REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No, L493

Introduced by Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry L. Ridon

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘The campus press has an invaluable contribution in the restoration and preservation
of free speech and expression inside and outside our nation's campuses.

As early as the periods of Spanish, American and Japanese Occupations, campus
journalists have braved repressive conditions in order to expose the grim realities under a
colonial government. During the tumultuous decades under Martial Law, campus
publications served as the alternative press as Presidential Proclamation 1081 imposed
state censorship and ordered the closure of major dailies, television and radio stations, and
even community papers. As part of the alternative press, campus publications countered
State propaganda and fought for the espousal of truth that pierced through the maelstrom of
the political and economic injustices of the time.

From the campus press also came prominent and notable figures in Philippine
politics, media, art, literature and business who, in one way or another, have contributed
significantly to their respective fields. The campus press instilled in many of them the hunger
for truth and social change that served as the first stirrings of their nationalist consciousness.
‘Among the known products of the campus press are Amado V. Hernandez, Wenceslao
Vinzons, Emesto Rodriguez Jr., Armando Malay, Renato Constantino. Elmer Ordofiez,
Homobono Adaza, Ramon V. Mitra, Leonardo Quisimbing, Luis Teodoro, Antonio
Tagamolila, Abraham Sarmiento Jr. MalouMangahas, Artemio Panganiban, Miriam
Defensor-Santiago, Helena Z. Benitez, Rolando Tolentino, Satur Ocampo, Joe Taruc, and
many others. But more importantly, the campus press produced many nameless and
faceless heroes who not only used the pen to hone their skills but to write narratives that
“sting” the powers-that-be.

In many campuses today, student publications that continue to uphold and preserve
their thrust as an alternative media act as vanguards of academic freedom. In particular,
student publications like the Philippine Collegian of the University of the Philippines Diliman,
The Torch of the Philippine Normal University, The Catalyst of the Polytechinic University of
the Philippines and several others are able to openly and comprehensively discuss sexuality,
armed conflict and other topics often left out or even misunderstood by the mainstream
media.



The campus press is regarded as a concrete manifestation of the students’
democratic rights and a tangible expression of press freedom in campus. Through it,
students are able to practice their rights to freedom of expression and information, rights that
are protected by the1987 Constitution, It is an institution that is collectively run, managed
and financed by the students. It does not exist for commercial purposes unlike the
mainstream press that depends primarily on advertisements as its lifeblood. While there are
some student publications that resort to advertisements in order to generate additional
funds, majority of campus publications throughout the country rely on the collection of
student fees to maintain their operations.

The campus press is expected to uphold the interests of the students amid various
issues such as the incessant and unabated tuition and other fees increases, repressive
student policies, militarization of campuses, and various assaults to their democratic rights.
However, it does not discriminate between local and national issues because it recognizes
that the student body and the community outside our schools and universities are hounded
by the same political and economic contradictions.

It is therefore not surprising to find student journalists in conflict with institutions who
use their authority to quell free speech and expression. Many student editors and writers
have been persecuted throughout history, especially during the 60s, 70s and 80s when
nationalist thoughts were dismissed as threats to the government. Today, student journalists
continue to face the same dilemma despite the freedoms and rights enshrined in our
Constitution. Student journalists who are critical of the government's policies are being
tagged by the military as enemies of State, openly incriminating them to a grand plot to
overthrow the government. Student publications and editors are being tagged as
subversives and incorporated into the Armed Forces of the Philippine's order of battle,
placing their lives in grave danger.

Meanwhile, student journalists also experience harassment especially in their own
backyard. While the school administration abides by the dictates of state abandonment, the
campus press struggles for students rights by boldly exposing anti-student policies and
condemning both the national and school administration's policies of commercialization and
privatization. The student journalists are placed at the mercy of school authorities, who have
at their discretion the power to determine the student's fate inside the educational institution.

It is simply preposterous that campus press freedom violations exist despite our
constitutionally-guaranteed rights to free speech and expression. Yet, it is even more
enraging that the existing law governing the existence and operations of campus
publications in the country is at fault for these assaults to campus press freedom.

Republic Act No. 7079, otherwise known as the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, was
enacted on July 5, 1991 to supposedly uphold and protect the freedom of the press at the
campus level and to promote the development and growth of campus journalism, as stated
in its declaration of policies. While it has some strong provisions, the seriously-flawed
Campus Journalism Act has been found to be insufficient and lacking in material aspects to
fully maintain the existence of the campus press, and protect the rights and welfare of
student journalists. Some of the weaknesses of the law are:


(1) It legalizes the non-mandatory collection of publication fee, which is considered
as the lifeblood of most student publications. The law does not contain any provision
that would mandate school administrations to collect student publication funds,
Instead, it only enumerates the sources where the student publication funds may be
taken.

