Factsheets about the different issues in the Philippines

DepEd’s work-balancing tool

Percy Lapid’s slay
DOH has no new secretary
VP Sarah’s comment on Martial Law rebranding
Marco’s issuance on the voluntary wearing of masks indoors
Marco’s staunch clench to the DA chief’s office
Press freedom conditions in the country
Remulla’s son’s inexorable special treatment
Economic Crisis/Inflation rate (A Gift Wrapped in Hardships: Unboxing Filipinos’ shrinking
pockets)
Poor Families
Typhoon Paeng
The return of in-person gathering for MASTS 2022
Mati as the host city
Philippines under Marcos Jr. Administration
Russia vs. Ukraine War
The role of journalism in disaster preparedness
Disaster Preparedness of our country
Involvement of young people in public affairs, national and global problems
COVID-19 (Is the Philippines really free from COVID?)
POGO
Historical revisionism
Rising above the challenges of the pandemic and gearing toward the future

1. Disaster Preparedness of our country

For the Philippines, the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t the only disaster to hit the country in 2020.
The year started out with a volcanic eruption and closed with two magnitudes 6 earthquakes,
one of them striking on Christmas morning. In between came Typhoon Goni, a late-season
superstorm that was the strongest in the world last year.

At least 60% of the country’s total land area, nearly 300,000 square kilometers (116,000 square
miles), is vulnerable to natural hazards, in large part due to the archipelago’s location along both
the path of the tropical storms brewing in the western Pacific and the Ring of Fire.

Around 74% of its population of more than 100 million is subject to various impacts from these
disasters, and the country routinely ranks among the top 10 natural disaster-prone countries in
the world, according to the World Risk Index.
Mitigation efforts depend on a network of early-warning systems that are constantly being fine-
tuned, and on establishing mechanisms to respond more quickly to natural disasters. By feeding
in information such as building location, structure, and vulnerability, and combining it with data
input from the national volcano and weather bureaus, the system can generate automatic
identification of natural hazard susceptibility. This enables local officials to see what percentage
of the population would be exposed to ground shaking, severe wind, or flooding in any given
municipality. Such exposure data are key in disaster response, rehabilitation, zoning, and
planning. Knowing natural hazard susceptibility in neighboring areas would also help in disaster
management. Additional inputs come in the form of automatically generated geocodes from
data from the Philippine Statistics Authority and automatic identification of elevation and
distance from the coast using data from the National Mapping and Resource Information
Authority’s interferometric synthetic aperture radar.

Possible things Leaders can do

1. Scenario building and revisiting contingency plans toward better risk assessment

 LGUs should review their disaster scenarios with pandemic surveillance data such as
those that capture which communities will be highly affected, and what their current
needs and available resources are
 Update the database with disaggregated data (e.g., gender, age, disability) and
vulnerable groups for better planning
 Review cluster responsibilities of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (LDRRMC) and train disaster volunteers and personnel on contract tracing

2. Improving early warnings and evacuation

 Ensure that early warning systems (EWS) include multi-hazards risk assessment
 Continue providing timely SMS alerts and public address on disaster and health
advisories from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, and the
Department of Health
 Improve public outreach like emergency hotlines and help desks, with preemptive
evacuation alerts, physical distancing, and hygiene reminders
 Use local language and understandable signage pointing to safe areas
 Encourage family disaster preparedness, such as prepping emergency bag essentials

3. Organizing volunteers and disaster responders

 Establish remote coordination mechanisms to train disaster volunteers and

disseminate guidelines, such as online tabletop exercises, recorded or live disaster
drills, and virtual walkthroughs inside evacuation centers
 When recruiting emergency responders, LGUs and NGOs can tap existing community-
based organizations and structures and provide them with adequate medical protection
gear, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and face masks or shields

With the country in a period of uncertainty amid complex disaster risks, we need to have a
new way of doing and thinking. LGUs and NGOs can strengthen family and community
preparedness by getting families prepared and involved. While the Philippines faces
compounded threats, proactive disaster risk management starting with preparedness could
be the country’s best ally.

