NUJP urges PH media to continue fighting for fair work conditions
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — In line with the World Press Freedom Day, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NJUP) on Saturday called on the media workers to continue fighting for humane workplace conditions as it highlighted recent incidents that challenged safety and economic factors of the Philippine media.
The NUJP said that while the media workers’ job is to “observe objectivity,” their existence as media workers and citizens should lead to participating in conversations that will influence working environments in the society.
“We call on fellow media workers to continue discussing workplace conditions – which include wages, job security as well as safety — organize for mutual aid and for a stronger voice in the newsroom, and to join campaigns on these issues,” NUJP said in a statement.
According to the 2025 World Press Index of Reporters Without Borders, the Philippines currently ranks 116th, climbing 18 spots from 134th in 2024. The NUJP said that this does not reflect “better conditions” for ordinary media workers in the country.
The NUJP pointed out the integration of the operations of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), the country’s leading broadsheet, with Inquirer Interactive Inc., its sister company that handles the website.
In a statement on Friday, the PDI assured that the affected employees would receive all benefits due to them, while some PDI’s staffers were invited to join the Inquirer Interactive.
READ: No halt in publishing broadsheet, PDI clarifies
“The potential job cuts will also mean a loss of institutional memory and years upon years of collective journalism experience that have helped define PDI, and have helped shape the country’s history,” NUJP noted.
The union also said that the benefits the PDI staffers will receive “are not boons bestowed by the company but gains won by its employees and their union over the years.”
Aside from this, the NUJP also highlighted the killing of veteran journalist and publisher Johnny Dayang in his home in Aklan last April 29. It said that Dayang’s murder “broke a period of more than a year without a work-related media killing.”
READ: Veteran journo, ex-Kalibo Mayor Dayang, 89, slain at Aklan home
The union noted that “Dayang’s killing is among the 177 press freedom attacks and violations that the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has documented since the beginning of the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presidency.”
It added that community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio’s continued detention “is a blot on the record of this administration.” Cumpio was arrested during a joint police and military operation in February, along with four human rights defenders.
The NUJP said that these incidents are proof that the fight for free press, safety, and job security for media workers continues.