(2) Section 7 of the law supposedly gives freedom and space for student journalists
to write without fear of any threat of suspension or expulsion, the qualification made
by the Supreme Court on the said provision by providing exemptions has rendered
the security on tenure provision practically useless. One notable exemption is
“material disruption of class work or involving substantial disorder or invasion of the
tights of others,” which is too broad that even a simple factual article may fall within
its application

(3) The law does not make it mandatory for all colleges and universities in the
Philippines to establish student publications, Neither does the said law require that
those student publications that remain closed until the present be re-opened for the
benefit of students.

(4) The law does not contain a penalty clause, leaving erting administrations
unscathed. School administrations are able to commit offense after offense yet suffer
no retribution due to the absence of a penalty provision.

(5) The Department of Education, Culture and Sports Order No. 94, Series of 1992,
the implementing rules and regulations of the law, contains simply guidelines on the
implementation of its provisions with the additional rules on jurisdiction over cases
that may arise from violations of the said law. As the implementing rules and
regulations cannot lawfully narrow or restrict and expand, broaden, or enlarge the
provisions of the law, DECS Order No. 1994 naturally carries the weaknesses of
Campus Journalism Act of 1991

Given these inherent flaws in the law, it is no surprise that the enactment of Campus
Journalism Act of 1991 resulted to even more campus press freedom violations that are
even more clever and devious in form.

According to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines(CEGP), the oldest and
broadest intercollegiate alliance of student publications in the country, several student
publications were suddenly closed after the passage of the said law, including three major
student publications in the country, namely, The Quezonian of the Manuel L. Quezon
University, Ang Pamantasan of the Pamantasan ng Maynila, The White and Blue of the
St.Louis University, The Pedon of Mindanao state University - Marawi, EARIST Technozette
of the Eulogio "Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, The Dawn of the
University of the East, Monthly Quest of the Quezon City Polytechnic University, and the La
Sallian of De La Salle University Manila

Based on the cases documented by the CEGP since 1992, student publications
nationwidefaced systematic assaults including the following: (1) harassment of student
writers and editors;(2) meddling with editorial policies; (3) actual censorship of editorial
content; (4) withholding of publication funds; (5) non-collection of publication fee; (6)


padlocking of the publication office;(7) closure of the student publication; (8) suspension and
expulsion of student editors and writers;and (9) filing of libel charges against them.

As of April 2013, CEGP has documented 230 campus press freedom violations
nationwide from 42 respondent publications. Several bills have been filed during the 10th
and 11th Congresses seeking to amend theCampus Journalism Act. Although the House of
Representatives has recognized the flaws of thelaw, the proposed amendments by several
legislators focused only on the financial aspect of theCampus Journalism Act and still fail to
address the roots of campus press freedom violations.

This bill, thus, seeks to repeal the Campus Journalism Act of 1991that has been
hanging over the campus press for several decades nowand replace itwith a law that
genuinely upholds campus press freedom, While the authors of this bill recognizethat R.A
7079 has some good provisions, the provisions of this loophole-riddled law have been
‘subjected to malevolent interpretation and have been used to kill the student press.

In light of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought

epresentative, Kabataah Party-list,


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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 1 493

Introduced by Kabataan Party-list Representative Terry L. Ridon

AN ACT
UPHOLDING AND PROMOTING CAMPUS JOURNALISM AND CAMPUS PRESS
FREEDOM, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7079, ENTITLED
“AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION OF CAMPUS
JOURNALISM”, PENALIZING VIOLATIONS AGAINST CAMPUS PRESS FREEDOM,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 4. Short Title. - This act shall be known as the “Campus Press Freedom
Act.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. ~ It is the declared policy of the State to promote
the development and growth of campus journalism as a means of encouraging critical and
creative thinking and as a beacon of nationalism and democracy inside and outside the
nation's campuses.

The State also firmly recognizes the historic role and contribution of the campus
press to press freedom in the country, in providing a free and adequate venue for the
discussion of student concerns, and in upholding social consciousness and defending the
interest and welfare of the Filipino people by tackling both national and sectoral issues in its
pages. The State realizes that the campus press, as part of the media, is an important
institution in society that promotes and protects this constitutionally afforded right of press
freedom.

