MANILA—THE Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to ensure the safety and respect for the rights of the members of the press covering the elections.
Signing the MOA on behalf of the commission was Chairman George Erwin Garcia while PTFoMS executive director, Usec. Paul M. Gutierrez, signed on behalf of the task force.
“This MOA is part of the continuing effort by the Marcos government to create a safe media environment for members of the press all over the country, especially during elections,” said Gutierrez, recalling Pres. Marcos Jr.’s instruction for the PTFoMS to work for a safer media environment for everyone.
The MOA is the first of its kind between the COMELEC, an independent constitutional body, and the PTFoMS, the government’s mechanism to address all violations on the right to life, liberty, and security of all members of the press, since the latter’s creation under Administrative Order No. 1 (AO1) in 2016.
It recognizes the important role of the press in scrupulously reporting and interpreting the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis.
The agreement also seeks to provide media practitioners with a safe and protected space, free from any unnecessary interference in order to perform their duty to report truthful election related news.
Among others, the MOA seeks to consider any act of threat, harassment, illegal detention, torture, or physical violence to any member of the press a violation of the media’s role under the Fair Election Act or RA 9006, the Omnibus Election Code, or the Revised Penal Code, as the case may be.
Chairman Garcia, for his part, said, he agreed to the MOA considering that poll workers also suffer from the same level of threats, harassments and loss of life being experienced by journalists during elections.
“Ang dinaranas ninyo (journalists) tuwing eleksyon ay dinaranas din ng aming mga tauhan, partikular yung mga nasa field,” Garcia said.
He also repeatedly stressed the important role played by the media in achieving the poll body’s mandate of conducting a clean, credible, free, honest, and orderly elections.
Both officials said the provisions of the MOA would take effect this October, the start of the filing of certificate of candidacy (COCs) and would last until June 11, 2025, the end of the election period.
“While violent incidents cannot be prevented especially during elections, we hope this MOA would serve to deter those contemplating to do harm against the media from doing so, especially among the candidates and their supporters,” they added.
Any media practitioner whose rights are violated during the covered period must report the incident immediately to the PTFoMS, which would then immediately coordinate with the COMELEC on the appropriate measure to be taken to address the incident.
The PTFoMS shall also be responsible in attesting that the victim is a legitimate member of the press and assist the victim in the filing of a formal complaint before the poll body.