Featured image above shows the signatories to the MOA. Starting from the left: NPC President Mina Navarro; PTFoMS Undersecretary Joe Torres, Jr.; CICC Undersecretary Aboy A. Paraiso; and Attorney Alvin M. Navarro, CICC deputy executive director. (Photo: SDN)

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STUDIO 7 BUILDING, Quezon City, July 21, 2026 (SDN) — Violence in the country against journalists continue to happen, resulting in death of media practitioners.

Two of the latest victims of this violence were broadcaster Nestor Micator of D’Empire Radio in Cotabato City, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and reporter Julito “Jaz” Diamante Calo, who worked for DNN News FM in Negros Occidental.

There were many more media members slain in the past as seen in a compilation on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_the_Philippines)

When does this killing of news reporters end is a question no one can answer for certainty. For there are those who take criticism personal and an affront and they are prepared to do violence.

Attacks against media workers have also migrated online as the fast-evolving digital sphere brings with it all sorts of activities that either unite or divide. Journalists are now in the crosshairs of online harassments, threats, or attacks.

These acts targeted against members of the media have morphed from the physical to the digital realm, making journalists’ work more stressful and cumbersome, adding another layer of burden.

Mindful of the need to protect journalists in the cyber world, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) under the leadership of Undersecretary Joe Torres, Jr., executive director, and the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) led by Undersecretary Aboy A. Paraiso, executive director, entered into a partnership on Monday, July 20.

To operationalize the goals of the PTFoMS and the CICC, which is an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the two government agencies put pen to paper to formalize their Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Torres, Paraiso and his CICC official, Deputy Executive Director Atty. Alvin M. Navarro signed the MOA.

The National Press Club (NPC) of the Philippines also signed the MOA as witness, with new NPC President Mina Navarro representing media workers.

CICC and PTFoMS’s agreement gives muscles to the protection of journalists against cyber threats, online harassment, and other forms of digital attacks.

PTFoMS’ Torres described the accord as the “strategic alliance” in order “to address and mitigate the growing cybercrime threats and harassments faced by media workers.”

He also noted how digital platforms are now being used as essential tools by journalists in their work, but as they harnessed these technologies “the risk to media practitioners from online harassment, threats, data privacy breaches, disinformation and cybercrimes has heightened.”

The CICC said the MOA puts forth a coordinated framework for the referral, monitoring, and the investigation of cybercrime cases that involve workers in the media industry even as it promotes press freedom and public’s right to information.

National Press Club thanks PTFoMS and CICC for addressing journalists’ plight

At the signing event held at the DICT-CICC offices housed at the Studio 7 Building along ultra- and ever-busy EDSA  (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue), the CICC executive director took note of journalists’ vital role in keeping democracy afloat while providing them protection as threats continue to find their way into the digital space.

“For years, journalists have long stood at the frontlines, often under difficult and dangerous circumstances, to keep the public informed. Today, it is our turn to stand with them,” Paraiso, apparently reading from the glasses of his high-tech eyeglasses, emphasizes.

NPC President Navarro, a print journalist, expressed appreciation to the PTFoMS and CICC for addressing the protection on cyber space of media workers as many of them have already crossed the lines between the print and online journalism, blurring the distinction between them.

And as Torres pointed out, the established print media organizations, television channels, and radio stations in the Philippines are now also operating in both the physical and cyber worlds.

He said the MOA, thus, seeks to extend protection to journalists in the digital sphere to ensure the preservation of their rights to free expression and information.

The NPC leadership thanked the two agencies for their attention to the plight of media workers.

“On behalf of the National Press Club, thank you for this meaningful partnership. In today’s digital age, journalists not only inform the public but also face growing challenges in the online space. This Memorandum of Agreement is a strong step toward promoting both press freedom and digital safety,” the NPC President Navarro, whose term is from 2026 to 2028, says.

She added the NPC “looks forward to working together to empower media practitioners with the knowledge and protection they need while continuing to uphold responsible, ethical, and truthful journalism. ”

The NPC president described PTFoMS and CICC as partners of the journalists’ umbrella organization.

Flowing from the accord, the two government agencies have agreed to pool their resources, expertise, and legal frameworks to provide enhanced protection against cyber attacks aimed at journalists.

Also contained in the MOA is the CICC’s responsibility as it serves as the focal point for monitoring, tracking, and providing technical support in cybercrime cases that involve media workers. It will provide digital forensic, cyber intelligence, and technical assistance. Meanwhile, primary investigative authority will remain with PTFoMS and law enforcement agencies.

Paraiso said the partnership is a demonstration of the two agencies’ commitment to protect the people who make the truth accessible to every Filipino.

“We cannot allow cyber space to become another venue for silencing those who expose injustice, crime, and corruption. Because regardless of one’s profession, no one should have to fear for their safety simply for doing their job,” he assures.

The CICC will share its cyber security expertise with PTFoMS to enhance its operational capacity as it monitors investigations of cases involving journalists.

Also included in the MOA is the two agencies’ coordination with local government units (LGUs), media organizations, civil society, and other stakeholders to further bolster digital security measures for workers in the media industry. — EDD K. USMAN (√)

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The author

EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, Manila Business Insights, Panorama Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, and others, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (®)