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POLITICS IN PAPERS:PARTISANSHIP AMONG NATIONALLY-BASED DAILIES

Grace Anne B. de Veyra

Persistence Over and Beyond Modernization

In the face of the advent of more technologically advanced ways of newsreportage, the print media is still considered to be the most tangible source of valuableinformation. Newspaper agencies are still in existence despite the development of onlinenews portals; as the former has been continuously subscribed by the reading masses uptill now. Transcending all social classes, the media possesses widespread significance to

every Tom, Dick, and Harry in terms of acquiring reputable information about thecurrent events that are happening within the society.

In the Philippines, there is a roster of existing mainstream newspaper agencies thatcover important events that transpired in the whole country. These conventionalnewspapers deliver news that are relevant to the entire nation, therefore newspapers areintended to be distributed nationwide. However, notwithstanding the paramount rolethese agencies play in the dissemination of information, there are several factors thatcontribute to the varied manner by which newspaper agencies convey information.Though there may be diverse accounts among these institutions about events resurfacing

in the country, it is still expected that the manner of their news reportage has uniformadherence to the Philippine Journalists’ Code of Ethics. The said Code was formulatedby the Philippine Press Institute and National Press Club so as to promote fairness andaccuracy in news reporting. The said set of ethics guidelines is guided by the PPI’sprincipal mandate which is “to defend press freedom and promote ethical standards forthe professional development of the Filipino member journalist.”1

Purpose, Scope and Limitations

Print media has always been one of the forms of mass media communication that

are considered to be pervasive apparatuses in shaping the perception, disposition, andbeliefs of the entire citizenry. The media is a tool that creates, produces and endorsesmultitudes of concepts, ideas and theories that have massive influence on the perceptionof its consumers. In terms of writing, it is possible that news writers are most vulnerablein publishing articles which somehow reflect personalized “takes” on reports including

1 Bryant Macale, Nickel Asia and PPI Partner for 2016 Civic Journalism Programs,file:///C:/Users/Toshiba/Downloads/ULR_Styles_and_Guidelines.pdf (last accessed Nov. 20, 2015).



supposed biases of the news anchor. How the media presents matters and issues to thepublic influences the people’s construction of reality. Therefore, it is the responsibility ofthe media to bring together an objective reality anchored on the principles of fairness,impartiality and neutrality. Nevertheless, it could not be denied that news articles andeditorials are created from people who are driven by their own dispositions, subjectivity

and prejudices that the production of impersonal and fair news are tainted.Consequently, the purpose of this paper is three-fold. First, this paper seeks to

examine the partisanship amongst the selected top national newspaper agencies in thePhilippines based on the latter’s ownership and manner of delivery of broadcasts.Second, this paper will look into the mandate of the Philippine Journalists’ Code of Ethicswith regard to the proper conveyance of information for public consumption. Third, thispaper aims to lay down how the Government strike a balance between the regulation ofthe Freedom of the Press and the constitutionally enshrined Freedom of Expression fromwhich the former is based.

Political Partisanship and the Media

The media, in all its forms, serves as the chief purveyor of information and opinionon public matters and affairs. Its standardized patterns, permanent quest for sensationalstories and the view of information as a commodity has put limitations on the mediareportage. These limitations often lead the media to isolate facts and events, therebysensationalizing news broadcast to fit its perspective. This basically is how media presswork. It then explains that despite established code of ethics, the media could still blowthings out of all proportion information through its political, economic, and socialinclinations that inevitably generate biased reportage of information. Media bias has been

a feature of mass media, especially newsprints, since the invention of the printing pressand it has been massively pervasive and influencing into this generation’s delivery ofreports due to the growing development of technology. Media Bias or commonly calledpartisan media is described by Jordan Stalker as a “pattern of organizing competing journalism outlets along party lines.”2 The concept of Partisan Media revolves around theidea of selective exposure in which it refers to “media actor’s selection of informationmatching their beliefs.” It also assumes that “people (uses) like-minded information andeschew information that conflict with their beliefs.”3 Simply put, partisan media areopinionated media. These are the media that “do not only report the news but offer adistinct point of view on it as well.”4 Partisan media selects biased stories that reports