The culture of resilience must never be accepted as an excuse to spare our leaders from
accountability for their failures to adequately deal with disasters. Filipinos were once again
reminded of the urgent need to address the climate emergency as Super Typhoon Rolly
raged through large parts of the country. Strengthening our disaster management systems is
an essential component of national and local strategies moving forward, especially with more
intense extreme weather events anticipated in the following decades. 
 1. A strong localized approach is at the heart of any effective disaster management, as
recognized under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and existing
national laws. Local government units (LGUs) and communities are the first line of
defense against disasters and the first to respond to urgent issues within their areas.
Building their capacities to manage disaster risk is necessary to avoid impacts,
minimize losses and damages, and strengthen response and recovery efforts. 

2. Without sound science-based policymaking, the strong political will to inspire public
confidence in disaster governance, and proper utilization of available funds and
resources, even well-designed systems can fall short at the hands of incompetence.

The DDR as currently proposed is too focused on enhancing disaster response and recovery
while paying relatively less emphasis on reducing disaster risks, which are more cost-effective
actions. It could encourage Filipinos to continue excessively glorifying the culture of resilience.
Expecting communities to rebuild and recover from disasters is an injustice and a failure of
leadership, which we cannot afford in an era of human-induced climate change. 

The culture of resilience must never be accepted as an excuse to spare our leaders from
accountability for their failures to adequately deal with disasters. As stakeholders, we have the
right to demand from the current and succeeding administrations to implement measures that
avert or minimize the impacts of disasters and ensure our security toward sustainable living.

Instead of further centralizing powers, LGUs must instead be further empowered through
adequate financial and technical support from national government agencies and other
stakeholders. Capacities of local governments and non-government sectors must be
enhanced to reduce disaster risks and strengthen preparedness measures, which should be
prioritized over response and recovery. Furthermore, platforms for multi-stakeholder
representation in national and local decision-making processes for disaster management such
as the LDRRMCs must be strengthened to address current and anticipated threats. 

Focusing on disaster prevention and preparedness is the best pathway to increase long-term
national and local resilience, which would result in more social, economic, and environmental
co-benefits as envisioned in current national development strategies. This must include
embedding a proactive, precautionary culture instead of the reactive one that has been the
norm in the Philippines and would be favored through the DDR. 

There is no such thing as “natural disasters”. At its essence, disasters only occur when human
beings fail to avoid or properly prepare for a potential hazard that causes severe loss and
damage to any area. No matter which perspective we choose, they all say the same thing:
prevention is better than cure. 

The names and systems may change, but without a change in culture reflective of this lesson,
the Philippines will fail to adapt.

For Filipinos, the last months of the year spur preparations for the year-end holiday festivities,
but they also come with a premonition of devastating tropical cyclones that frequent the region
during this season. In the past, they were few. However, the past decade has been
unrelenting – dotted with a list of typhoon names, each recalling memories of destruction, of
livelihoods disrupted, of lives lost.  

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate-related
disasters. Each year this archipelagic country experiences an average of 21 tropical cyclones
with varying degrees of strength. Last year, the country was struck by Typhoon Odette, a
Category 5 super typhoon that left seven provinces in ruin. Odette was the 15th to hit the
Philippines in 2021 and by far the strongest. It affected more than eight million Filipinos and
left hundreds of thousands of people displaced without shelter, access to food, clean water,
and connectivity.  
A year prior, 26 provinces in the northern Philippines suffered the brunt of two major typhoons
— Rolly and Ulysses. These two typhoons, which swept across Luzon one after the other,
upended the lives of two million Filipinos.  And deeply etched in the memory of Filipinos is
Super Typhoon Yolanda, which laid waste to the whole Visayas region, in 2013. It was one of
the most powerful typhoons ever recorded. Yolanda’s fury affected more than 14 million
people across 44 provinces, taking the lives of more than 6,000 people with 1,800 more
missings.  

