Several key points were conveyed by United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Irene Khan as she summed up her observations during her 10-day visit to the Philippines.

At the end of her trip on Feb. 2, Khan, rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression, called on the Marcos administration to ensure the safety of the media and come up with initiatives that will further protect journalists.

Why she made such a suggestion stemmed from the following:

Khan said the Philippines continues to be a dangerous country for journalists. Although the Marcos administration seems more "amiable" to the press than the Duterte administration, she said the trend of violence against journalists nevertheless "remains disturbing".

She particularly cited the killings of Juan Tumpag Jumalon (DJ Johnny Walker), Cresenciano "Cris" Bunduquin, Percival Mabasa (Percy Lapid), and Renato Blanco, all of which happened during the current administration.

She also cited the case of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, a province-based journalist facing illegal possession of guns and explosives charges. She visited the embattled journalist in Tacloban City.

"While impunity is a major deterrent, other protection and prevention measures are also needed to ensure the safety of journalists," she said.

Khan said the government's main mechanism to protect journalists, the Presidential Task Force for Media Security (PTFOMS), still seems to have no "sufficient institutional capacity, proper systems or a clear policy framework on the protection and safety and prevention of attacks on journalists".

For example, she said, when she had a random check at Cebu City Police Station, personnel there were "not aware of the arrangement" and "had no rules on how to handle" media security concerns, which should be implemented through the PTFOMS.

"I recommend that the government consider setting up a fully dedicated, properly resourced well-institutionalized mechanism, based on good practices from other countries, appropriate training and stronger coordination with police, the media and other actors," she said.

The rapporteur also expressed concern over the revocation of the franchise of ABS-CBN, and the closure of CNN Philippines, which she said "adversely affect independent and diverse media and Filipinos’ access to plural information today".

Khan also found out about the blocking of some alternative news organizations online allegedly due to their link to rebellion. She rued "the blocking of websites is a direct form of censorship, which requires a high degree of scrutiny."

"While the government may dislike that some outlets provide alternative narratives that do not follow its own editorial line, it is critical that any decision that restrict the freedom of expression meet the three-part test of legality, necessity and proportionality provided for under international human rights law," she said.

Also noting the Media Welfare Bill that is being pushed in the Congress, Khan recommended broader talks with the media to gauge the likely impact of the bill, particularly to smaller outlets.

In a press conference on Feb. 2, Khan said the government must show tolerance to criticism and dissent if it really wants to live up to its value for democracy.

"The whole concept of freedom of expression is to be able to say what you want, even if it offends the other side," she said.

Khan said it was the government's responsibility to ensure that the Philippine media was "free, independent, diverse and pluralistic".

"I've talked about the regulation of ownership, because what is happening in many countries, including in the Philippines, is that the powerful economic and political interests are coming in to buy media and that sometimes lead to a direct erosion of media freedom of editorial freedom," she said.

"What the CNN channel [situation] proves is that even though the decision may have been commercial, a lot of other real important factors are coming in now. That will deprive people of valid information source," she added.

Khan called on the government to ensure that the media sector is safe so the democracy will also get vibrant.

"Because without a vibrant, safe, diverse, pluralistic media, citizens suffer. People's right to know is curtailed. And democracy suffers," she added.