2 Jordan Stalker, Partisan Press,http://www.communicationencyclopedia.com/public/tocnode?id=g9781405131995_chunk_g978140513199521_ss11-1 (last accessed Nov. 20, 2015).3 J. Crowfort, Fragmented Social Media:A Look into Selective Exposure to Political News, http://www2013.org/companion/p51.pdf (lastaccessed December 20, 2015).4 M. Levendusky, Why Do Partisan Media Polarize Viewers?,http://sites.sas.upenn.edu/mleven/files/polarization_ajps.pdf (last accessed, Nov. 20, 2015).



heavily on the good image of the party in which they are in favour to and detriments theother through moderating stories of the other party. Moreover, a relative study entitledFragmented Social Media: A Look into Selective Exposure to Political News affirmed that“selective exposure in political news sharing does exist, especially among those who arepartisans, which can amplify the collective prejudices over time.”5Although, occurrence

of media partisanship accordingly continues to be a matter of debate, empirical evidencesand circumstances especially those occurring in the political arena quite proves theaforesaid contentions.

Media and partisan politics are closely interconnected as media and politicalparties are linked. Partisan media serves as the “primary means through whichpoliticians communicate with the electorate.”6 The media acts as a significant tool forpolitical parties to advance themselves towards the people. They establish affiliationswith particular partisan media that subsequently serves as their political advocates.Partisan media is provided with partisan outlets where they could deliver their stories“framed, spun and slanted so that certain political agendas are advanced.”7 Being

partisan or biased in the world of mass communication or journalism speaks only a smallportion of media ethics for it only “identifies the collective influences of the entire contextof a message.”8 Politicians are overtly partisans and clear on its political preferences and journalists too has political leanings but not explicitly so. For instance when reporters ontheir news delivery tries to create a comprehensive liberal and conservative vision, theycould easily be distinguished as biased in which they favour a particular politicalideology or principle of one party over the other through explicit inclinations or visionsit posits. Partisan media does not only focus solely on conveying factual events, but mostimportantly it aims to express its politically-coated interests to the public world. As aresult, partisan media at some point becomes an instrument for propaganda.

Political Partisanship and the Newspaper Media in the PhilippinesIn democratic states such as the Philippines, media is not only considered to be a

primary source of information but also is participative in moulding the politicalconsciousness of the citizen of the State. In relation to this, the media upholds politicalparticipation among its patrons by employing various possesses such as Agenda Setting,Framing and Priming embedded in all of its reports. Considering that democratic statesare upheld through public opinion, the media promotes an avenue by which politicaldiscussions are materialized thereby causing polarization of political inclination amongst

5 J. Crowfort, Fragmented Social Media:A Look into Selective Exposure to Political News, http://www2013.org/companion/p51.pdf (lastaccessed December 20, 2015).6 J. Gans, How Partisan is the Press? Multiple Measures of Media Slant,http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/0932_partisan.pdf (last accessed Nov. 20, 2015).7 M. Levendusky, Why Do Partisan Media Polarize Viewers?,http://sites.sas.upenn.edu/mleven/files/polarization_ajps.pdf (last accessed, Nov. 20, 2015).8 Rhetorica, http://rhetorica.net/bias.htm (last accessed Nov. 20, 2015).



all citizens. Indeed, the media has a power to make people take and support sides inaccordance to whatever information they guzzle.

Newspapers are still considered to be strong mediums for news reporting in thePhilippines. The Philippine press has been considered to be the oldest and most liberal inAsia. Though it is considered to be ‘strong,’ the distribution of newspapers in the country

faces a gradual decline. “No more than two million people, or 2.7 per cent of the 2001population, are reached by the newspapers, even if a pass-on readership of five isassumed.”9 Furthermore, it’s quite alarming that “The national newspapers printbetween only 10,000 and 400,000 copies daily, while the print run of the communitynewspapers ranges from a low of 50 copies to a high of 45,000.

