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For Filipino Journalists, Local Politics Can Be a Dangerous Beat

Ralph Jennings

   TAIPEI - The phone calls came to his newsroom and his home. The person
   on the line told whoever answered that Joe Torres should "take care."
   But the threats didn't stop there. Armed men would follow the veteran
   Filipino journalist and'¯"really show themselves."'¯Once, someone fired
   shots outside Torres' house.'¯

   At the time, Torres was covering the armed rebels, the Abu Sayyaf
   Group, and digging into the criminal history of a local political clan.
   The clan was the bigger menace.

   "I traced several killings to [a political] family,"'¯said Torres, 54.
   "The government even actually investigated them. My story started it
   all, so I think that's why I received a lot of threats."'¯'¯

   This was in the mid-90s, but it could have been yesterday. Journalists
   in the Philippines still face serious threats for independent reporting
   that makes powerful people look bad. By many accounts, conditions are
   more dire than ever for reporters like Torres.

   Of late, the big press freedom story has been about autocratic
   President Rodrigo Duterte and his fight with the national media,
   including the trial of Rappler and its executive editor, Maria Ressa.
   But it is coverage of local politicians, particularly those in the drug
   trade, that pose more danger to press freedom than anything else,'¯
   said Torres and other Filipino journalists.

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