Developing Journalists in a Country dead-set on Silencing Dissent
“Galing, Talino, at Husay ng mga Batang Makabayan sa Diwa ng MATATAG na Adhika”. Is the theme for the two-day Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC), an event organized by the Department of Education (DepEd) aiming to “demonstrate understanding of journalism through skillful execution in various platforms”. However, the Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, and according to official UNESCO reports, there have been 117 cases of journalists being killed in the country in the last 30 years, with 87 being unsolved. The current state of the nation is of a slaughterhouse, and student journalists are being fattened for the kill, defeating the purpose of nurturing the next generation of government watchdogs entirely.
Heretics and Filibusters
The Philippines may be a democratic country on paper, but in practice, it feels like an authoritarian one, and controlling the media is a classic strategy for authoritarian governments to remain in power. Pick and choose what suits your narrative best, and censor anything that looks bad. This is terrible news for journalists, as their line of work at its core involves the ceaseless watching of the ruling power, and if there’s one thing they don’t like, it’s under observation. These aspects combined brew the perfect excuse: “They’re communists”.
In 2023, Student journalists working for the university publication “The Democrat” were harassed, summoned, and red-tagged by unidentified members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; In 2022, the University of the Philippines’ “Philippine Collegian” received death threats against current and previous staffers from an unidentified sender among others. One thing is clear: in red-tagging, campus journalism is not an exemption. How does one expect student journalists to produce excellent thought-provoking pieces when they constantly have a gun pressed against their heads? The government is hell-bent on controlling the media, silencing them, and rendering them as mere puppets who serve the state’s agendas.
“When they look around and see that no matter what they try, change doesn’t come, a brave few will take matters into their own hands, and that’s not bad.”
So what about the journalistic youth? They’re eager for change and easily moldable, and the other side of the coin lies in the hands of more radical movements, the most prominent of which is the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing the New People’s Army. The young are especially prone to getting misled to the point of recruitment. The NPA has been a thorn in the country’s side for a long time, for almost 55 years and counting the armed conflict has persisted. The concerns of the DepEd about student journalists growing to become NPA members are valid, however we cannot blame them for their reactions. When they look around and see that no matter what they try, change doesn’t come, a brave few will take matters into their own hands, and that’s not bad. It shows that they perfectly embody DSPC’s theme. We need to allow them to redirect that fire and make them feel like they’re part of a movement, a nonviolent one, not stomping out their embers.
We have the responsibility to create an environment where Journalists, professional and student alike, can freely do their work without fear, where the watchdogs are not kicked in the teeth, and where they are not treated like dangerous criminals. It shouldn’t be a slaughterhouse, there is no need for more journalists to be martyred. Our country needs press freedom as much as it requires a better economy or education system because Journalism prevents our democracy from dying. It informs us, keeps us together, and most importantly, inspires us to take action and push for a better Philippines.
Westernian 