The cost of disasters to this country is a massive burden on people’s security and well-being,
and on national, local, and household budgets. It tears through the social contract between
leadership, state institutions, and people. Local governments and communities bear the
heaviest brunt, repeatedly hitting hardest the poor and most vulnerable. These changes must
come soon, as time is of the essence. Every moment of inaction, or worse still harmful action,
drives the unbearable costs and losses to a point of no return

Typhoon Paeng

Victims of a huge mudslide set off by a storm in a coastal Maguindanao village that had once
been devastated by a killer tsunami mistakenly thought a tidal wave was coming and ran to
higher ground where they were buried alive by the boulder-laden deluge, an official said
Sunday. At least 20 bodies, including those of children, have been dug out by rescuers in the
vast muddy mound that now covers much of Kusiong village in southern Maguindanao province,
among the hardest-hit by Tropical Storm Paeng, which blew out of the northwestern Philippines
early Sunday.
Officials fear 80 to 100 more people, including entire families, may have been buried by the
deluge or washed away by flash floods in Kusiong between Thursday night and early Friday,
according to Naguib Sinarimbo, the interior minister for a Muslim autonomous region run by
former separatist guerrillas. Paeng, which had vast rain clouds, left at least 73 people dead in
eight provinces and one city in the Philippine archipelago, including in Kusiong, and a trail of
destruction and flooding in one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries
The catastrophe in Kusiong, populated mostly by the Teduray ethnic minority group, was
particularly tragic because its more than 2,000 villagers have carried out disaster-preparedness
drills every year for decades to brace for a tsunami because of a deadly history. But they were
not as prepared for the dangers that could come from Mount Minandar, where their village lies
at the foothills, Sinarimbo said. “When the people heard the warning bells, they ran up and
gathered in a church on a high ground,” Sinarimbo told The Associated Press, citing accounts
by Kusiong villagers.
The problem was, it was not a tsunami that inundated them but a big volume of water and mud
that came down from the mountain,” he said. In August 1976, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake
and a tsunami in the Moro Gulf that struck around midnight left thousands of people dead and
devastated coastal provinces in one of the deadliest natural disasters in Philippine history.
Lying between the Moro Gulf and 446-meter (1,464-foot) Mount Minandar, Kusiong was among
the hardest hit by the 1976 catastrophe. The village never forgot the tragedy. Elderly villagers
who survived the tsunami and powerful earthquake passed on the nightmarish story to their
children, warning them to be prepared. “Every year, they hold drills to brace for a tsunami.
Somebody was assigned to bang the alarm bells and they designated high grounds where
people should run to,” Sinarimbo said. “Villagers were even taught the sound of an approaching
big wave based on the recollection of the tsunami survivors.”
The death toll from the severe tropical storm climbed to 98 on Monday, with 40 of the
fatalities still subject to confirmation. More than half of the deaths were reported in the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (Nalgae), the Philippines’ 16th tropical cyclone for 2022,
unleashed torrential rain that triggered floods and landslides in parts of Mindanao, the
Visayas, and Luzon. It struck just as the country was heading into a long weekend to mark All
Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day
Paeng’s five landfalls were all in Luzon, but initial reports show Mindanao suffered the most
deaths, particularly in the newly created province of Maguindanao del Norte.

Economic Crisis/Inflation Rate

At least for now, inflation appears to be President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Waterloo.

Except maybe for some 433 extremely lucky Filipinos who won the P239-million grand lotto
jackpot on October 1, the majority of us are finding it more difficult every day to draw from our
shallow pockets just to make ends meet. Those lucky bettors who received P500, 000 each
have at least boosted their purchasing power for the next few months or so, depending on
their respective spending habits.    

Former senator Kiko Pangilinan couldn’t help but draw a price comparison between some of
our kitchen essentials, such as garlic and onion, with those sold in Thailand’s public markets.
A kilo of garlic in Bangkok costs 50 baht or P85 while Manila consumers have to shell out
P400 for a kilo. A kilo of onion there that could be bought at 35 baht or P60 fetches P300 per
kilo here.

In his Facebook post, Pangilinan also decries the fact that Thailand and Vietnam seem to
handle better the inflationary effect of the foreign exchange crisis, despite having lower
agricultural budgets. The Philippine agriculture budget of P102.5 billion, he infers, is two times
and three times higher than that of Thailand and Vietnam, respectively.