Under these conditions, one of the resurging issues in the print media industry isthe newspaper agencies’ vulnerability to align themselves and to be easily swayed bypolitical figures. In the Philippine history, press partisanship can be described in terms oftwo generations: the first generation started with the operation of newspaper agenciesthat were closely supervised by the country’s colonizers. The occupancy of the Spanish,

Japanese, and American colonizers has “initiated censorships in news reporting.”10 Thenext generation of Philippine Journalism started during the Marcos regime and wasnamed to be the alternate form of journalism. The Philippine press started to becomevigilant against the loopholes of the administration of the government and has greatlyinfluenced the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution and thus contributed “to the Filipinostruggle for national independence, social change, democratization and justice.”11 However, the present condition of the Philippine Press apparently shows to betechnically attached to straight delivery of news and a weaker exhibition of a progressiveform of freedom of expression.

In terms of media ownership, the Philippine press is obviously controlled by

prominent elite businessmen and politicians alike. Elite families have pragmatic andundeniable connections within the government and thus security of informationdelivered in the press is assured between the two parties. The private ownership of thePhilippine press could have ensured the essence of a free press. However, press freedomis “often compromised by the interference of owners who have interests to protect andwho compel their editors and reporters to cover events from the perspective of thoseinterests.”12 In the month of November in the year 2000, Shiela Coronel of the PhilippineCouncil of Investigative Journalism divulged that there was “increasing unwillingnessamongst editors to publish pieces that were critical of government, particularly PCIJreports.”13

9 Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Philippines,

https://www.article19.org/data/files/pdfs/publications/philippines-baseline-study.pdf (last accessed Nov. 20,

2015).10 L. TEODORO JR. & R. KABATAY, MASS MEDIA LAWS AND REGULATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES 1 (2001).11 Id .12 Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Philippines,

https://www.article19.org/data/files/pdfs/publications/philippines-baseline-study.pdf (last accessed Nov. 20,

2015).13 Id .



Media Ownership and Control over News ReportageTrue to their promised to inform the public and serve to be the mirror of country’s

biggest and latest happenings, whether it deals with politics, business, economics, health,

foreign and local news, entertainment, sport or lifestyle, newspaper is still one of theleading sources of information. Three of the country’s leading broadsheets in the countryare continuously loyal to its duty to feed the people on current events in the society. Theauthor focused this study to four broadsheets, namely, The Manila Bulletin, ThePhilippine Daily Inquirer and The Manila Times. This section aims to discuss the originof the aforementioned newspaper agencies to unravel its respective political affiliationsthat hampers the supposed objective conveyance of information.

Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Philippine Daily Inquirer was established in the year 1985. Similar to itsforerunners, the Mr. and Mrs. Special Edition and the weekly Philippine Inquirer, “it wasto play an important role in helping bring about chronicling the historic EDSArevolution.”14 “In December 2, 1985, President Ferdinand E. Marcos called for a snappresidential election. Ms. Corazon C. Aquino, widow of Sen. Benigno S. Aqunio Jr., wassoon nominated by the opposition to run against Marcos.”15 Consequently, a strongdemand arose for a trustworthy new newspaper institution in the country.

“Mrs. Eugenia D. Apostol, Chair of Mr. and Ms. Publishing Co., and a group of

media people organized the INQUIRER to meet the demand for a credible broadsheet.”16

The group’s genuine desire is to be able to create a newspaper that was “trulyindependent, free from the influence of interest group.”17 Hence, the Philippine DailyInquirer’s development was a response to the call for a reliable alternativ 1e broadsheetthat would compete with the three national dailies controlled by the Marcos’administration. As manifested in the long existence of the news outfit, the PhilippineDaily Inquirer was against the authoritarian regime led by Marcos.

