THE Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) is establishing dedicated media monitoring centers in Marawi and Cotabato City to safeguard journalists covering the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) parliamentary elections.
"Sunday pa lang nandoon na kami, para 'pag mayroong mangyari na related sa media, nandoon na tayo agad (We will be there starting Sunday so that if anything happens related to the media, we are there immediately)," PTFoMS Executive Director Jose Torres, Jr. said during the Isyu Karon media forum on September 11 at The Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Torres noted that task force teams — comprising legal personnel, security forces, and Commission on Elections (Comelec) representatives — will be stationed on the ground. Under a landmark memorandum of agreement signed between PTFoMS and Comelec in July 2024, any physical threat, harassment, illegal detention, or violence against journalists during the election period will be prosecuted directly as a formal election offense under the Omnibus Election Code and Fair Election Act.
To monitor digital harassment targeting media workers, PTFoMS has also partnered with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to run a 24/7 social media desk during the polls.
While no specific threats against reporters covering the Barmm polls have been recorded to date, Torres urged journalists traveling to red-flagged areas to coordinate with local security forces, travel in pairs, and refrain from joining political party convoys. Beyond physical safety, he emphasized that non-partisan reporting remains a journalist's strongest shield.
"The best defense, the best security that we can have is to practice ethical journalism... and don't let political groups, political parties, or candidates perceive you as partisan," Torres advised. "Pagsikapan po natin na magiging ethical sa ating practice ng journalism. Maging non-partisan tayo. Ibalita natin 'yung katotohanan (Let us strive to be ethical in our practice of journalism. Let us be non-partisan. Let us report the truth)."
Addressing public figures who label media outlets as "biased" during intense campaigns, Torres reminded leaders that press scrutiny is essential to a functioning democracy.
"Dapat po intindihin natin 'yung trabaho ng media. Diniin po natin na may responsibilidad ang malayang pamamahayag dito sa ating bansa (We must understand the work of the media. We emphasize that free expression carries a responsibility in our country)," Torres said, reaffirming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to prioritize the safety of provincial journalists caught in political crossfire.
The parliamentary elections scheduled for September 14, 2026, mark the first-ever direct regular elections in Barmm following multiple postponements. This will transition the region from the interim Bangsamoro Transition Authority to its first elected 80-member Parliament under the Bangsamoro Organic Law. GRS