Pangilinan is not alone in expressing dismay at how ineffective the government has been in
handling the inflationary effects of a muscular US dollar. If we go by the latest Pulse Asia
survey, the majority of Filipinos (nearly 7 out of 10) are having sleepless nights over the
soaring prices of basic goods and commodities.

At least for now, inflation appears to be President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Waterloo. He was
graded poorly by 1,200 Pulse Asia respondents who were surveyed between September 17
and 21.

For 60% of the respondents, controlling inflation was the top urgent national concern. While
42% disapproved of the administration’s performance in addressing this problem, only 31%
were in favor. Ferdinand Jr.’s -11 approval rating on his handling of inflation ranked lowest
among the 13 issues listed in the Pulse Asia poll.

Inflation, which is the metric for upturns in prices of food, clothing, housing, electricity, and
other critical commodities, skyrocketed to 6.9% in September, the worst in four years,
according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Although the term “Inflation” may be unfamiliar to many Filipinos, it is generally felt across all
geographic areas: 81% in Mindanao, 71% in the Visayas, 68% in Metro Manila, and 56% in
Luzon. Making the situation more alarming is the latest joblessness rate released by the PSA.
On Thursday, the PSA reported that the country’s unemployment rate in August was higher
than the 5.2% posted in July but lower than the 8.1% posted a year ago. In terms of absolute
numbers, this just means that a total of 2.68 million Filipinos were without jobs in August. This
was higher than the 2.6 million recorded in July 2022 but lower than the 3.88 million in August
2021.
Anakpawis Representative Ariel Casilao claims that jeepney drivers suffered additional fuel
costs ranging from P8,000 to P20,000 per month; farmers, more than P8,000 for land
preparation and irrigation, and fisherfolk P3,800 for their 16-fishing day month.

Foreign and local analysts point to the soaring dollar as the root cause of all the disruptions
that the global economy has been experiencing. The Federal Reserve’s continued interest
rate hike has had a tremendous economic impact, particularly on emerging markets.

With the US dollar being stronger than it has been in two decades , its role has become even
more immense in the global economy and international finance. The simplest explanation for
this comes back to the Fed. When the US central bank raises interest rates, as it has been
doing since March, the dollar becomes more appealing to investors around the world. In any
economic climate, the dollar is seen as a safe place to park your money. In this tumultuous
climate of a global pandemic and the war in Ukraine, investors have been given more
incentive to purchase dollars, usually in the form of US government bonds. While a strong
dollar is a nice perk for Americans traveling abroad, it has brought on migraine to the rest of
the world.

How has the Philippines been coping? According to experts, the Philippine economy is
fundamentally sound, and the present crisis is not a reflection of a weak local economy.

“It is not because there’s something wrong with us here,” Ruben Zamora, head of Institutional
Coverage Division of Metrobank, said in an interview with Rappler. “It’s [all] about the strong
dollar.”

Zamora believes that the peso is stronger than the currencies of our neighbors, especially
those of China, Japan, Korea, and our other trading partners: “There’s a measure for this real
effective exchange rate – a measure that compares the currencies not just against one, the
US dollar.”

Zamora is referring to the real effective exchange rate (REER), the weighted average of a
country’s currency in relation to an index or basket of other major currencies. These weights
are determined by drawing a comparison between the relative trade balance of a country’s
currency against that of each country in the index.

“We’re good, we’re ok,” Zamora said. He explained that, in relation to the US dollar, all other
currencies look bad. Viewed from the REER perspective, the peso is holding up to the US
dollar unlike other currencies.  According to Zamora, this means hiring a business processing
(BPO) service from India would be cheaper.  “It’s how competitive or cheap the peso is if you
need to outsource. India is looking cheaper than the peso because the rupee has depreciated
more than the peso.”

