The day after graduating from UP, I went before Congress to fight for a campus press freedom law

When I left home on Monday morning, July 29, my barong and skirt from the previous day's graduation ceremony were still lying around on the bedroom floor. As I drove along the Elliptical Road, I mentally tied up the loose ends of a speech I will deliver to lawmakers, asking them to pass a law guaranteeing press freedom on campus.

This was not how I had imagined my first day out of journalism school. I, a 22-year-old loner, was to address the lawmakers in the halls of Batasang Pambansa, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had delivered his State of the Nation Address a week earlier.

But I have to. I was 18 when I joined Plaridel tonesthe official publication of the College of Mass Communication of the University of the Philippines. My years at the student publication gave me the strength to channel my frustrations over problematic academic and national policies into fair and critical news stories.

The Campus Press Freedom (CPF) law is important to enable campus journalists to continue reporting on important issues such as the failures of online learning during the pandemic, demand justice for the urban communities we live in that are constantly threatened by forced demolitions, and protect the only remaining rainforest in Quezon City that is at risk of extinction.

Driven not by corporate greed but by a genuine need to cover the stories that never make it to television and newspapers, the campus press is able to critically evaluate relevant issues creeping into Philippine schools and across the country. The campus press was once a driving force in combating distorted narratives during martial law and in restoring press freedom in the country in 1986.

The role of the campus press is immense, so its protection is enshrined in Philippine law.

Republic Act (RA) 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act (CJA) of 1991 preserves and protects the freedom of the campus press. It aims to promote the growth and development of the campus press as a means of “developing the moral character and personal discipline of the Filipino youth.”

The CJA enumerates the sources of funding that can “support” the operation of a student publication and prohibits school administrators from withholding them. It exempts grants and donations to student publications from taxation. This law also created the schools' annual press conferences, a platform for high school campus journalists to hone their journalism skills.

But why does the campus press suffer despite the provisions of the CJA? The provisions of the CJA are not enough.

According to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines, there have been 206 cases of campus press freedom violations in the country since 2023, including censorship, withholding of funds and government surveillance.

I remember a student magazine that was forced to raise funds because it could not access its own funds of nearly P300,000. I remember my editor's face appearing in a post that labeled her and many other student editors as terrorists and enemies of the state.

I relived my fear when my publication's online page was bombarded with personal attacks from trolls, all because of my photo and video coverage of student protests when school administration blatantly ignored their calls.

And then there are experiences that the above figures simply do not capture.

In UP Diliman, 12 out of at least 17 established student publications have already ceased publication. Some of them were never officially recognized or financially supported by their university administrations.

How can the campus press fulfill its journalistic mission if it is underfunded, has to contend with bureaucratic hurdles and is terrorized by attacks?

What will become of their stories when financially struggling student publications, no longer courageous enough to stand up to their struggles, begin to falter?

That is why Congress must urgently pass the Campus Press Freedom Act in the remaining months of its 19th Congress.

The bill was first proposed by the Kabataan party list in 2011 and provides for the mandatory collection of publication fees and the introduction of student publications in primary and secondary schools.

If passed, the bill will penalize those who dare to commit violations against campus press, such as censorship and withholding funds. Campus journalists who fall victim to threats and violations will also be entitled to legal aid from institutions such as the Commission for Higher Education, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Ministry of Education.

The CPF Bill sets out clear and definitive mechanisms that were not considered in the CJA.

Congress has only 10 months to pass this bill before a new session begins. If our lawmakers remain true to their mandate to empower Filipino youth, it should be in their interest to fight for this 13-year-old bill and not let it fade into the background like its older versions.

The campus press, as long as it exists, will report with great enthusiasm on issues plaguing the Filipino nation. In light of the attacks, the duty to unite our pens – especially for former campus press students like me – only becomes greater! — PCIJ.org

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