"When Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022, many Filipinos hoped the country's notoriously hostile environment for journalists would become less harsh. His predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte a populist strongman now facing trial at the International Criminal Court had waged a relentless campaign of intimidation against the press, marked by lawsuits, harassment, and deadly violence. More than two dozen reporters were killed during Duterte's six-year presidency. Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the dictator toppled by a popular revolution in 1986, won the presidency with promises of change."
"Three years on, however, the picture is mixed. The Philippines has recorded fewer killings of journalists, and global press freedom rankings have inched upward. But beneath the statistics, rights groups and reporters warn of continuing intimidation, politically motivated prosecutions, and an entrenched culture of impunity for people targeting journalists. "As with so many things about President Marcos, he still benefits from being compared with former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was the worst of the worst when it comes to press freedom," Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, told DW."
"In 2024, for the first time in more than two decades, no Filipino journalist was murdered for their work, according to a report from the the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In 2025, Reporters Without Borders ranking the Philippines 116th out of 180 countries in its annual press freedom index, up 18 places compared to 2023. The Marcos Jr. administration quickly claimed credit. "There is definitely press freedom in the country," it declared in a May press release,"
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022 amid hopes for a less hostile environment for journalists after Rodrigo Duterte's aggressive campaign of intimidation, lawsuits, harassment and deadly violence. Duterte's six-year term saw more than two dozen reporters killed. Marcos Jr. campaigned on promises of change and argued that a critical press serves the national interest. Three years into his term the situation is mixed: killings of journalists have fallen and global rankings have improved, but rights groups and reporters report ongoing intimidation, politically motivated prosecutions, and entrenched impunity for those who target journalists. The administration has publicly claimed improved press freedom.
Read at www.dw.com
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