When Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022, many Filipinos hoped the country’s would become less harsh.
His predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte — a populist strongman now facing trial at the International Criminal Court — had waged a relentless campaign of intimidation against the press, marked by lawsuits, harassment, and deadly violence.
More than two dozen during Duterte’s six-year presidency.
Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the dictator toppled by a popular revolution in 1986, won the presidency with promises of change.
“The national interest is better served by a press that is critical rather than a press that is cooperative,” he argued during his campaign.
Three years on, however, the picture is mixed. The Philippines has recorded fewer killings of journalists, and global press freedom rankings have inched upward. But beneath the statistics, rights groups and reporters warn of continuing intimidation, politically motivated prosecutions, and an entrenched culture of impunity for people targeting journalists.
“As with so many things about President Marcos, he still benefits from being compared with former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was the worst of the worst when it comes to press freedom,” Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, told DW.
In 2024, for the first time in more than two decades, no Filipino journalist was murdered for their work, according to a report from the the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
In 2025, Reporters Without Borders ranking the Philippines 116th out of 180 countries in its annual press freedom index, up 18 places compared to 2023.
The Marcos Jr. administration quickly claimed credit.
“There is definitely press freedom in the country,” it declared in a May press release, adding that the government “respects one’s rights of expression and responsible journalism.”
But many journalists see little cause for celebration.
Philippines ‘safer’ but not better for journalists
Rachel E. Khan, a professor of journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman, cautioned against overstating progress.
She told DW that the reporters were now “safer” because “we no longer have a head of state openly encouraging an open season for attacking the media” as it was under Duterte with his openly hostile rhetoric.
Yet violence has not disappeared. At least five journalists have been killed since Marcos Jr. took office three years ago, including radio broadcaster Erwin Labitad Segovia, who was shot dead in July while leaving the studio after his morning show.
Successive governments have failed to hold assailants accountable in many previous cases, and the current administration hasn’t broken that pattern, Robertson said.
Marcos Jr’s government has also failed to address politically motivated prosecutions that became common under Duterte.
Young journalist faces 40 years in jail
One high-profile case is that of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a 26-year-old journalist and activist arrested in February 2020 on charges of financing terrorism and illegal possession of firearms. She has now spent more than four years in detention.
Shawn Crispin, senior Southeast Asia representative at the CPJ, told DW that his organization has campaigned especially hard for Cumpio’s release, “so far to no avail under the Marcos administration.”
She is being held on “trumped-up charges” that could result in a prison sentence of up to 40 years, Crispin noted.
He added that there have been serious flaws documented in her case, including allegations that the authorities had planted the weapons to justify her 2020 arrest.
UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression Irene Khan has condemned Cumpio’s ongoing detention.
The CPJ, along with over 250 journalists and international media advocacy groups, this week sent an open letter to President Marcos Jr. urging him to take “decisive action” and intervene before Cumpio’s next court hearing on September 29.
“Her continued detention is not only a denial of justice but also a contradiction of your stated commitment to ,” the letter states.
Journalists face new forms of intimidation
Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said Manila should be doing far more to ensure journalists can work safely, including by investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of violence.
“In some cases, the threat to journalists in fact comes from Philippine authorities, who have routinely ‘red-tagged’ journalists by accusing them of being supporters of the communist insurgency,” Lau told DW.
In 2022, the government’s National Telecommunications Commission blocked access to 26 websites, including the independent outlet Bulatlat, over alleged ties to outlawed groups. A court later overturned the decision, ruling that constitutional protections of free speech applied in this case.
Other forms of intimidation have flourished online. “Doxxing,” the public release of private information, remains a common practice, sometimes even instigated by officials.
Last month, Representative Richard Gomez sparked outrage when he posted on social media the personal details of journalists who had contacted him for comment on a story.
These forms of harassment create a chilling effect, even without outright violence, analysts said.
Danilo Arao, professor of journalism at the University of the Philippines Diliman, told DW that the pressure for journalists and media workers “to toe the line in reporting issues” usually comes “from the rich and powerful, which include media owners and advertisers.”
That reality, experts say, limits the watchdog role of the press, especially when it comes to corruption and abuse of power.
Protesters have underscored this point in recent weeks. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets daily to denounce a major corruption scandal involving the loss of roughly $2 billion (€1.7 billion) from fraudulent flood relief projects over the past two years.
Environmental groups such as Greenpeace claim as much as $15 billion has been siphoned off from climate-related programs.
What can be done?
Media rights campaigners insist that the government needs to ensure that violence against journalist is prosecuted quickly and thoroughly, and for lawmakers to pass reforms protecting media freedom.
“Unless Marcos Jr shows he’s serious about convicting those who attack the press, we fear that the wanton killings of journalists will continue,” said CPJ’s Crispin.
Several prominent politicians have campaigned on bolstering the Freedom of Information (FOI) law and on changes to the country’s strict libel laws.
Jeff Ragragio, assistant professor of media studies at the University of the Philippines Los Banos, explained that while some executive offices have adopted partial FOI measures, there is still no national law guaranteeing citizens access to information from the legislative and judicial branches.
“President Marcos Jr. would sound more sincere in promoting free speech if he could muster his supporters in Congress to pass these laws,” Ragragio told DW.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn
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