PH press freedom ranking rises amid violence vs journalists

The Philippines rose from 134th to 116th in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on May 3, following a year with threats to media freedom persisting nationwide.

The RSF, which publishes the annual index, credited the improvement mainly to the absence of journalist killings in the past year.

It was the first time since 1995 that no journalist in the Philippines was killed in line with their work.

RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau advocacy officer Arthur Rochereau attributed the improvement partly to the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who is perceived as less aggressive toward the media than former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.

“The RSF index is a snapshot of the situation of the press for one year—the fact there was no murder of journalists…Also, the fact that the current administration is less aggressive towards the media than the former Duterte administration also improves the situation a little bit,” he stated on a media briefing.

Despite the improved ranking, the Philippines remains under RSF’s “difficult” category for press freedom, based on an overall score of 49.75.

This classification is based on political, economic, legislative, social, and security aspects of a country, with the Philippines scoring especially low in political and economic metrics.

According to RSF, financial instability is now among the most urgent threats to global press freedom, with 160 out of 180 countries facing serious challenges in sustaining media operations.

The country’s political score stood at 39.62 and its economic score at 39.58, both falling under RSF’s “very serious” category.

This suggests that while killings have decreased, journalists still face persistent threats such as red-tagging, online harassment, and political pressure.

“There are strong systemic issues explaining why the Philippines is still ranked at the bottom of the index. The issue of red-tagging, for instance, is a strategy from authorities to label journalists that are critical to the administration and to the army as terrorists,” Rochereau said.

The Philippines remains the deadliest country for journalists in the Asia-Pacific region over the past 40 years, with nearly 200 media killings since 1986 and only 50 convictions secured.

Since President Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022, six journalists have been killed, including one in 2024, despite that year being initially reported as free of media killings. 

Among the slain were prominent broadcasters Percy Lapid and Juan “Johnny” Dayang.

From July 1, 2022, to April 30, 2025, at least 184 attacks against media workers were recorded, a 44% increase from the Duterte administration’s 128 documented cases.

The most common form of attack is intimidation, which includes 48 cases of red-tagging and 19 incidents of surveillance, followed by 33 cases of harassment, 18 cyberattacks, 13 cyber libel charges, and 10 death threats.

Red-tagging remains a systemic and state-linked issue, with journalists frequently branded as “communists” or “terrorists”, a practice institutionalized under the NTF-ELCAC and reinforced by the RA 11479 or Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

One of the most notable cases is that of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a community journalist who has been jailed since 2020 on terrorism-related charges.

In 2024, the Supreme Court officially recognized red-tagging as a threat to life and liberty, while a court awarded damages to journalist Atom Araullo over defamatory red-tagging claims.

Rochereau warned that such practices create an alarming effect on press freedom, discouraging reporters from covering controversial topics.

While the security climate slightly improved, economic instability continues to threaten journalism’s viability in the country.

In early 2024, CNN Philippines ceased operations due to financial losses, leaving around 300 workers unemployed.

Later that year, ABS-CBN also laid off over 100 employees amid declining ad revenues and mounting industry challenges following its 2020 franchise denial.

In a recent development, the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) announced a restructuring that will transfer its print publication to its sister company, Inquirer Interactive Inc., starting July 1, 2025.

The move aims to consolidate digital and print operations, with promises of financial sustainability and broader digital reach.

Affected employees will be granted legal severance benefits, and some members of the editorial team have been invited to transition to the new multimedia setup.

Despite reassurances, the development reflects a broader trend of declining financial support for traditional journalism.