Insisting that it was “unfair” for the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) to express its concerns over reports of human rights violations in the country, including the killing of journalist Percy Lapid, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri falsely claimed that the Philippines has a “very free media” compared to countries like Malaysia and Singapore.
STATEMENT
In a Nov. 7 press conference, the senator was asked if he thought that the UNHRC’s concluding observations of the country was “damaging” to the Philippines’ image. Zubiri said:
“We have a free media. You are [sic] guys are all free. [Nami-]misquote nga ako minsan, eh. Naiinis nga ako sa inyo minsan. You take my quote out of context kaya pinapa-record ko na, eh. Alam mo, we have a very free media as compared to Singapore, as compared to Malaysia, as compared to Vietnam.”
(We have a free media. You are [sic] guys are all free. I’m even misquoted sometimes. I’m upset with you sometimes. You take my quote out of context. That’s why I’ve asked for everything to be recorded. You know, we have a very free media as compared to Singapore, as compared to Malaysia, as compared to Vietnam.)
Source: Senate of the Philippines, Transcription of Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri’s Press Conference, Nov. 7, 2022
FACT
Zubiri was wrong on Singapore and Malaysia. Press freedom in the Philippines does not fare better than Singapore and Malaysia, according to the Paris-based World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Based on the 2022 ranking of the international media freedom watchdog, the Philippines is 147th out of 180 countries while Malaysia placed 113th and Singapore, 139th. Vietnam ranked lower than the three countries at 174th.
Of the four countries Zubiri had mentioned, the Philippines received the second lowest score on the security indicator, with 24.83 out of 100 points.
Every year, the RSF evaluates press freedom in the countries on its list based on five contextual indicators, including journalists’ safety from bodily harm and intimidation, as well as support for holding their government accountable or the lack of it.
For the Philippines, the international watchdog cited the refusal of the House of Representatives to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise, red-tagging of journalists critical of the government, and cyberattacks on media workers. It also said that “impunity for the crime [of killing journalists] is almost total,” noting the long time that it takes to see fruition in the investigation of these cases.
The Philippines ranked 7th on the 2022 Global Impunity Index, with 14 unsolved murders of journalists, based on a separate report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international non-profit on press freedom promotion.
BACKSTORY
RSF reported that press freedom “has deteriorated dramatically” in the Asia-Pacific region, citing the military coup in Burma in 2021 and the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan in the same year.
It also noted that:
“In countries reputed to be more democratic, the media face pressure from increasingly authoritarian and/or nationalist governments such as India (150th), Sri Lanka (146th), and the Philippines (147th).”
Source: Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Asia – Pacific Absolute and autocratic control of information, Accessed Nov. 10, 2022
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Sources
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of the Philippines*, Nov. 3, 2022
Senate of the Philippines, Transcription of Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri’s Press Conference, Nov. 7, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Index (2022), Accessed Nov. 10, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Philippines (2022), Accessed Nov. 10, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Malaysia (2022), Accessed Nov. 10, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Singapore (2022), Accessed Nov. 10, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Vietnam (2022), Accessed Nov. 10, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Methodology used for compiling the World Press Freedom Index From 2022 onwards, Accessed Nov. 10, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Investigation : Despite long legal battle, alleged mastermind behind murder of courageous Filipino journalist still at large, March 1, 2022
Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022 Global Impunity Index: A special report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, Nov. 1, 2022
Committee to Protect Journalists, About Us, Accessed Nov. 11, 2022
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Asia – Pacific Absolute and autocratic control of information, Accessed Nov. 10, 2022
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
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