UP Journalism Club - UPJC

13/05/2026

LOOK: Members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) staged the first protest in front of the Senate gates today, May 13, calling for the immediate commencement of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and the enforcement of the arrest warrant against Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa, who faces allegations before the International Criminal Court (ICC), remains inside the Senate compound amid growing calls for his arrest.

The group stressed that accountability—through the continuation of Duterte’s impeachment proceedings and the pursuit of cases against Dela Rosa—should not be delayed despite the gravity of the allegations linked to the Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign.

BAYAN's protest is the first scheduled activity at the Senate gates today. Later this afternoon, groups led by Tindig Pilipinas are set to hold another demonstration calling for the immediate pursuit of Duterte's impeachment and Dela Rosa’s arrest.

Via Karl Patrick Suyat, UP Journalism Club

📸: Contributed photos

07/05/2026

“THIS IS WHAT WE CALL A HOMICIDE… MAY PUMATAY EH. WALA BANG ACCOUNTABILITY?”

LOOK: During a press conference held earlier today at the UP Diliman campus in Quezon City, forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun expressed her dismay over apparent discrepant procedures that followed the brutal killings of 19 people during a military operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental last April 19.

Among the inconsistencies that Fortun pointed out were details concerning the way the bodies were retrieved and handled. She also criticized certain lapses in the investigation that has followed after the Toboso killings.

Included in the list of 19 people slain in the Toboso military operation, now called a massacre by human rights groups, are UP Diliman student leader and University Student Council councilor Alyssa Alano, UP Open University student and peasant organizer Maureen Keil Santuyo, fellow peasant organizer Errol Wendel, poet and community journalist RJ Ledesma, Filipino-American activists Kai Sorem and Lyle Prijoles, among others.

Human rights and civil society organizations continue to call for an independent investigation into the Toboso killings in order to exact justice and accountability, a stance that was also echoed and supported by Fortun.

Via Karl Patrick Suyat, UP Journalism Club
📸: Karl Patrick Suyat

03/05/2026

The UP Journalism Club continues to fight for the Freedom of the Press.

In commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, we recognize press freedom as an inalienable right essential to the public’s right to know and to the practice of responsible journalism. As noted by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), for the first time in its history, over half of the world’s countries fall under “difficult” or “very serious” conditions for press freedom. The overall state of press freedom has deteriorated around many countries, with major conflicts and democratic backsliding affecting those in the media.

In the Philippines, now ranked 114th in the index, systemic threats to journalists persist. The recent Toboso killings underscore these risks. Among the victims was RJ Ledesma, a community journalist from Negros whose reporting centered on farmers’ conditions.

Media outlets—particularly alternative and student publications—covering the incident have also faced harassment, disinformation, and hostile online responses that distort public discourse. The ruthlessness of state forces and those allied with them harms those even in the field of media, instilling fear to those covering in vulnerable areas.

Another pressing case that relates to press freedom is the ongoing legal plight of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, where her ongoing detention which started 6 years ago on the bogus charges of “illegal possession of firearms” and “terrorism financing.” United Nations rapporteurs have called for her release on bail, highlighting due process concerns surrounding her case. Her prolonged detention reflects how red-tagging and the misuse of legal mechanisms can be weaponized against journalists.

Globally, journalists covering armed conflict continue to face grave risks. Alongside all of the casualties of the media during the Israel-Palestine War, Amal Khalil, a Lebanese journalist reporting on recent attacks of the Israeli Defence Force to southern Lebanon, was targeted by the IDF through a missile strike. Her death, which was already prefaced by prior death threats against Khalil, is a breach to international humanitarian law, and is an extension to all of the atrocities of Israel against media practitioners covering the war on Gaza.

The killing of journalists, including those targeted in conflict zones such as Gaza and southern Lebanon, demonstrates how reporting the truth can come at the cost of one’s life. These attacks constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and underscore the urgent need to protect media workers in conflict settings.

Press freedom is further undermined by the unchecked spread of disinformation. The scaling back of content moderation on platforms such as X and Facebook has enabled false and harmful narratives to proliferate more rapidly. In our current media landscape where social media presence is now the norm, having to compete with networks of fake news dismantles the capacity of genuine journalism to be the fourth estate.

