MANILA, Philippines — The Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) condemned on Monday, February 24 the recent attack on The Philippine Star photojournalist Michael Varcas.
According to The Philippine Star, Varcas’ car exploded outside his Quezon City residence on Tuesday, February 18, after two unidentified men appeared to have planted an improvised explosive device on his vehicle. News of the attack broke as early as Saturday, February 22.
The PCP called the bombing a “clear act of violence against media practitioners and a brazen attack on press freedom,” as it was “not just assault on one individual but an affront to…the public’s right to information.”
“Journalism is not a crime. Intimidation and violence against journalists have no place in a democratic society,” the PCP said in its statement.
The PCP also urged the government to “guarantee the safety of all media practitioners and uphold the constitutionally protected freedom of the press.” As of posting time, the PCP said the Presidential Task Force on Media Security was assisting Varcas with the investigation and his insurance claim.
Varcas was among the winners of the 2024 World Press Photo Contest, where he was recognized for his photos featuring Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, ranking 134th out of 180 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has taken a seemingly softer approach towards the press compared to his predecessor and “press freedom predator” Rodrigo Duterte. However, media watchdogs and experts have said the media landscape in the Philippines is still “largely grim.”
Earlier this month, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said 2024 marked the Philippines’ “first year in two decades without a journalist killing.” The CPJ records journalist killings if “it has reasonable grounds to believe they may have been killed in relation to their work.”
“While the most brutal and deserving of condemnation, media killings are only one aspect of media safety…. As the community marks this admittedly remarkable development, let us resist the tendency to think that we are already safe and free,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in an earlier statement. – Rappler.com