Press Freedom Protection Archives | Page 33 of 76

Editor charged with libel for publishing ad

CMFR/Philippines – A newspaper editor in Cagayan de Oro City has been charged with criminal libel for publishing allegedly libelous advertisements in 2012. He posted bail on 25 February 2014 before receiving an arrest warrant the next day. Cagayan de Oro City is some 1,400 kilometers south of Manila....

Suspect in shooting of radio reporter shot dead (UPDATED)

In a memorandum forwarded to CMFR dated 10 February 2013, the Office of the Chief Philippine National Police (OCPNP) said that police officer Rex delos Reyes, the primary suspect in the shooting of dyOK Aksyon Radyo Iloilo reporter Jonavin "Jhey-r" Villalba was gunned down in Barangay (Village) Miranda, Hinigaran...

Journalist threatened over illegal mining report

CMFR/Philippines – A journalist said the mayor of Gonzaga town in the coast of Cagayan province threatened him over the phone on 20 February 2014 for reporting the persistence of illegal black sand mining in the area. The mayor has denied making the threat, and said he only warned the...

Policeman mauls photojournalist during protest dispersal

CMFR/Philippines – A policeman allegedly mauled a photojournalist after the dispersal of protesters in Davao City on 13 February 2013. The Davao City mayor said he would investigate the matter after the journalists’ union condemned the incident. Davao City is some 1,500 kilometers south of Manila. Photojournalist Barry Ohaylan...

STATEMENT: Libel as problematic as ever for free expression and press freedom

THE FEBRUARY 18 ruling of the Supreme Court declaring key provisions of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA 10175) unconstitutional is a victory for free expression. But its declaring the provision on libel committed through the Internet constitutional retains one of the most problematic provisions of the Act. In...

UPDATED: Supreme Court declares key Cybercrime Law provisions except libel unconstitutional

UPDATE: Supreme Court upholds February ruling on online libel CMFR/Philippines – The Supreme Court En Banc on 22 April 2014 denied all motions for reconsideration (MRs) against the Court’s 18 February 2014 ruling on the constitutionality of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10175). CMFR was a...

Philippine ranking drops in World Press Freedom Index

CMFR/Philippines – The Philippines dropped from 147th place in 2013 to 149th in the 2014 World Press Freedom Index released on 12 February 2014 by the Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF; Reporters Sans Frontieres). A Presidential spokesperson responded to the report by saying that the Philippine government is committed...

Court downgrades charge from murder to homicide in radio broadcaster’s killing

CMFR/Philippines – A Court in Cebu City on 16 January 2014 convicted a man of homicide in the case of a radio broadcaster killed 13 years ago in the province of Aklan. The man drove the motorcycle the gunman used to escape. “Treachery and evident premeditation,” qualifications for the...

Radio reporter still under threat years after surviving slay attempt

CMFR/Philippines – A radio reporter in Bukidnon province has been receiving threatening text messages and said a suspicious man on an unregistered motorbike came looking for him at his home in Valencia City on 17 January 2014. The reporter survived a slay attempt almost ten years earlier, on 12...

Reporter barred from covering city council meeting

CMFR/Philippines – A reporter in Lipa City in the province of Batangas was barred from covering a city council meeting on 13 January 2014. His stories on the city government’s finances and its handling of illegal vendors might have irked city government officials, the reporter said. Lipa City in...