“The INQUIRER started publishing with less than P1 million in seed money, itsmaiden issue, published on December 9, 1985, sold 30,000 copies.”18 The paper far alongembraced the slogan “Balanced News, Fearless Views.”19 The new daily was first locatedin Port Area, Manila. “It was built by 40 editors, reporters, correspondents,

14 The Philippine Daily Inquirer, History, http://inquirer.dqs.com.ph/index.php/about-us/history (last accessed Nov.

28, 2015).15 Id. 16 Id. 17 Id. 18 Id. 19 Id.



photographers and other editorial employees working in a 100 square meter newsroom.Columnist Louie Beltran was named its Editor-in-Chief.”20

“The INQUIRER’s circulation increased as Ms. Aquino’s campaign picked up. By January 1986 it was selling 100,000 copies and by February 1986, shortly before theelection, it was selling more than 250,000 copies and circulation continuing to climb

beyond the 300,000 mark. After the EDSA Revolution. The circulation diminished, butthe Inquirer still ranked second among the top broadsheets with 175,000 paid copiesdaily.”21 On June 27, 1986, it transferred to the former Madrid Restaurant on EDSA. Thenewly elected president of that time, Ms. Corazon C. Aquino, was the guest of honor atthe inauguration. “In its first year of operation, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. ranked339th on the list of top 1,000 companies of the country. Since then it has been consistentlyon the list in 1998, 530th; in 1989, 467th; in 1990, 451st; in 1991, 451st again; in 1992, 349th; in1993, 333rd; in 1994, 315th; and in 1995, 296th.”22 It then paved the way for the institutionto become the leading newspaper after the EDSA Revolution in 1986.

In 1990, the Philippine Daily Inquirer became the country’s biggest circulated

broadsheet. “This was validated by a circulation audit conducted by Sycip, Gorres andVelayo for the Print Media Audit Council which found that the INQUIRER had anaverage net paid daily circulation of 200,759 for the period of October 1989 to March1990.”23 Since then, the INQUIRER has unswervingly led in the circulation ratings. “On January 26, 1994, Ms. Apostol, the INQUIRER founding chair, retired and Ms, Marixi R.Prieto took over her post. A group led by Eduardo Espiritu, former PNB president boughtMs. Apostol's shares in the company. Previously, a group headed by Ms. Prieto hadbought into the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. On February 4, 1994, the PDI board ofdirectors appointed Isagani Yambot as publisher.”24

The Philippine Daily Inquirer accordingly is the country’s most reputable and

influential newspaper, It has four news bureaus in Baguio City (Northern Luzon),Legaspi City (Southern Luzon), Cebu City (the Visayas) and Davao City (Mindanao).Aside from being the most read newspaper in the country, it is as well the most trustedand source of hard-hitting news and limitless exposes.

Manila Bulletin

Manila Bulletin, the oldest existing newspaper in the country, was incorporated in

the Philippines on February 2, 1900. Its principal office is located at Manila Bulletin Bldg.,Muralla corner Recoletos Sts., Intramuros, Manila. An American, by the name of Carson

20 Id. 21 Id. 22 Id. 23 Id. 24 Id.



Taylor, was its pioneering owner, publisher and editor. “In 1912, Manila Bulletinexpanded to include news of general interest and remained as a mouthpiece of theAmericans even after 1946 under Taylor. The Company is 54.18% owned by U.S.Automotive Co., Inc., which was also incorporated in the Philippines.”25 The newspaperis owned by Filipino-Chinese business mogul Emilio Yap, who, aside from the Manila

Bulletin Publishing Corporation also owned and chaired the Manila Hotel, CentroEscolar University and Euro-Phil Laboratories.”

In the present day, “it has maintained its leadership in the newspaper industryand in the publications of magazines with its advertisements, circulation and clientele.The broad sheet, Manila Bulletin, is published seven days a week; the PhilippinePanorama, a Sunday Weekly Magazine; Style Weekend, a Friday Weekly Magazine;Travel Magazine, published every second and fourth Thursday of the month; Tempo, adaily English tabloid; Balita, a daily Filipino tabloid; monthly magazines, namely:Agriculture, to help boost food production and promote livelihood programs; Cruisingfor sports and travel; Sense and Style, an upscale magazine, covers various facets of

lifestyle from its core content on homes and gardening to beauty and fashion, health andfitness, career, cooking and dining, travel, leisure and everything relevant to busy youngurbanities; Animal Scene, which focuses on animals from pets to endangered species; andSports Digest, for sports aficionados and healthy entertainment.”26

As explicitly pointed out by the management, “The primary purpose for which theManila Bulletin Publishing Corporation is organized is to carry on the business ofproprietors and publishers of newspapers, journals, magazines, periodicals, books,pamphlets, literary works of all kinds, and the business of proprietors and operators ofthe other means of mass communications.”

