos Jr. paints an economic landscape of potentials in the SONA; jobs are now slowly being created and prices are being controlled. But the issues such as low wages, poverty alleviation, developing industry and agriculture remain blank.

The former president Rodrigo Duterte, and his camp have long relied on this playbook of playing up rumors, scandals, and hype to build their political capital, as noted by long-time observers of Davao City politics.