Villafuerte insists: I鈥檓 committed to press freedom
Rep. Lray Villafuerte
MANILA, Philippines — Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte has assured the public that he is committed to press freedom, after two organizations of Filipino journalists have called him out for criticizing a mock poll conducted inside the Camarines Sur Polytechnic College (CSPC).
In a statement on Wednesday, Villafuerte claimed to be an ally of the press, noting that he has repeatedly called on the Senate to discuss and approve their version of House Bill No. 454, which seeks to place enhanced protection, security, and benefits for those working in the media industry.
“House Bill (HB) No. 454, which the House passed in November 2022 yet, aims to ensure benefits such as security of tenure, hazard pay, night shift differential pay and overtime pay in recognition of the perils and hazards that media persons are exposed to on a daily basis in the course of their delicate jobs of providing needed information to the public,” Villafuerte said.
“It seems far-fetched for me to take any action, as claimed by certain groups, that would undermine press freedom or campus journalism, given that this runs counter to my longtime advocacy for safeguarding press freedom and advancing the welfare of journalists and other members of the media,” he added.
READ: House approves bill for enhanced media workers’ protection, benefits
Article continues after this advertisementVillafuerte’s statement came after both the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) released statements criticizing him for questioning the credibility of the survey conducted by The Spark, the official student paper of the CSPC.
Article continues after this advertisementIn the survey released by The Spark, it was shown that Villafuerte trailed Bong Rodriguez, the former regional campaign manager of ex-vice president Leni Robredo, for Camarines Sur’s gubernatorial race if elections were held last December 1 to 7, 2024.
Rodriguez, according to the survey, got 214 votes or 43.0 percent of all surveyed respondents, while Villafuerte had 150 votes or 30.1 percent. Another 26.9 percent abstained from voting.
Villafuerte questioned the manner that the survey was conducted, saying in a Facebook post that these are merely ‘fake news’ as a survey allegedly from Pulse Asia indicated that 80 percent of voters will pick him in the 2025 midterm elections.
According to NUJP, Villafuerte is free to disagree with the survey but he should not have posted names of The Spark’s staffers, as they may be targeted by his supporters.
“Villafuerte is free to disagree with the results of the mock elections conducted by Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges official student publication The SPARK but posting a staffer’s name and photo knowing this makes them a target for his supporters is beyond the pale,” NUJP said.
CEGP meanwhile said that Villafuerte’s response to the survey is a “direct attack against CSPC constituents’ freedom of expression and information.”
“Ultimately, the campus press’ ability to spark discussions and politicize its constituents prove that administrations fear the power of genuine student representation,” CEGP added.
Villafuerte however maintained that he was not censoring The Spark, nor did he have a hand in the takedown of the post, claiming that he never “never contacted anybody in the CSPC administration to take down the report” posted on the student paper’s Facebook page.
Furthermore, the lawmaker said that while he agrees with NUJP that journalists’ rights must not be curtailed, he has a right to question the “truth behind any reportage.”
“Believing that upholding freedom of the press and the independence of campus journalism are absolute, I agree with the NUJP that there is no room for curtailing the right of journalists, whether professionals or students, to report on developments,” he said.
“However, I believe that they should recognize and respect my right, or that of anybody else for that matter, to question the truth behind any reportage, such as the disseminated information about an opinion poll supposedly done among select students in CSPC on their preferences for candidates running for governor and congresspersons in the May 12 midterm polls,” he added.
Villafuerte also questioned NUJP if they are really concerned with press freedom, as they did not condemn the killing of two Camarines Sur-based reporters in 2010 and 2011. NUJP chair Jonathan de Santos, in a post on his Facebook account, however presented links showing that the union condemned the attacks.
READ: Court convicts journalist killer
“I heard nary a squeak from them when volunteer reporter Miguel ‘Mike’ Belen survived a gun attack by two unidentified assailants riding in tandem in July 2010, and the killing of DWEB radio commentator Romeo Olea in June 2011,” he said.
“‘Nary a squeak’ pero meron naman (but we did),” de Santos said.
