The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) proudly hails the courage and valor of all media workers as we celebrate National Press Freedom Day.

At a time when the 2025 World Press Freedom Index has tagged the state of press freedom all over the world to be at “an unprecedented, critical low as its decline continued in 2025,” the global state ranking of the Philippines in the Press Freedom Index rose to 116th this year from 134th in 2024.

Malayo na, ngunit malayo pa rin.

Journalists and media outlets continue to face incidents of harassment in their line of work, most notably in the recently concluded 2025 Midterm Elections. The CHR received multiple reports of journalists being blocked entry to polling precincts despite having the authorization to cover the polls, alongside experiencing intimidation and surveillance by unidentified individuals.[1]

While laws recognize and protect freedom of expression and of the press, many journalists continue to face pressure, intimidation, and attacks—both online and offline.

As the country’s independent national human rights institution, the Commission remains steadfast in its commitment to uphold a media landscape that is safe, inclusive, and grounded in human dignity. To this end, we continue to manage the existing Alisto! Alert Mechanism, a direct line of communication for media workers to seek assistance during incidents of harassment or violence against themselves or their colleagues. In addition, the Expanded Media Task Force on the Safety of Journalists was also crafted in order to bridge civil society, law enforcement, and media professionals in crafting a holistic and sustainable response to media threats. The Commission also regularly conducts consultations with local journalists and media citizen councils as part of its grassroots-centric initiatives, particularly during the LaKaRan or Lakbay Karapatan Tungo sa Kamalayan education caravan.

The Commission recently inked its landmark partnership through a Memorandum of Agreement with the Presidential Task Force on Media Security to strengthen coordination efforts on upholding and protecting the rights of Filipino media workers, parallel to the vision detailed in the Philippine Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists.[2]

Protecting media workers in the Philippines will remain to be a work in progress until each one is able to feel safe and is empowered to carry out their profession without any fear of being harmed. The freedom to access reliable information is a fundamental human right in itself, and truth-tellers themselves must be protected, empowered, and heard to safeguard this aspect of a thriving democracy.

Safeguarding the freedom of the press is more than defending a profession—it is defending the future of democracy.###

[1] Statement of the Commission on Human Rights expressing concern on the reported denial of entry, intimidation, and surveillance of journalists during the 2025 Midterm Elections, 21 May 2025, bit.ly/4kmpKDg

[2] CHR and PTFoMS forge stronger partnership to protect media workers’ rights and safety, 27 August 2025, bit.ly/4mWlLyA