Philippine media, touted by many as among one of the freest in Asia, is under grave threat of being silenced once again.
In response to widespread criticism of her administration, Arroyo issued Proclamation 1017 on February 24, 2006, invoking Article 12, Section 17 of the Philippine Constitution, which states:

In times of national emergency, when the public interest so requires, the State may, during the emergency and under reasonable terms prescribed by it, temporarily take over or direct the operation of any privately owned public utility or business affected with public interest.

The proclamation was an alarming development, particularly as the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced it would take over any media organisation that did not follow "standards set by the government" during the state of national emergency, referring to what was in General Order No. 5 and Proclamation No. 1017. A government team would examine the editorial contents of newspapers and the news or views aired by broadcast stations to see if these conformed to the standards, according to PNP Chief Director General Arturo Lomibao.

The police acted quickly, raiding national broadsheet Daily Tribune's office on February 25 and "temporarily" taking over the publication. Lomibao justified the takeover, saying the Tribune had been publishing baseless stories that abetted coup plotters.

In response to these developments, Isis International-Manila, an international feminist NGO working on information and communication issues, launched the Free4All: Keep Media Free campaign on March 3, 2006.

The campaign rallied together women from different sectors and classes to join media groups, human rights groups, and political groupings of all stripes in the Philippines in calling for the upholding of human freedoms, particularly freedom of expression. The women cited the importance of a free media in their daily lives, their political awareness and participation, their organising on women's issues and in the cultural and social development of the nation.

While Arroyo has already rescinded Proclamation 1017 a week after it was declared, Isis said media repression continues. Some newspapers have already begun to tone down their content, while radio shows are being cancelled by broadcasting companies, in an exercise of self-censorship, for fear of being charged of inciting to sedition. The Free 4All campaign maintains a vigilant stance on the state of Philippine media, and will monitor violations of the right to freedom of expression in the coming weeks.

Visit the campaign website at <http://free4all.isiswomen.org>

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*The prime advocacy of Isis International-Manila for more than 30 years is Community and Independent Media in developing countries. The context of this advocacy is one of mass media as institutions free from market or commercially driven interests, and as a space for citizens, especially women, to participate in governance, democracy and development.