DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines documented 266 attacks and threats against media workers under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a figure the group said mirrors a culture of impunity.
On Nov. 2, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the NUJP said its Media Safety Office documented 266 attacks and threats against media workers and at least 12 journalists killed under the administration of Marcos Jr.
Behind the figures, the group said, are journalists whose lives were cut short, families who lost their loved ones and communities denied their right to information.
“Every unresolved killing sends a dangerous message that those who target journalists can get away with it,” the group said in statement.
The Union of Journalists of the Philippines-University of the Philippines (UJP-UP), in its “Impunity Opresses” report also released on Nov. 2, traced incidents including arrests, cyber libel complaints, online harassment and killings throughout 2026.
The student press group said the press fulfills its duty to the people when journalists confront power without fear or favor to advance social change — but that when unchecked power moves against journalists to serve its own interests, the press is oppressed and the people are defeated.
The Philippines ranked 114th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2026 World Press Freedom Index, down in score to 46.79 from 49.57 in 2025 despite moving up two spots in rank.
The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) recorded 239 attacks and threats from July 1, 2022 to April 30, 2026, with 107 involving intimidation.
The country has also remained on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) Global Impunity Index every year since 2008. In its 2024 assessment, the Philippines ranked ninth, with 18 unresolved journalist murders recorded within the index’s coverage period.
Arrests and legal action
Community journalist Frencie Mae Cumpio was convicted Jan. 22 of terrorism financing by the Regional Trial Court Branch 45 in Tacloban, sentenced to at least 12 years after spending more than six years in detention. She has appealed to the Court of Appeals.
In March, DZRH reporter Misael Boy Gonzales Jr. and Roxas City journalist India Lavapiez were arrested in separate cases involving alleged data privacy and cyberlibel violations.
Lavapiez and her husband, Jay Lavapiez, both broadcasters for Baskog Radio, also faced complaints from local political figures over their reporting on corruption. On June 22, Jay survived an assassination attempt.
GMA journalists Mel Tianco, Vicky Morales, Emil Sumangil and Darlene Cay faced libel and cyberlibel complaints Oct. 23 filed by Davao City First District Rep. Paolo Duterte over a report aired on 24 Oras.
A day later, veteran journalist Philip Lustre Jr. was arrested on a cyberlibel complaint filed by lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte. He posted bail of nearly P50,000 and was released.
Police harassed journalists covering protests. Bulatlat contributor Jian Sanz was detained July 22 while covering a demonstration near the ASEAN Summit in Pasay City. Photojournalists Bulit Marquez and Rene Dilan were also reportedly prohibited from photographing the event.
On Oct. 19, Bulatlat reporter Aaron Ernest Cruz was manhandled by police while covering a farmers’ protest outside the Department of Agrarian Reform despite showing media credentials.
Unresolved killings
Nestor Micator, a broadcaster in Cotabato, was shot May 21 in front of a barangay hall by unidentified gunmen. The CPJ’s documentation of Micator’s killing said the circumstances surrounding the attack and its possible connection to his work remain under investigation.
Adrian “Golden Boy” Loterte, an anchor with RBN News Television in Albay, was killed Oct. 12 by two unidentified gunmen at a business establishment in Daraga. The CPJ condemned the killing and called for investigation.
RJ Nichole Ledesma of Paghimutad-Negros Island Alternative Media died in April during a military operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental, while reporting on renewable energy projects. UNESCO condemned his killing, though conflicting accounts surround the incident.
These deaths add to unresolved cases including the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre, which left 58 people dead, including 32 journalists. Convictions were secured in 2019, but dozens of accused remain at large. Photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, missing since the massacre, has not been officially recognized as a victim.
Palawan broadcaster Gerry Ortega, killed in 2011 while reporting on corruption, remains unsolved. Former Gov. Joel Reyes remained at large as of May 2024, the CPJ documented.
Climate of intimidation
Red-tagging, online harassment and legal complaints contribute to the shrinking space for independent journalism.
The Commission on Human Rights warned in a May 2026 statement that red-tagging continues threatening journalists, lawyers, students, indigenous peoples and labor leaders.
The CHR noted the absence of a law specifically penalizing red-tagging as an accountability barrier.
UNESCO released a Nov. 2 report stating 189 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2024 and 2025, with 86 percent of killings remaining judicially unresolved.
The UJP-UP called for collective action to defend press freedom, saying attacks on journalists are also attacks on the public’s right to know. (davaotoday.com)
