OPPRESSED FREEDOM

As the global domination of COVID-19 has imprisoned the population, Filipinos relied heavily on social media as their call for help and their last grasp of communication on what was left outside to combat the said invisible foe. The government, however, took the opportunity and latched on to the risky situation as a bid to silence the truth seekers by signing into law the Anti-Terrorism Act on July 3 last year, which became the administration’s weapon, targeting the heads of personalities that will oppose their decisions.

On the 20th of March, however, youth leader Sarah Elago pushed to enact House Bill No. 319 or the “Campus Press Freedom Bill.” She authored the bill to immunize young writers on the impact of the Anti-Terror Law. With the proposed bill is the attempt to repeal the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 which they disclosed that had flaws. In a world wherein the wild hounds use their power to oppress the press, pushing this bill into law will reduce pressure on campus journos who Elago told are the “vanguards of academic freedom.”

Writing in freedom sans the feeling of freedom itself seems like the death of journalism by a thousand cuts, which is why this law will ensure the safety of the young journalists to write for the truth, shunning the danger. Due to the enactment of the Anti-Terror Law, journalists lost an amount of liberty to express news and their opinions on the shortcomings of the government. Since the enforcement of the law, many press personalities and activists have been red-tagged as terrorists, placing a grave weight of threats for them to carry forcefully.

Additionally, approving this bill into enactment can be a huge step in telling the stories of others now that the election season chills people in a cold breeze. Nowadays, most people will use social media’s advantage to investigate which candidate fits best for the title, now that trolls attempt to corrupt the minds of the undecided voters.

The journalists serve as the voices of the voiceless, the fighter of the oppressed. Denying this bill into law would birth a nation where misinformation spreads and infects the lives of the people as grave as the coronavirus. Living in a world where the seekers of truth are muted and the trolls of fallacious perspectives can thicken the blindfolds of the uneducated. 

In a fight where pen and paper are their sword and shield, the press media will sensibly benefit from this bill to ensure their liberty to report their experiences and thoughts on the current flaws of the tyranny. After all, the higher leaders won’t try to dismiss the criticisms of journalists as long as they are transparent with their actions. It is our human right to express our freedom without the fear of losing our voices to scream the truth, even in a deep ocean of restrictions. To put it strongly, we the people are all worthy of freedom, and the truth with it.