However, “The newspaper is regarded by many for being pro-administration

regardless of who is in power and also for its optimistic and non-sensational journalism.Unlike other papers, Bulletin editorials used to almost always focus on honoringgovernment agencies and officials, high-profile persons such as the President of thePhilippines, and events by private and public institutions, and rarely touched the topicsabout political issues.”27 Thus, the Bulletin always toes the line of whichever governmentis in power.

The Manila Times

On “October 10, 1898, a bulletin entitled Manila Times came out prior to the realpaper founded by Thomas Gowan. It was the first bulletin that carried press cable in

25 Manila Bulletin, Company Profile of Manila Bulletin, http://www.mb.com.ph/our-history/ (last accessed Nov. 28,

2015).26 Id. 27 Wikipedia, Manila Bulletin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Bulletin#Controversy (last accessed Nov. 28,

2015).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Bulletin#Controversy






English that was received in the Philippines.”28 Hence, the aforesaid newspaperinstitution is considered to be the oldest existing English language newspaper in thePhilippines. “The Manila Times was published to meet the demand of an Americanpaper in Manila, demand mainly from men of the United States Army who had occupiedManila.”29 Thus, “It was founded on October 11, 1898, shortly after news that the Treaty

of Paris would be signed, ending the Spanish–American War and transferring thePhilippines from Spanish to American sovereignty.”30 For several years of turmoil in itsattempt for survival as a newspaper agency, Dante A. Ang formally sat as publisher andchair of The Manila Times on August 8, 2001 who promised to give news that is accurate,fair and comprehensive.

As illustrated by Ellen Tordesillas in his online article entitled The President’sImage-Maker, “One of the most influential persons in the Arroyo administration is not amember of the Cabinet. Neither is he a member of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo'sfamily. He doesn't even have an official title or office, but as the President's "personalpublicist," Dante Arevalo Ang wields formidable clout.”31

As can be gleaned from the foregoing, print media is concentrated in the hands ofprominent political families and business tycoons In the Philippines. Consequently, somereports tend to be one-sided presentations favouring special interests. Print media biasoccurs when a newspaper agency systematically presents a particular point of viewleaning towards a particular entity. It is specifically the bias of journalists and newsproducers in the selection of which events and stories are reported and the manner bywhich they are covered. “Sheila Coronel, Executive Director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, noted that:

These proprietors, like their counterparts during the Marcos and pre-Marcos eras, have not been shy about using their publications or theirbroadcasting facilities to advance their political or business interests. Todayit is not uncommon for broadcast stations or newspapers to lambaste theirproprietors' business rivals or to campaign for policies that will advance theirowners' corporate causes.”32

Over and beyond other teething troubles hobbling the press, namely, unsatisfactoryskills, the extensiveness of check book journalism, intense competition and the absence

28 History of Journalism in the Philippines, http://rocesfamily.com/sm2002/rocesphils/manilatimes.htm (last

accessed Dec. 1, 2015).29 Today in Philippine History October 11, 1898, The Manila Times was founded,

http://kahimyang.info/kauswagan/articles/675/today-in-philippine-history-october-11-1898-the-manila-times-

was-founded (last accessed Dec. 1, 2015).30 The Manila Times, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manila_Times (last accessed Dec. 1, 2015).31 E. Tordesillas, The President’s Image-Maker, http://pcij.org/imag/PublicEye/ang.html (last accessed Dec. 1,

2015).32 Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Philippines,

https://www.article19.org/data/files/pdfs/publications/philippines-baseline-study.pdf (last accessed Dec. 1, 2015).



of editorial supervision, the structure of newspaper ownership adds to these problemsand is partly responsible for the incompetence of some newspapers to triumph over theinterests of their proprietors, and produce sloppy and jaundiced reporting to thedetriment of the community. Undoubtedly, in the interim, press proprietors are not likelyto relinquish control over their controlled press corporations.

