This document discusses access to information and media in the Philippines. It provides statistics on the population and economy. The 1987 Constitution protects freedom of expression and access to information. However, access to information depends on how assertive citizens are and there are still constraints. Several events in 2000-2001 awakened Filipinos to the power of information. The document also outlines problems with the media like bias, lack of balance, and relationships between journalists and politicians. It discusses both historical information blackouts and legal safeguards for access to information established in the Constitution and by the Supreme Court.

1. Yvonne T. Chua
THE POWER OF AN INFORMED CITIZENRY

2. PHILIPPINES
 Population (1999): 77 million
 Land Area: 300,000 sq. km.
 GNP (1999): $78.0 billion
 GNP per capita (1999): $1,020
 Average annual GNP growth (1998-1999) >> 3.6%
 Life Expectancy (1998): Male 67, Female 71
 Population below poverty line (1997) >> 40.6%
 Gini index of income distribution (1997) >> 46.2%
 Newspapers/1,000 people (1996) >> 79
 Television sets/1,000 people (1998) >> 108
 Personal computers/1,000 people (1998) >> 15.1
 Internet hosts/10,000 people (2000) >> 1.58
Source: World Development Report 2000/2001

3. 1987 CONSTITUTION
 protects freedom of expression, freedom of the
press and access to information
 “These broad constitutional guarantees have
helped Filipinos in their pursuit of information in
the possession of the State, and have provided
sufficient defense against attempts by the
bureaucracy to withhold information on matters
of public concern. As a result, Filipinos ae able
to enjoy greater participation in governance, and
occasionally even help change the course of
their nation's history.”

4. MEDIA IN THE PHILIPPINES
 Filipinos expect journalists as "watchdogs“.
 Access to information has yet to be
institutionalized and is often subject to
constraints.
 Information access depends on the
assertiveness of citizens, how aware they are
and how successful in accessing information.
 Political developments (2000, 2001) have
awakened Filipinos to the power of information
and of an informed citizenry. ~People Power II

5. INFORMATION BLACKOUT
 Information Blackout during the Spanish
Rule, American Rule, Japanese Rule, Martial
Law.
 “…Filipinos would always find ways to get
the truth out to the rest of the populace.”
(Chua, 2001)
 Filipinos would always include freedom of
expression, freedom of press ad access to
information in the constitution.

6. LEGAL SAFEGUARDS
MARTIAL LAW
 Secrecy in the government reached
unprecedented and ridiculous heights
 Thousands of documents were kept beyond
the reach of citizens and the courts and were
arbitrarily classified as “top secret,” “secret,”
or “confidential.”
 “declassified intelligence information” – used
to either arrest or discredit Marcos’s enemies

7. LEGAL SAFEGUARDS
 The Supreme Court had acted as an “effective
safeguard against abuses of civil servants.”
 It supported the
 right of people to information
 freedom of the press
 journalists' right to access public records and to
gather information
 journalists’ obligation to check the accuracy of
information that they disseminate and the obligation
to keep the public informed on matters of public
concern

8. THE PROBLEMS OF A FREE PRESS
 Newspapers
 12 brooadhseets: 10 in English, 2 in Filipino
 17 Manila-based tabloids, 5 Chinese-language dailies
 1/5 of households in Metro Manila read broadsheets
 ½ of households in Metro Manila read tabloids, which focuses on sex,
sleaze, gore
 Radio
 517 radio stations (283 are AM)
 The country has no tradition of documentary or in-depth radio reporting.
 TV
 3 out of 6 are owned by the government --- the government meddle with
news programs especially during election season
 3 out of 6 are not owned by the government --- the news and current affair
programs contain mostly of sex, crime, the occult, and so called infotainment

9. THE PROBLEMS OF A FREE PRESS
 The press has been criticized for
 faulty attribution
 Sensationalism
 Unfairness
 lack of balance
 biased reporting
 single sourcing
 Inaccuracy
 unethical conduct (including ignorance and
corruption)

10. THE PROBLEMS OF A FREE PRESS
 Media owners
 Defend/preserve their business interests > assure
independence of the editorial staff
 Journalists
 Shortage of experienced journalists: salary and
training
 Relationships between journalists and sources
 Corruption by politicians

11. DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION
 1987 Constitution Bill of Rights
 Article 3 Section 7
“The right of the people to information on matters of
public concern shall be recognized. Access to official
records, and to documents, and paper pertaining to
official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to
government reserch data used as basis for policy
development, shall be afforded the citizen, subject to
limitations as may be provided by law.”
 Article 2, Section 28
“Subject to reasonable conditions prescribed by law,
the State adopts and implements a policy of full
public disclosure of all its transactions involving
public interest.”

12. DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION
 Supreme Court
 Acknowledges that there is no rigid test to determine
whether information is of public concern
 has held certain information to be public in nature,
which include
 Laws of general application
 Information on the civil-service eligibilities of sanitarians
 Information on loans granted by the GSIS
 Original and amended application for the installation of a
petrochemical plant submitted to the DTI
 Post-review voting slips accomplished by MTRCB
members

13. DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION
 The Charter
 guarantees access to
 official
records
 documents and papers pertaining to official acts,
transactions, or decisions
 government research data used as basis for policy
development
 journal of proceedings, records and the books of Congress
 information on foreign loans
 statements of assets and liabilities of civil servants
 requires government offices to submit annual report
and to deposit copies with the National Archives

14. REFERENCE
 Chua, Y. T. (2001). The Power of an Informed
Citizenry. In S. Coronel, The Right to Know:
Access to Information in Southeast Asia (pp.
121-151). Quezon City: Philippine Center for
Investigative Journalism.