PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured on Monday, April 15, 2024, his administration’s commitment in providing a free and safe environment for journalists in the country.
In an interview with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap), Marcos vowed to defend press freedom and to bring justice to members of the media who were victims of violence in line of their duty to the Filipino people and the country by strengthening the Presidential Task Force on Media Security.
“The principal role of the press is not to applaud those who govern, but you hold us accountable, without holding back in giving praise to those who deserve it. Along with that stance is our collective goal of protecting the welfare and lives of journalists,” he added.
The chief executive stood firm that his role as a president is to defend press freedom and not lead in destroying it or demeaning its practitioners, as he emphasized that “national interest is better served by a press that is critical rather than a press that is cooperative.”
Marcos is the first Philippine president in nine years to attend the Focap forum while his father, former president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., started the tradition and was the first Philippine leader to grace it 50 years ago. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)