Freedom of Expression and the Media

Guarantee of Freedom of Expression in the Philippine Constitution

As enshrined in Article II, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, “ThePhilippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the people andall government authority emanates from them.”33 As such, just like any other democraticcountries, the Philippines ensures its people enormous freedom within the bounds of its

laws. One of the cherished and profound freedom granted by the fundamental law of theland is the Freedom of Expression as stated in Article III, Section 4 which states, “No lawshall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or theright of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress ofgrievances.”34 Accordingly, ours is a government characterized by public dialogue andinteraction. The vibrancy of democracy in the Philippines hinges largely on the quality ofthis dialogue and interaction. A government that engages its citizens, is inclusive in itsdecision-making and, most importantly, enjoys the trust of its electorate, can almostcertainly count on public support when making tough decisions. To strengthen thepeople’s freedom of expression and in line with the incorporation clause of Article II,Section 2 of the Constitution, we uphold Article 19 of the Universal Declaration onHuman Rights (UDHR) which guarantees the right to freedom of expression in thefollowing terms, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impartinformation and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”35 Furthermore,Article 19 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) statesthat:

1. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.2. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall includefreedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless

of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through anyother media of his choice.

33 CONST. art. II, § 1.34 CONST. art. III, § 4.35 THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, art. 19 (1948).



3. The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries withit special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certainrestrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:

(a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others;(b) For the protection of national security or of public order (order public),

or of public health or morals.36

“Freedom of expression is also protected in all three regional human rightsinstruments, by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 13 ofthe American Convention on Human Rights and Article 9 of the African Charter onHuman and Peoples’ Rights. The right to freedom of expression enjoys a prominent statusin each of these regional conventions and, although the Philippines cannot be a party tothem, the judgments and decisions issued by courts under these regional mechanisms,offer an authoritative interpretation of freedom of expression principles in variousdifferent contexts.”37 Ergo, freedom of expression is a key human right, in particular

because of its fundamental role in underpinning democracy.

Guarantee to the Right of Information in the Philippine Constitution

Pursuant to Article III, Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution, “The right of the peopleto information on matters of public concern shall be recognized. Access to official records,and to documents, and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, aswell as to government research data used as basis for policy development, shall beafforded the citizen, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.”38 The latterconstitutional guarantee of access to information is a right crucial to an informed and free

press. The press therefore has “the right to gather and the obligation to check the accuracyof the information they disseminate. For them, the freedom of the press and of speechis… vital to the exercise of their professions. The right of access to information assuresthat these freedoms are not rendered nugatory by the government’s monopolisingpertinent information. The right to information… is meant to enhance the widening roleof the citizenry in governmental decision-making as well as checking abuse ingovernment.”39

Striking Balance between Regulation and Freedom: Responsible Journalism

36 INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, art. 19 (1966).37 Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Philippines,

https://www.article19.org/data/files/pdfs/publications/philippines-baseline-study.pdf (last accessed Dec. 1, 2015).38 CONST. art. II, § 7.39 Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Philippines,




As held in the case of Tulfo vs. People of the Philippines, “The freedom of the pressis one of the cherished hallmarks of our democracy; but even as we strive to protect andrespect the fourth estate, the freedom it enjoys must be balanced with responsibility.”40 Similar to other freedoms, the freedom of the expression, specifically, the freedom of thepress should come within the limits of the law. “The Court has long respected the

freedom of the press, and upheld the same when it came to commentaries made on publicfigures and matters of public interest. Even in cases wherein the freedom of the press wasgiven greater weight over the rights of individuals, the Court, however, has stressed thatsuch freedom is not absolute and unbounded. The exercise of this right or any rightenshrined in the Bill of Rights, indeed, comes with an equal burden of responsibleexercise of that right. The recognition of a right is not free license for the one claiming itto run roughshod over the rights of others.”41 The Journalists Code of Ethics adopted bythe National Union of Journalists of the Philippines shows that the press recognizes thatit has standards to follow in the exercise of press freedom; that this freedom carries dutiesand responsibilities. Freedom of expression as well as freedom of the press may not be

unrestrained, but neither must it be reined in too harshly. Therefore, there is a necessityof a free press balanced with the necessity of a responsible press.