In an environment where journalists around the country and the world are facing varying degrees of attacks, we continue to assert that this current state of press freedom remains worrying for democracy and the culture of impunity must be fought against. While our nation’s standing has improved two places from 116th in 2025, attacks on journalists continue to increase which have accumulated to 186 cases documented from July 2022 to April 2025.
By enabling much powerful safeguards locally and stronger implementation of international humanitarian laws, journalists will be able to tackle the stories of the unheard without the constant pressure to protect themselves from harm imposed by state actors. The institutions that promote such harm to the press and the general population should also be dismantled, as how the NTF-ELCAC has become the face of red-tagging to journalists and media practitioners in the country such as Frenchie Mae Cumpio.

We, the UP Journalism Club, believe that the protection of journalists must be of high importance. From the Philippines and to the rest of the world, we have seen and felt the consequences of a press that is constantly under attack.

It is our moral duty to stand with the press for its right to continue to uphold the truth. This World Press Freedom Day is not merely a celebration of the abstract concept of press freedom, but rather, it is a moment where we reflect on how much the truth is valued.

In critical thought and action, the press is our greatest platform. Without it being free, we risk living in darkness, away from truth’s light.

01/05/2026

The UP Journalism Club stands with workers in defending labor rights and amplifying their struggles this Labor Day

On this Labor Day, we stand not only in solidarity, but in shared stake; the conditions faced by workers are the conditions that shape the stories we tell, the institutions we move within, and the public we serve.

The UP Journalism Club stands with workers across the country in their continuing calls for living wages, job security, and humane working conditions amid rising costs of living. These are not abstract demands; they are grounded in the daily realities of workers whose labor sustains industries yet remains undervalued and precarious.

Recent events surrounding Kowloon House workers make this reality unmistakably clear. After a six-day strike that secured modest gains in wages and long-overdue service charges, at least 80 workers were issued termination notices shortly after returning to work, an act widely condemned by their union as retaliatory and a violation of negotiated agreements . This follows months of workers pushing for a wage increase as small as ₱25—an amount that labor advocates note barely covers basic daily expenses in the face of inflation . Even as workers demonstrated the power of collective action in winning concessions, their continued vulnerability underscores how fragile these gains remain

This is the reality of labor in the Philippines; victories are hard-won, partial, and often met with new forms of precarity. Workers are compelled to organize, to strike, and to risk their livelihoods simply to claim what is already due to them.

As media practitioners, we recognize that journalism is not external to these struggles; it is embedded within them. The labor of reporting, documenting, and verifying unfolds within the same economic and political conditions that shape all work. Labor Day is not only a moment to cover mobilizations; it is a reminder that the act of coverage itself is labor, and that journalists, too, are workers whose rights and protections must be upheld.

To report on labor is to engage with questions of power, representation, and accountability; whose voices are heard, whose demands are legitimized, and whose struggles are rendered visible. The work of journalism carries the responsibility of ensuring that workers’ narratives are not erased, diluted, or dismissed, especially in moments when their rights are under attack.

At the same time, media workers operate in an environment marked by harassment, red-tagging, and violence. These conditions further constrain the ability of journalists to report freely and safely, reinforcing a broader climate where both labor rights and press freedom remain under threat.

Labor struggles and press freedom are inseparable; attacks on workers, including journalists, are attacks on the public’s right to know.

We call on media institutions to uphold just labor practices and ensure the welfare of all media workers; we call on government agencies to hold employers accountable for violations of labor rights, including acts of retaliation against unionized workers; we call on fellow journalists to continue centering workers’ voices in their reporting with rigor, context, and solidarity.

On this Labor Day, we stand with workers; not only in documenting their struggles, but in affirming that their fight for dignity, security, and justice is a fight that shapes the very conditions of our work as journalists.

Ipaglaban ang karapatan ng manggagawa; ipagtanggol ang kalayaan sa pamamahayag.

26/04/2026

The UP Journalism Club condemns the Toboso killings and urges critical scrutiny of official narratives

On April 19, a military strafing operation was launched by the 79th Infantry “Masaligan” Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental. The operation resulted in the deaths of at least 19 individuals and the displacement of around 168 families, affecting around 653 residents.

Among those killed were individuals whose lives and work were rooted in public service and truth-telling: UP Diliman University Student Council Education and Research Councilor Alyssa “Aly” Alano; community journalist and former Spectrum editor-in-chief RJ Ledesma; UP Open University student Maureen “Mau” Keil Santuyo; community researcher Errol Wendel; and human rights advocate Lyle Prijoles, along with 14 others. Their deaths demand more than labels; they demand careful, evidence-based accounting.

