President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured Filipino journalists of the government’s unwavering efforts to protect their welfare and uphold their freedom as he called on them to foster responsible journalism.
“Be assured that we are doubling down on our commitment to protect our journalists and to uphold press freedom. We stand with you, hand in hand in this fight,” President Marcos said in his speech during the 50th Anniversary of the Publishers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PAPI) on Friday.
“Sama-sama tayong titindig sa katotohanan. In this fight, we are the lighthouse keepers in the storm; that light that we keep must stay steady, even as the winds blow,” the President added, referring to the government’s commitment to protect the welfare of journalists.
President Marcos highlighted the Media and Information Literacy Campaign of the government, which aims “to equip the public, the youth especially, with the skills to critically evaluate the information they consume and to help us fight misinformation and disinformation.”
President Marcos also called on journalists to remember the sacrifices of their comrades who lost their lives in the relentless pursuit of truth, mentioning Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa, Juan “DJ Johnny Walker” Jumalon, and Cresenciano Bundoquin.
The President said that journalists who died in the pursuit of their duty are not only names in a report but also faces with families, colleagues, and communities that grieve their loss.
“All our efforts to bring them justice is a testament to [the] belief that no story, however dangerous, is too small or too insignificant to be told.
“Together, let us foster responsible journalism for we know that more than a democratic ideal; it is a necessity for an informed and an empowered citizenry to make the proper, intelligent, well-informed decisions about their leaders, about their situations, about their condition,” he added.
|PND