Zamora is confident that the Philippine economy is resilient enough to withstand the crisis. He
also assuages fears of a global recession and its impact on the local economy, saying that
there’s resilience in domestic demand because the country does not necessarily rely on
scores of merchandise exports. “We benefit from flows on BPOs and remittances,” he said.
“They’ve proven to be resilient even in [the worst of] times.”

He mentioned that, although BPO revenues did not grow as fast for the past two years, there
was no contraction on the number of exports. “We have one leg growing [or] moving forward –
tourism. I can’t find an empty hotel room for Christmas anymore. We are in the phase of
revenge spending.”

If the cause of our economic problem is externally generated, as some analysts posit, then
there could be some reprieve ahead.  As quoted by Bloomberg, market veteran Ed Yardani
reveals that the Fed will raise interest rates just one more time in November before it stops.
Could this be the end of  the global currency bloodbath?

This forecast, however, does not align with what the market sees: a 75 basis-point hike in
November, then 50 in December. Some experts even expect the Fed to raise rates by another
25 basispoints in early 2023 before it ultimately pauses, with the Fed fund rate sitting at
around 4.5%. The Fed funds rate is currently between 3% and 3.25%. Many fear that the way
things are going, the world may be heading to a recession.

External economic threats are just like typhoons crossing borders and wreaking havoc along
their path. The world suffered The Great Depression, the Suez Crisis, the International Debt
Crisis, the East Asian Crisis, the Latin American Debt Crisis, the Asian Financial Crisis, and
the Great Recession. During these instances of financial contagion, a large number of
countries simultaneously experienced economic downturns. In each of these events, the
global crisis was preceded by elevated growth rates before suffering a collapse in the year of
financial turmoil.

The Philippines has withstood typhoons through the years. We’ve seen devastating cities
crumbling only to witness them rise even better from the rubble. In the same vein, we’ve also
been gnarled by economic hardships – the worst was what we experienced during the
dying years of the dictatorship under Marcos Sr. regime  – and emerged the better from
them.

Stock market contrarian will tell you that nobody loses in the market unless you cash out. It’s
been the battle cry for the contrarian “to buy when there’s blood in the streets.” The creed is
that nothing stays down in a free market system. It’s a cycle aptly depicted in the wheels of
commerce logo. When you’re down, you have nowhere to go, but up

Press Freedom conditions in the country

Freedom of the press is not an end itself but a means to the end of achieving a free society –
Felix Frankfurter
History and common experience have proved the notion late justice Felix Frankfurter has
pronounced- the welfare of a society’s freedom is at risk should press freedom be at the brink of
peril.
This could be said as press freedom is the bedrock of all democratic societies, serving the very
interest of the citizenry, especially of the disadvantaged. Ensuring it also secures the stability of
the very medium by which fair reportage of facts, truth-biased social commentaries, and
widespread circulation of information happen.
Additionally, in light of the status quo where apologists of truth distortion are praised, it is of no
wonder how granting freedom to the press plays a vital societal role as it is one of the avenues
through which journalists, academics, and concerned citizens can help battle disinformation.
This also explains the relevance of celebrating RA 11699- backed National Press Freedom Day
every 30th of August. May everyone on this occasion be conscious of the fact that the press has
always been under siege, both on micro and macro scales, and that, it is significant to tackle
how the society’s stakeholders can ensure that it will thrive.
It’s very sad to see the denigration of media in the Philippines,' says UN Special
Rapporteur on freedom of expression Irene Khan

The ways the Philippine government has repressed the media are part of a global trend on
attacks on press freedom, legal experts said during the 2022 Reuters Trust Conference held
in London on Wednesday, October 26.

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte followed a model of autocrats around the world
who use complex and confusing foreign ownership and tax laws to attack the independent
press, said Can Yeginsu, deputy chair of the high-level panel of legal experts on media
freedom.
The closure orders on Rappler, the biggest television network ABS-CBN, and the threats
against the broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer , which almost led its owners to sell to a
Duterte campaign donor, all hinged on supposed foreign ownership and tax violations.

“You get a sense of the way in which the law is being used for the collateral purpose to put
pressure on independent journalism in a place such as the Philippines. The reason, I think,
states are pursuing this strategy is because investigations around tax, foreign ownership,
foreign agent laws – these are complex areas, they turn on the application of overbroad laws,”
said Yeginsu.

