The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) have forged a partnership to protect the rights of media workers and journalists in the country amid persistent threats, harassment, and violence.
The memorandum of agreement, signed by the two parties, underscores the shared commitment of both institutions to uphold press freedom, as stipulated in Article III, Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which guarantees the freedoms of speech and expression.
It builds on previous collaborative efforts, including the 2023 National Media Forum organised by CHR, which gathered media organisations and government agencies to address pressing concerns faced by the media community.
The agreement outlines key objectives, including the exchange of information for swift response to threats, stronger investigations into rights violations, and enhanced cooperation in case build-up to ensure accountability.
It also provides financial assistance to affected media workers and establishes a policy platform that integrates human rights standards into media security efforts, fostering a safer environment for journalists.
The CHR said that based on the latest 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, the Philippines climbed to 116th out of 180 countries from 134th last year.
Despite this improvement, the agency noted that media workers still face serious challenges, including harassment, intimidation, red-tagging, online abuse, cyber harassment, and, in some cases, incidents resulting in loss of life.
The partnership also aligns with the Philippine Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, by seeking to advance protection mechanisms; reinforce the justice system; and, fulfill the partnership dimension of its 4Ps framework through the CHR-PTFoMS cooperation.
The two parties said that by fortifying safeguards for press freedom, the agreement strengthens the public’s right to information, protects the principle of truth-telling, and helps ensure that issues affecting Filipino communities are reported freely, without fear or favor.
