Philippines: Two Journalists Face Two Months in Prison for Publishing Information on the Coronavirus

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Philippine prosecution to drop all charges against journalists on the grounds of an article of law which, under the guise of fighting “false information” linked to Covid-19, constitutes serious violation of press freedom.

They risk two months in prison and a fine of one million pesos (more than 17,500 euros): the editor of the Latigo News TV site Mario Batuigas , and the video blogger and web reporter Amor Virata , both based in the province of Cavite, south of Manila, are the subject of a complaint filed March 28 by the Philippine National Police .

They are being prosecuted for disseminating “false information concerning the Covid-19 crisis” – a penalty provided for in section 6 (6) of the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act 2020. This text, the title of which literally means “law on the common effort to heal together “, was signed on Wednesday March 25 by President Rodrigo Duterte, the day after its adoption by the Congress. Scheduled to remain in force for three months, these special powers may, however, be extended by Parliament, acquired by the bubbling Philippine head of state.

We call on the Philippine prosecution to drop all charges against journalists under article 6 (6) ,” said Daniel Bastard, manager of RSF’s Asia-Pacific office. We demand the immediate repeal of this text, which intends to condemn the dissemination of ‘false information’ when no definition of this concept exists in Philippine law, so that it constitutes a serious threat against the freedom to inform . In this crucial period of coronavirus crisis, the authorities must let journalists do their work, regardless of the nature of the media for which they officiate.“

The alternative information site Bulatlat , a non-profit media which covers subjects which particularly affect the most underprivileged strata of Filipino society, has been arbitrarily denied accreditation made compulsory for media outlets who would like to investigate the quarantine areas of Luzon, the main island of the archipelago.

The Philippines ranks 134th out of 180 countries in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index compiled by RSF.