The killing of hard-hitting broadcaster Percy “Lapid” Mabasa has also created stir in the
Marcos government because Mabasa had been vocal against red-tagging and Marcos
himself.

There are no clear motives established yet for their killings, but Khan noted that the
government has an obligation to solve the murders regardless of whether they had some
degree of involvement.

The Philippines is 7th in the world in terms of most number of unsolved journalist killings,
according to the 2021 Global Impunity Index  of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

“We should not forget that 9 out of 10 cases of killings of journalists are not investigated and
not prosecuted. If the states are not willing to investigate killings of journalists, if that’s the
situation, then how can states protect journalists?” said Khan.

“Whether it’s the prosecution, the judiciary or the parliament, there seems to be a devaluation
of media freedom

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day – a timely opportunity for reflection on the crucial
importance of media freedoms and the vital role of journalists in our democracies.  

This year, Uruguay will host the World Press Freedom Conference, under the theme
“Journalism Under Digital Siege,” to underscore impacts of surveillance, threats, and safety of
journalists on digital platforms and spaces. 

Media freedom is a cornerstone of all democratic societies and essential to the protection of
human rights and fundamental freedoms. A free media is essential to hold elected leaders to
account. The decision by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to award two brave journalists
from the Philippines and from Russia also underlines the relevance of an independent media
and press freedom for peace and stability. Yet, around the world, the ability of citizens to
speak truth to power is under attack. 

The readiness of malign actors, including some states, to suppress media freedom and
weaponize misinformation and disinformation, and to use digital tools to manipulate, harass
and suppress citizens should be a source of concern for all. Russian efforts to spread
falsehoods, intimidate and suppress free media, restrict their own citizens access to
information, and subvert Ukrainian sovereignty stands out in this regard.

A brief survey of the global landscape illustrates the urgency for action. The Committee to
Protect Journalists recorded at least 27 journalists killed over their work in 2021 alone,
including two in the Philippines. 

Authoritarian regimes have redoubled efforts to control narratives, as well as circumvent

norms and institutions meant to uphold fundamental liberties. 

Some have seized on crises like the COVID-19 pandemic to promote hatred and division,
undermining trust in public institutions including the media. The escalation of gender-based
violence and harassment of women journalists are of particular concern.
Much of this occurs in the digital domain, where malign actors have leveraged social media
tools to flood feeds and inboxes with misinformation and disinformation, to undermine public
confidence in democratic institutions, and to subvert democratic processes.

Rights to free speech and free expression too are under pressure. In many countries,
government efforts to control and censor information deny citizens the ability to inform
themselves, and to fully participate in democratic decision making.

The Philippines is no stranger to the misinformation and disinformation phenomena.  Since as

early as 2010, academics and experts have been tracking its explosive growth in the
Philippines. That World Press Freedom Day should fall just six days before millions of
Filipinos will go to the polls is auspicious, and provides opportunity for reflection. 

In a country where most citizens access news via digital platforms, the impact of false and
manipulated information is amplified. In addition, reduced choice in sources of information,
reliance on social media platforms as a primary vehicle for sharing of information, deliberate
attacks on the credibility of media institutions, intimidation and censorship of independent
media voices, and attacks on the credibility of essential government and democratic
institutions have been observed and are being criticized.

The 2022 elections are unprecedented as they take place during the COVID-19 pandemic, a
time when there is an even greater need to protect and promote the crucial role of
independent media.  In these exceptional times, their work serves to keep Filipinos worldwide
informed, to amplify factual information, and counter false or misleading narratives.   

Despite these challenges, growing civic awareness and the vibrant and dynamic civil society
found across the Philippines offer hope. The emergence of independent fact-checking
organizations, of civic education groups, the tireless and courageous work of human rights
defenders, and the devoted efforts of free media and investigative journalists have done
much to help reinforce and protect democracy in the Philippines.

