PH climbs 116th in World Press Freedom Index, yet media remains in ‘difficult situation’

In its highest ranking in 21 years, the Philippines places 116th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, from 134th in the previous year.

The report released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) shows the Philippines rising 18 spots, but although the country’s position improved, overall progress remained modest, with only 6.2 points earned to a total of 49.57—still under the 'difficult situation' category.

RSF is known for assessing the state of press freedom in each country based on their political, legal, economic, sociocultural, and safety factors.

Although still deemed in a 'difficult situation,' RSF noted improvements in the Philippine’s  safety and legal press freedom indicators. With a safety score of 61.57, the country now falls under the 'problematic situation' category, a slight improvement from its 2024 safety score, which had placed it in the 'difficult situation' bracket.

Ending the one-year no-kill streak

During his speech at the 50th anniversary of the Publishers Association of the Philippines Inc., President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged the media’s role as "vigilant" vanguard of communities and vowed to strengthen security measures to protect Filipino journalists. 

However, after the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) marked 2024 as the first time in two decades with no recorded journalist killings in the Philippines, that progress was abruptly shattered by the recent killing of veteran journalist Johnny "Juan" Dayang, who was shot inside his home. 

The 89-year-old former mayor of Kalibo and longtime publisher of Graphic Magazine, Dayang, was gunned at his residence in Barangay Andagao, Kalibo, Aklan, at around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29. 

By the numbers: Press violations during the Marcos administration

The country may improve in terms of ranking in the World Press Freedom Index, but this improvement does not necessarily mean the Philippines becomes safer for journalists. 

As of May 1, 2025, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has documented a total of 177 attacks against individual media workers, reflecting the increasingly perilous climate for press freedom in the country. Harassment—whether through surveillance or verbal threats—was the most frequently reported form of attack, with 58 cases. This was followed by 29 instances of red-tagging, underscoring the persistent targeting of journalists through political labeling and intimidation.

Digital threats also remain a serious concern, with 19 reported cyber attacks, 13 cases of online harassment, and 12 incidents of cyber libel or libel. Meanwhile, the legal system is also being used as a pressure point against the media, as seen in 12 cases of judicial harassment and four arrests. 

One prominent example is the 2020 arrest of community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who was charged with “financing of terrorism” and “illegal possession of firearms” offenses that carry prison terms of up to 40 years. 

Cumpio remains in prison despite investigations from human rights groups asserting that the evidence incriminating the journalist was only planted and fabricated. In fact, she was only able to give her first testimony in court in November 2024, the first time in four years of being behind bars. 

Although her arrest occurred under the rule of now-detained ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, press freedom advocates demand that the Marcos government secure her immediate release. The call for Cumpio’s immediate release goes beyond this, as her case is one of the 2025 ten most urgent threats to press freedom around the world as per the Time Magazine. 

Cumpio is not alone in this ordeal. Just last January, another Filipino freelance journalist was once again red-tagged, resulting in detention which could face life imprisonment if found guilty of providing supplies to a banned rebel group, New People’s Army (NPA). 

The accused, Deo Montesclaros, was the second journalist to be charged under the Philippines’ Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012, according to the NUJP. 

However, Montesclaros denied the allegations and told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that the charges were just another case of media repression. Their cases demonstrate how legislation can be weaponized against journalists and other human rights defenders.

Other serious threats include nine death threats, four denials of media coverage, two cases of censorship, one incident involving theft or damage to property, and one closure order. It can be recalled that in 2020, one of the Philippines’ largest networks ABS-CBN was not granted a franchise by the Duterte administration, Marcos Jr.’s predecessor, therefore losing its airwaves and eventually shut down. This has led to massive layoffs of media practitioners during the pandemic, and most especially, the infliction of ‘chilling effect’ that still persists in the country’s media landscape today.

Meanwhile, the Marcos Jr. administration has noted a decline in journalist killings in recent years. However, the recent killing of Juan Dayang has brought the total number of slain media workers to six as of writing. Moreover, seven other cases of physical attacks were also documented. 

Of the documented victims, 104 were male, 59 were female, and five identified as members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Additionally, 68 cases involved individuals affiliated with media organizations or news outlets. 

Killers of the harbingers of truth

Based on documented data, the identified perpetrators behind attacks on media workers include various actors. The government continues to be one of the reasons behind these attacks, logging 32 cases linking to government entities, and 30 incidents from state security forces. 

On the other hand, a total of 48 incidents were attributed to individuals, while 46 cases involved unidentified perpetrators. An additional 25 cases were associated with private organizations.

Despite the decrease in the number of journalists being killed, Jonathan de Santos, the current Chairperson of NUJP, stated that these numbers are still not enough to consider that the media environment is safe.

"The killing of journalists is the most egregious form of censorship. And the Philippines remains a dangerous country for journalists, much more need to eliminate impunity," he said in his speech during a forum commemorating World Press Freedom Day at the UP College of Communication last May 2.

These figures underscore the increasingly hostile environment for journalists, where intimidation and suppression remain systemic challenges to their safety and their ability to write stories that matter, and narratives that the masses need to know. With impunity continues to be the status quo in the Philippine justice system, the call remains—defend press freedom. 

Article: Jannine Lagbawan and Kier James Hernandez 

Graphics: Jan Mike Cabangin