As the nation marked the first year of the Anti-Terror Law, student journalists sought anew for its scrapping due to its provisions "meant to crush down every campus journalists' responsibility for critical reportage."
President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 on July 3. The law took effect on July 18.
The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) said the illegal arrest of youth activists in Zambales and a journalist from CEGP Central Luzon on May 1 showed that the anti-terror law is "an assault to press and freedom of expression."
Twelve activists, including youth leaders and a campus journalist, were arrested for allegedly failing to maintain social distancing inside a van while on their way to a Labor Day protest.
CEGP also condemned the red-tagging of campus journalists from Kabataang Mamamahayag ng Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Philippine Collegian, SINAG, University of the Philippines Solidaridad, and Ang Pahayagang Plaridel.
"These blatant attacks on our bastions of truth and militant vanguards of freedom only show how Duterte's priority revolves around his authoritarian rule instead of the legitimate calls such as socio-economic aid, scientific, and mass-oriented COVID-19 response," the group said.
"It has aggravated his criminal negligence to the rights and welfare of the people who put him to where he is as he busies himself orchestrating the state forces and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict's tramping ."