The international community stands with Filipinos in this effort. Through forums like the Media
Freedom Coalition and the Freedom Online Coalition, the G7, and the International Institute
for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, efforts to support media freedom, reinforce
democracy, combat misinformation and disinformation, and support human rights online are
being pursued, in close partnership with government, media networks, advocacy groups,
NGOs, academia, and the private sector.  These efforts contribute help to improve fact-
checking, build civic literacy, build capacity of media and democratic institutions, combat
corruption, enhance transparency, and ensure accountability.

The struggle to protect democracy and fundamental rights and freedoms online and offline
requires constant vigilance and perseverance. The cost of complacency is the subversion of a
democratic way of life. 

As the Philippines transitions into a new administration, we hope to see these challenges
addressed and for a renewed commitment to defending and protecting press freedom in the
country in the coming years.

As information sources continue to grow, irrelevance and government suppression threaten to

drown out credible news. Several journalists raised this message during the 2022 Jaime V.
Ongpin Journalism Seminar panel on Thursday, October 27.

“What’s concerning is that they don’t really have to do a lot of things now to shut us down.
They’re just making us irrelevant,” said Rappler reporter Rambo Talabong, one of the
panelists in the prestigious journalism seminar.

Already, 40% of Filipinos believe  that journalists spread false political information, which
reflects the global trend of declining trust  in traditional media. Instead, many Filipinos are
tuning in online. Nearly half of Filipinos get their news online , predominantly through
Facebook and other social media sites. Of these, only 10% still visit dedicated news sites. The
days of traditional media gatekeeping the news is over. 
“It’s now a question of how do we compete with all the sources of information, to stay afloat
and remain credible, and help try to shape the conversation, particularly in the challenge to
address disinformation,” said Mike Navallo, an ANC news anchor.

The public must remain wary of trusting everything on social media, a platform which has
become “dominated by propagandists, influencers, and even trolls,” warned News5 TV anchor
Maeanne Los Baños. This followed a recent study that showed that as much as 20% of
search results in TikTok contained misleading information . 

“People are confused with so many information coming in from different sources, that they
could not even recognize what is legitimate news, what is fake news, what is disinformation,
what is just going viral,” Los Baños said. 

For journalists, this adds the pressure of being present on all platforms at once. But to combat
disinformation, they must meet their audience where they are. Talabong shared that in the
run-up to the 2022 elections, he delved deep into Marcos-related TikTok content in an effort to
understand how disinformation affected those who regularly consumed it.

“We have to go to places that we’re not used to. We have to embrace what is cringey, what is
not in the ivory tower, what can sound as ‘cheap’ to many fellow reporters who have been
reporting, for example, in high places,” Talabong said. 

As ways of disseminating the news evolved, journalists must evolve with it. Otherwise, the
press risked “speaking within our own big information bubble,” said Christian Esguerra, the
independent journalist behind Facts First. For instance, he pointed to how vloggers capitalize
on their rawness and authenticity to seem credible on social media.

“News anchors now, even print reporters, are seen as inauthentic. Masyadong (It’s too)
canned,” he said. “We’re not crossing over.”

The panelists also called for the government’s support in the fight to defend press freedom,
especially amid the killing of Percy Lapid and the repeated legal harassment against
critical news sites. 

“The government could help us to protect and respect the journalists, knowing that we came
from a six year administration that is very hostile to the media,” Los Baños said. “Allow us to
criticize, allow us to do our job really.”

They already have an army to make us irrelevant, and the people are already conditioned to
think that… in a democracy, we don’t need the press, we only need influencers,” 

