The Philippines: State Of Emergency And Media Freedom Addressed By Philippine Government And Commentaries

By Scott McLean

During the last few weeks, the Philippines has received much international media attention.

First came the devastating mudslides in the Southern province of Leyte. Then last week President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency, issuing Presidential Proclamation 1017 to deal with a coup attempt.

The official position from the Philippines government is that there has been no crackdown on the media.

Statements by Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, which appeared in Philippine Information Agency press releases, and PIA commentaries from various writers carried this message and explained the state of emergency.

Some of these articles appear on Planet News Views and they are the opinions of their authors.