Official statements have framed the incident as a legitimate armed encounter, citing the presence of armed insurgents and recovered weapons. These claims, however, remain contested by accounts from the ground and by human rights groups. Even if an armed encounter did occur, this does not resolve critical questions: whether all those killed were combatants, whether the principles of distinction and proportionality were upheld, and whether each death has been subjected to independent verification. Under International Humanitarian Law, the presence of conflict heightens—rather than diminishes—the obligation to protect civilians and ensure accountability (International Committee of the Red Cross, 2005).

We caution against the rapid consolidation of a singular narrative that collapses complex identities into a single category of “combatant.” Reports indicate that RJ Ledesma may not have been at the site of the alleged firefight, raising serious concerns about the blanket characterization of the victims.

The reduction of individuals into state-defined labels without due process reflects a pattern where narrative precedes verification. This pattern is not incidental. It reflects the production of hegemonic narratives, where dominant institutions shape public understanding by presenting partial accounts as complete truths (Hall, 1982).

When such narratives are uncritically reproduced, they risk legitimizing violence while obscuring unresolved questions of accountability. In conflict settings, assertions of “community intelligence” necessitate careful scrutiny, as information is frequently generated under circumstances of fear, coercion, or survival rather than genuine consent.

For journalism, this moment underscores a fundamental responsibility. As the Fourth Estate, the press exists not to echo power but to scrutinize it; to test official claims against independent evidence, to surface contradictions, and to ensure that no life is reduced to a label without proof (Schudson, 2008). The uncritical repetition of state narratives transforms journalism into machinery that reproduces rather than interrogates power, enabling the normalization of violence through language.

So, we ask that media professionals and organizations follow the highest standards of verification and independence. Reporting needs to go beyond official statements and include community testimonies, forensic evidence, and investigations that are not connected to the government. It must focus on the lived experiences of the deceased—not as mere abstractions in a conflict, but as individuals whose rights endure irrespective of allegations.

We likewise call for a transparent, independent, and credible investigation into the Toboso killings. Accountability cannot rest on unilateral claims; it must be established through processes that are open, evidence-based, and just.

As journalists, our role is not merely to report what is said, but to interrogate what is claimed. In moments where narratives are contested and lives are at stake, this responsibility becomes even more urgent.

Justice for Alyssa Alano, RJ Ledesma, Mau Santuyo, Errol Wendel, Lyle Prijoles, and all victims.

Uphold International Humanitarian Law.
End militarization in Negros.


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References:

Hall, S (1982). The rediscovery of “ideology”: Return of the repressed in media studies. In M. Gurevitch et al. (n.d.) Culture, society, and the media. Routledge.

International Committee of the Red Cross (2005). Customary international humanitarian law, Volume I: Rules. Cambridge University Press

Shudson, M. (2008). Why democracies need an unlovable press. Polity Press

23/04/2026

"It is in the sweetness of the sugarcane juice that the bitterness of the blood that flows in that same land reveals the continuing conflict between the powerful and the powerless."

04/04/2026

Nothing about that decision was accidental. It followed nearly six years of detention, a series of charges that had partially collapsed, and a case built on evidence that has not held consistently across proceedings. And still, the ruling stands. For this case, the process is deemed sufficient.

04/04/2026

Sa gitna ng patuloy na krisis sa sistema ng edukasyon, mahalagang linawin muna kung ano ang tunay na pundasyon ng pagkatuto — ang sapat na antas ng karunungang bumasa, sumulat, at magbilang, maayos na pagsasanay at suporta sa mga g**o at mga paaralang may kakayahang maghatid ng dekalidad na edukasyon.

26/03/2026

19/03/2026

The country’s economic data are, at the very least, worrisome, although such a softball term is inadequate to picture the full extent of this crisis. But what’s worse is that this administration, including Marcos Jr. himself, fails—or deliberately refuses—to recognize that the problem isn’t only outward nor out of its control. 

12/03/2026

HAPPENING NOW: Students, faculty, and staff participate in the university-wide earthquake drill today, March 12, as part of the 1st Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED).

The drill, led nationwide by the Office of Civil Defense (Philippines), encourages the public to practice the “Duck, Cover, and Hold” safety protocol and strengthen preparedness in the event of an earthquake.

Members of the UP community paused their activities at 3:30 PM to simulate emergency response procedures and promote awareness on disaster readiness.

Via Pajo Albano, UP Journalism Club
📸: Ails Macababbad, UPJC