The Role of Journalism in Disaster Preparedness

The media forges a direct link between the public and emergency organizations and plays a
very important role in disseminating vital information to the public before, during and after
disasters. The media assists in the management of disasters by educating the public about
disasters; warning of hazards; gathering and transmitting information about affected areas;
alerting government officials, relief organizations and the public to specific needs; and
facilitating discussions about disaster preparedness and response for continuous improvement.
To help the media fulfil these roles, direct and effective working relationships between the media
and disaster management organizations should be established and maintained. Experience
shows that regular interactions with the media before a disaster strikes, aids the effective flow of
information and lays the groundwork for effective working relationships in the aftermath of a
disaster.
In managing disaster - the necessity of “right information at right time” has not changed for
centuries. People need warnings ahead of the disaster and then, in its aftermath, data on -
casualties, damage, the supplies and skills that are needed, the best ways to bring in these
resources, the help that is available and is being provided, and so on. There are many
examples where - public education and the rapid, widespread dissemination of early warnings
saved thousands of lives. In November 1970, for example, a tropical cyclone, combined with a
high tide, struck southeastern Bangladesh, leaving more than 300,000 people dead and 1.3
million homeless. In May 1985, a comparable cyclone and storm surge hit the same area. "This
time - there was better local dissemination of disaster warnings and the people were better
prepared to respond to them. The loss of life, although still high, was 10,000 or about 3 percent
of that in 1970. When a devastating cyclone struck the same area of Bangladesh in May 1994,
fewer than 1,000 people died. 1977 cyclone in Andra Pradesh, India killed 10,000 people, while
a similar storm in the same area 13 years later killed only 910. The dramatic difference - was
due to the fact that a new early-warning system connected with radio stations to alert people in
low-lying areas, was put in place.
On the other side – there are many examples where the absence of an alert and warning
system resulted in a huge number of casualties and extensive damage to property. Bhopal gas
leak, the 1999 super cyclone in Orissa, and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami are a few of the
recent examples in India where “timely alert” could have saved millions of lives and enormous
property

These and many other examples make it clear that media, with its instantaneous outreach,
throughout the world play a vital role in educating the public about disasters; warning of
hazards; gathering and transmitting information about affected areas; alerting government
officials, relief organizations, and the public to specific needs; and facilitating discussions about
disaster preparedness and response. The media can assist in pre-disaster education. They may
be crucial to an effective warning process. They can provide information and advice to victims
and others in the wake of disasters. They can help activate the local disaster response. They
can assist in stimulating effective disaster relief. All this is not to say the media do not, on
occasion, cause problems. They can help increase convergence to the scene both by the
curious and by those with genuine concerns. By their own convergence, both in person and by
telephone, they can create pressures on managers for information to the point where media
demands interfere with effective response.' They can spread rumors,' and so alter the reality of
disaster, at least to those well away from it, that they can bias the nature of the response." They
can and do create myths about disasters, myths which will persist even among those with
contrary disaster experience. Public administrators sometimes decry the mass media. They see
a more relaxed working atmosphere if the media were not there to record their actions, question
their decisions, and air the remarks of their critics. But in times of disaster the media, on
balance, are actually helpful. Rather, their absence can create enormous difficulties. In addition,
media can be a way in which individuals or organizations can ask for information. While the
media cannot usually have answers to public queries directly (though they may try to do so),
they can be a link between the public and the central / state disaster management authority.
There are examples when the media (a radio station) helped mobilize relief and in mobilizing
effective emergency response.

Preparation for disasters allows governments to avoid casualties on a massive scale.

Civilians’ active response towards various campaigns is key, coupled with the right tools and
strong force of manpower. 

Today, the internet plays a significant role in spreading information and technology offers new
solutions for disaster preparedness.

How does this kind of knowledge and technology solve old problems? 
Rappler talked to Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino to
discuss the high points and challenges of disaster preparedness in the age of social media.

Mass media in recent years has helped sensitise people most effectively through forewarning
and coverage of natural disasters.

The media plays a vital role in the management of disasters by educating people about
consequences, hazard warnings, gathering and transmitting information about affected
areas, and also alerting the government for rescue and relief.

Lack of communication and coordination among government officials and

mediapersons during pre and post-disaster activities lead to publishing of unverified
and speculative reports. When officials avoid sharing information about a situation,
reporters tend to rely on local informers.
Meanwhile, the media should be more responsible in disseminating information, he said.
Besides providing the correct information at the right time, it should also create an environment
of solidarity and faith to help in augmenting the collective responsibility to tackle challenges
posed by any disaster.

Philippines under Marcos Jr. Adminstration