By Shayne Elizabeth Flores

College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) handed over their findings on campus press freedom violations (CPFVs) to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) upon the conclusion of the ‘State of the Campus Press Address’ forum earlier today, July 18.

The document was received by CHR Human Rights Protection Director IV Atty. Jasmin Regino.

CEGP’s records indicate a total of 206 CPFVs reported throughout 2023 to 2024.

The report predominantly includes 58 cases of censorship, 35 administrative interventions, and 37 withholding or looting of funds.

Additionally, meddling of the adviser, harassment and killings of student journalists, red-tagging, state surveillance, non-mandatory collection of campus publication funds, expulsion or suspension, and libel also emerged among the issues faced by student journalists.

In light of the attacks on campus press, CEGP National Spokesperson Brell Lacerna faulted school administrators for limiting their own publications.

“‘Yung school administrators, ang gagawin, ikimkim, patahimikin ‘yung mga student publications, baliin ‘yung mga polisiya para lamang pasukin at kontrolin [ang mga student publications] at gawin na lamang pangmagasin ng paaralan (School administrators suppress and silence student publications, and bend policies to take charge and turn them into just school magazines),” he added. 

Similarly, the CEGP speaker also denounced the Marcos administration’s ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ as another failed promise to protect freedom of speech.

“If your [Marcos administration] cause vows to protect press freedom given the hundreds of campus press freedom violations reported, then [the] ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ that [you project] to many Filipinos out there is a grand sham,” he asserted.

Moreover, the alliance laid out ‘The National Campus Press Agenda’ which urges the protection of the press and academic freedom through editorial independence and fiscal autonomy assertion, investigations and sanctions on numerous CPFVs, and retaining the publication fee under the Universal Access of Quality Tertiary Education Act.

The group also urged the abolishment of Anti-Terror Law and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict for being an instigator of red-tagging against students.

Furthermore, the guild lobbied for the enactment of House Bill 319 or the Campus Press Freedom Bill to reform the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, which is deemed ineffective in protecting campus press rights. 

Other student publications nationwide took part in the forum onsite and online, echoing the repressions prevalent in their respective regions.

A congress hearing addressing the aforementioned state of the campus press is set to commence on July 29.

(Photo by Zedrich Xylak Madrid/FEU Advocate)