'Gimpong FM another proof of Duterte’s legacy in safeguarding press freedom' – Usec. Egco

Tabuk City, Philippines – Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Jose Joel M. Egco in his speech during the inauguration of the newly established DWPF 92.10 Gimpong FM Station here in Tabuk City yesterday, December 8, highlighted that the occasion "is proof that safeguarding our nation's press freedom is one of the most important legacies of President Rodrigo Duterte to the Filipino people.”

Egco, who is also the Presidential Task Force on Media Security Executive Director, added that the establishment of the FM radio station is a testament of the relentless effort of the Duterte’s government in making vital information accessible to all Filipino.

“For the first time in history, our Indigenous Peoples of the Cordilleras will have a voice that will resonate across the fertile lands of Kalinga to the beautiful mountains of the Cordilleras and into the hearts and minds of its equally captivating people,” Egco stressed.

DWPF 92.10 Gimpong FM Station is under Radyo Filipinas of the PCOO. It is a newly founded government and non-commercial radio station located at Talama, Bulanao, Tabuk City, Kalinga. The coverage of the station is within the licensed service area of 1 millivolt per meter (mV/m) F.I contour with a frequency range of 88-108 megahertz (MHz). Its hour of operation is from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight.

Beacon of hope for press freedom

Egco said that the country under Duterte’s administration “became a beacon of hope for press freedom by giving justice to the 31 media workers who were among the slain in the infamous Ampatuan Massacre when a court convicted 43 individuals including the masterminds behind this dreadful incident.”

Egco also said that in 2018, Reporters without Borders or RSF, an international media watchdog, finally removed the country from the list of Top 5 most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. In 2020, he said, the country similarly declared as the biggest mover in the Committee to Protect Journalists or CPJ's Global Impunity Index, noting that the Philippines was the most improved country in its 2020s rankings.

He added that even in RSF's 2021 World Press Freedom Index, the country's ranking for the past five years is better than during past administrations. “In fact, President Duterte's lowest grade in the index was the former president's highest. Despite the pandemic, the Philippines media remains free, colorful and vibrant as ever,” Egco said.

During said event, Usec Egco also mentioned about the proposed Media Workers Welfare Act (MWWA), a bill that grants media workers with hazard pay, living wage, employment security, safety equipment, additional insurance, and hospitalization benefits.

He said the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) helped in crafting the bill which was unanimously approved by the House of Representatives in 2020 and is now pending for approval in the Senate.

PTFoMS was created by President Rodrigo R. Duterte by virtue of Administrative Order no. 1 in 2016 with a mandate to provide a safe environment to all media practitioners.

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