Although the right to freedom of the press is not absolute and while bothinternational law and most national constitutions recognise that it may be restricted, anylimitations must remain within strictly defined parameters. “Article 19(3) of the ICCPRlays down the conditions which any restriction on freedom of expression must meet: Theexercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it specialduties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but theseshall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respect of the rightsor reputations of others; (b) For the protection of national security or of public order

(order public), or of public health or morals.”42

To conclude, the essence of this research paper is not only to determine theconceivable political partisanship in the media but also to provide a picture of thedeplorable situation in the Philippine Press due to the unbalanced reporting among thedailies in the Philippines. One of the most pressing issues is the dominant ownership ofpowerful political families and business tycoons in most of the mainstream and localnewspapers in the country. This has caused news reporting to be partisan attributable tothe screening of news articles to be published according to the favourability of the saidarticles to the company’s owner and its political patrons. It has been noticed throughtime that the Philippine press has gradually lost its watchdog function and has furtherprioritized its economic and commercial goals. Without a doubt, these newspaperagencies are also enterprises themselves and thus their operations are greatly influencedeither by the company’s goal of obtaining higher sales against their competitors or to

40 Tulfo vs. People of the Philippines, G.R. No. 161032, September 16, 2008.41 Id. 42 Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Philippines,




please their political patrons. The ultimate challenge that continuously confront thecountry is the commercially oriented goals of media companies that hinder journalists tobe dignified and transparent in their news reporting since their outputs are evaluated onthe basis of marketability and patronage.

It has been observed that there are no clear, specific and clear law that specify the

responsibilities of media practitioners and owners alike. “Unlike many other countries,there is no body of laws in the Philippines that may be called Media Laws. Instead certainlaws apply to the mass media as well as to other groups and persons. There is also asubstantial body of jurisprudence, part of the law of the land, which upholds, limits,modifies and otherwise interprets the constitutional provisions related to freedom ofspeech and press (Article III) or otherwise affecting the media and freedom of expression(such as Article IX on the Commission on Elections, and Article XVI prohibiting foreignmedia ownership).”43 For instance, there is no standard licensing, registration ormembership requirements in any media organization in the Philippines. With regard toregistration, print publications are only considered as business enterprises and there are

no particular laws as to rightful and fair ownership. Indeed there is a need for Congressto enact a law that would regulate ownership of press corporations. As said by thePhilippine Center for Investigative Journalism, “Legislation that would open up pressownership is a possibility but that has so far not been tried, and it is unlikely thatCongress would make a law that would upset the powerful lords of the press.”44

Section 11 of Article XVI empowers Congress to “regulate or prohibit monopoliesin commercial mass media when the public interest so requires.”45 This provision limitingmedia concentration is very broad. There is no clear limit on ownership in one media andacross media. Specific legislation is needed to regulate media ownership. The PhilippineGovernment should uphold more specific laws for the media in order to address the

clamour of unbiased and transparent news reporting. It should facilitate a massive reformin the Philippine media into becoming a genuine public service provider. The mediashould restore its primary function of providing impartial information to its consumers.Thus, there should be a broadcasting policy that would impose unpretentiousindependence to all broadcasting institutions to free the latter from political andcommercial pressure. This includes the limitation of ownership concentration to fewpowerful hands.

43 Freedom of Expression and the Media in the Philippines,

https://www.article19.org/data/files/pdfs/publications/philippines-baseline-study.pdf (last accessed Dec. 1, 2015).44 Lords of the Press, http://pcij.org/imag/PublicEye/lords4.html (last accessed Dec. 1, 2015).45 CONST. art. XVI, § 11, ¶ 1.

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