The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Monday, July 27, said it had documented 256 cases of attacks against the press since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022.
The latest figure, which the NUJP shared on Facebook ahead of Marcos’ fifth State of the Nation Address, was nearly 6% higher than the 242 cases the media union had recorded as of May 3.
Of the 256 cases, 58 were allegedly perpetrated by government officials, while 54 were attributed to state security forces. Another 61 involved individuals and 31 involved private organizations. The perpetrators in more than 50 cases remain unknown.
Since the start of the Marcos administration, 12 media workers have been slain, while 80 have fallen victim to harassment. Almost 40 were red-tagged, and 19 were subjected to cyberattacks.
Close to 20 of the cases involved various forms of judicial harassment, while 14 involved libel or cyberlibel charges. The rest involved online attacks or harassment (18), physical attacks (17), denial of coverage (13), death threats (9), arrests (8), censorship (4), theft, loss of or damage to property (2), and closure (1).
The total number of victims, the NUJP said, is 325, comprising 250 individuals and 75 media outfits.
‘Behind every number is a journalist, a newsroom, and a community whose access to truth is at risk,’ it said
Most of the attacks occurred in Luzon, with 202 cases, while 51 and 30 were recorded in the Visayas and Mindanao, respectively. Six cases occurred overseas.