EDITORIAL - Cebu Press Freedom Day

When members of the media mark the weeklong Cebu Press Freedom Week starting today, the focal point of the celebration is not to remember the dark days of the martial law, but to rejoice over the sovereignty the Fourth Estate had regained when the country's democracy was restored.

Yes, the celebration started from the fact that there is a sacred need to defend press freedom from those who want to stamp it. As demonstrated by Marcos' dictatorial regime 40 years ago, a trampled press freedom is just one of the symptoms of an unhealthy nation.

We rejoiced when democracy returned. And for nearly 30 years, Filipino media had been back to their usual role of sporting a freedom needed for an unhampered flow of information, a practice the Cebu media community is celebrating today.

What makes this year's Cebu Press Freedom Week celebration more momentous is the fact that the annual event has generated support from the House of Representatives, the Cebu Provincial Board and the Cebu City Council.

In its plenary session last Tuesday, the Lower House approved House Resolution 231 authored by Cebu City north district Representative Raul del Mar declaring September 21 as Cebu Press Freedom Day across the province.

The Cebu Provincial Board approved last September 3 Board Resolution 2201 sponsored by Board Member Raul Alcoseba proclaiming September 21 as Press Freedom Day in towns and component cities in the province.

And, last Wednesday, the Cebu City Council approved Council Resolution 13-0703-2015 authored by Councilor Hanz Abella declaring September 21, the anniversary of martial law, as Cebu Press Freedom Day across the city. 

Those declarations by the House and the two local legislators are just a testament of the Cebu media community's undying commitment to defend press freedom despite the continued attacks on journalists in other areas of the country.

For more than two decades, Cebu media outlets have taken an extra mile refraining from the tradition of engaging in fierce competition to celebrate press freedom. And they will continue to unite for the sake of bringing a boundless flow of information to the public.