Malacañang seemed to deflect on its responsibility after the Philippines was tagged as the second most deadly country for journalists.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said that 146 journalists in the country have been killed for the past 25 years.
READ: PH 2nd-most dangerous country for journalists in past 25 years—IFJ
In a statement, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. attributed the “high number” of killings recorded by IFJ due to the 58 people killed, 34 of whom were journalists, in the Maguindanao massacre in 2009.
The massacre happened almost one year before President Benigno Aquino assumed office in 2010.
“The high number of killings attributed to the Philippines includes those slain in the Maguindanao massacre in 2009,” Coloma said.
Coloma said that the Aquino administration has initiated moves to prosecute the alleged perpetrators of the massacre.
“The Aquino administration has dismantled the machinery for impunity by putting in place governance reforms and prosecuting those implicated in the massacre,” he said.
“Since the triumph of the Edsa People Power revolution, the Philippines has become anew a bastion of freedom expression and of the press where there is no prior restraint or internal security regulations that hinder the work of journalists,” Coloma added.
In the same IFJ report, Iraq has topped the list with 309 killings–majority of whom were recorded after the 2003 US invasion.
Mexico has placed third in the list with 120 deaths.
According to the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), there were 23 journalists killed during the Aquino administration.