Country
Philippines
Government actions against journalists in the Philippines
RSF 2026 rank: 114th of 180. World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF); rank 1 is the freest.
The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.
The Philippines is in South-eastern Asia, Asia. The record holds 5 incidents in which the government of the Philippines, or an official, court or legislature there, limited journalists' ability to report.
Tactics used
- Detention and violence: 2 incidents · ladder
- Lawsuits against the press: 2 incidents · ladder
- Access bans: 1 incident · ladder
- Insult and defamation laws: 1 incident · ladder
- Prior restraint: 1 incident · ladder
- Shutdowns and blocking: 1 incident · ladder
Heads of government at the time
Incidents by year
2020
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 June 2020 | Philippines: Maria Ressa convicted of cyber libel | Lawsuits against the press | Punish | Rodrigo Duterte | Ongoing (15 June 2020) |
2019
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 February 2019 | Philippines: Rappler's Maria Ressa arrested over cyber libel case | Detention and violence | Punish | Rodrigo Duterte | Reversed (14 February 2019) |
2018
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 February 2018 | Philippines: a Rappler reporter is barred from the presidential palace | Access bans | Pressure | Rodrigo Duterte | Unknown (21 February 2018) |
1972
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 September 1972 | Philippines President Marcos closes every major news outlet under martial law | Shutdowns and blocking | Silence | Ferdinand Marcos | Reversed (25 February 1986) |
1901
| Date | Incident | Tactic | Stage | Head of government | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Philippines: United States colonial government's libel law is used to close the newspaper El Renacimiento | Insult and defamation laws | Punish | William Howard Taft | Upheld by a court (1 January 1914) |
Ladders: where each tactic has led · Timeline for Philippines · Asia