Amid escalating security threats and surveillance, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) wrestled with systemic violations targeting student publications and campus journalists nationwide.
Tasked with upholding campus press freedom and advancing the welfare of student journalists across higher education institutions in the country, the alliance is composed of student publications from various regional chapters and systemwide alliances.
In its midyear national council meeting, CEGP National Secretary-General John Ray Luciano expressed that reports from regional chapters revealed patterns of harassment, surveillance, funding restrictions, and administrative interferences that “reflect the persistent issues” from 2024 and prior years.
“Common yung usapin ng diversion, non-collection, and deprivation of funds. Maraming kaso ng digital security ng mga pubs [katulad ng] cyber attacks, mass reporting, takedown ng websites, at distributed denial-of-service; campus press repression like threats of suspension, non-accreditation; red-tagging; [at] burukrasya na pahirapan sa proseso.”
The national council reviewed documented cases from July 2024 to April 2026 covering all forms of campus press freedom violations, from physical to digital attacks.
In Luzon, regional coordinators reported cyclical violations, including the suspension of a photojournalist in Southern Tagalog after covering an EDSA protest which stripped the student of Latin honors eligibility, while Bicol delegates logged more than 15 student publications targeted by troll accounts and redtagging campaigns, alongside cases of administrative intervention in editorial planning and non-recognition of publications.
Coordinators from Negros Island region in Visayas cited fiscal autonomy issues and military monitoring that provoke reservations in reporting violations; while Cebu publications faced denial of office space and handbook restrictions barring alliance membership, with some schools requiring publications to seek administrative approval before covering institutional events.
Meanwhile in Mindanao, a delegate in Davao emphasized that the political climate in the region contributes to the pressure on student publications through heightened surveillance, redtagging campaigns, and advisers discouraging publications from participating in external events.
“Mainam silipin if may regional level Commission on Higher Education (CHED) policies on editorial board selection [at] handling of funds in universities or univ-implemented policies. Pinapasa sa students ang expenses when, in fact, it must be [the] school admins. May nag report [din] na mga publications na as per admins within [the] university or campus nalang mag cover.”
As of writing, there are no specific regional CHED policies that create localized rules for editorial board selection or fund handling, as these are governed nationally by the Republic Act No. 7079, also known as the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, and implemented through university-specific codes and manuals.
Reactivate safety office
During community media safety auditing on the capacity-building program, LiCAS News Editor Mark Saludes found that although threats are documented, no chapter identified clear mitigation strategies for physical, digital, data, and legal safety.
“No chapter reports having a system for monitoring threats or tracking escalation patterns…and several chapters don’t have safety policies or guidelines… lacking clear processes when threats occur.”
Saludes stressed that media safety and security are a singular, critical concern since student journalists are part of the broader community.
“Sa usaping safety, iisa lang ang pag-uusapan. Kritikal ito dahil apektado tayong lahat. Nagsisilbing pamantayan sa pagtataguyod ng media safety work policies kaugnay ng gawaing kampanya hinggil sa press freedom,” they added.
In response, the national council mandated that each chapter and student publication must designate a Media Safety Officer (MSO) to serve as the primary point person for documenting and certifying reports of campus press freedom violations (CPFV).
Luciano stated that the national office will likewise create a national committee composed of all MSOs per region to coordinate responses across all chapters.
“Ni-sstandardize natin ito para mas lalong malinis ang ating reports. Pwede gawin along the process man ng incident, or mismong incident na nangyari, or after.”
CEGP National Spokesperson Brell Lacerna underlined that documentation is the foundation of accountability campaigns and that persuading student publications to report violations is essential to building stronger national responses.
“Mahalaga na ipatimo sa kanila na ang pagdokumento at pagproseso ay simulang hakbang ng pagpapanagot.”
Joined by seven out of its eighteen regional chapters and three member-systemwide alliances, the 2026 midyear national council meeting and “Young Changemakers for Communities: A Capacity-Building Program on Media Safety for Student-Journalists Across the Regions” ran from July 24 to 28, 2026, at the University of the Philippines – Diliman.