MANILA - Ahead of the campaign period for the 2022 national and local elections, the government initiated a novel approach to protect media workers and journalists with the launch of the Media Security Vanguards (MSVs) of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Friday. During the virtual ceremony and press conference, more than 500 Public Information Officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) all over the country, led by PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, were formally designated as MSVs to protect the life, liberty, and security of all journalists and media workers in the country. Alba will serve as chief vanguard. PTFoMS Executive Director, Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, lauded the efforts of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and PNP to protect journalists and prevent another tragedy like the Ampatuan massacre in 2009 when 32 journalists and media workers were among the 58 killed in the Maguindanao town. The launch of th
MANILA - The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) is in high gear as it celebrated Monday its 5th year anniversary as the forefront agency of the government in defending press freedom by protecting the life, liberty and security of media workers in the Philippines. As one of President Rodrigo Duterte's legacies to the Filipino people, the PTFoMS was created on Oct. 11, 2016 as an inter-agency task force dedicated to ensure the safety of journalists against threats and violence - the very first in the world. Through the "whole-of-government" approach that now characterizes the way the Duterte Administration has effectively handled important social issues - a unified effort between government agencies to maximize all available resources to achieve its goals - the task force has come a long way from its very humble beginnings. Citing the achievements in the last five years, Undersecretary Jose Joel Sy Egco, Executive Director of the PTFoMS, said the agency will