The State thus resolves to undertake various programs and projects aimed at
improving the journalistic skills of students concerned, promote responsible and free
journalism, re-open all closed student publications, establish student publications in schools


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where there are none, and protect and uphold freedom of the press at the campus level and
the rights of campus journalists at all times.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following are hereby

defined as follows:

(a) “Schoof' — an institution for learning in the elementary, secondary or tertiary level
composed of the studentry, administration, faculty and non-faculty personnel;

(b) “Student’ — any person enrolled in elementary, secondary, post secondary
tertiary, graduate and post graduate levels, including those enrolled in vocational and
technical education;

(c) “Student publication” ~ the issue of any printed and/or online material such as, but

not limited to, newspapers, wall news, literary folios, newsletters and other similar
forms, independently published by, and which meets the needs and interests of, the

students;

(d) “Student journalist’ — any bona fide student enrolled for the current semester or
term, who has passed or met the qualification and standards of the editorial board;

(e) “Editorial board" — shall be composed of student journalists who have qualified in
placement examinations and shall be primarily in-charge of setting the tone of the
paper in accordance to the thrust of the publication. The editorial board may include
a publication adviser at the option of its members;

(f) “Eaitorial policies” — a set of guidelines by which a student publication is operated
and managed, taking into account pertinent laws as well as the school
administration's reasonable policies. The said guidelines, which shall be created and
determined by the editorial board, shall determine the frequency of the publication,
the manner of selecting articles and features and other similar matters;

(g) “Eaitor-in-chief' — shall be the publication's primary editor chosen through a
competitive but fair selection process. The process of selecting the editor-in-chief
shall be determined by the student body;

SECTION 4. Student Publication. - All educational institutions on the elementary,

secondary and tertiary levels, public or private shall be mandated to establish a student
publication. Every school shall have at least one (1) student publication without prejudice to
other publications established within the campus. A student publication shall be published by


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the student body through an editorial board and publication staff composed of students
selected through fair and competitive examinations.

All student publications whose operations ceased upon the directives of the school
administration shall be revived and allowed to operate again.

Once the publication is established or reopened, the editorial board shall freely
determine its editorial policies and manage the publication's funds.

SECTION 5. Operations. - The school administration shall provide the student
publication with an office preferably located at the school's student center and other
materials and equipment necessary for its operations.

SECTION 6. Independence. - The student publication shall be autonomous from any
form of administrative intervention with regard to the handling of its funds, the content of the
articles the editorial board chooses to publish, the selection of its publication staff and
members of the editorial board.

The operations of the student publications shall not be delayed, suspended or closed
down in connection with the articles it has published, or on the basis of the conduct or
performance of its staff without due process.

SECTION 7. Funding of Student Publications. - Funding for the student publication
shall be sourced primarily from student publication fees collected by the school
administration. it shall be mandatory for the school administration to collect student
publication/subscription fees during the enrollment period. The members of the student
publication can opt to collect the publication funds themselves upon their ini

ive and under
their full discretion and without administrative intervention. Secondary sources of publication
funds shall also include the savings of the respective school's appropriations.

For this purpose, the number of bona fide students enrolled for the current semester
or term shall be used as basis for the amount of publication funds that shall be released by
the school administrator who shall issue a list of the students enrolled for the current
‘semester or term to the editorial board.

SECTION 8. Transmittal of Funds. - The school administration shall effect the
automatic release of the student subscription fees to the student publication within fifteen
(15) days after the last day of enrollment. The publication funds shall be deposited through a
trust fund or in the account of the student publication in an authorized depositary bank.


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In no instance shall the Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority, and the Department of Education, as the case may be, or the
school administration concerned withhold the release of funds intended for the student
publication,

SECTION 9. Publication Adviser. - The editorial board shall have the discretion
whether or not they would appoint a faculty adviser, In case the student publication decides
to appoint a faculty adviser, the editorial board shall have the power to choose its faculty
adviser, whose functions shall be limited merely to technical assistance. Technical
assistance of the faculty adviser shall mean any concer related to the grammatical
concerns, proofreading and the like.

SECTION 10. Security of Tenure. - A member of the publication staff shall maintain
his or her status as student in order to retain membership in the publication staff. The
‘student journalist shall not be suspended, expelled or punished with administrative sanctions
solely on the basis of the articles he or she has written except when such articles constitute
a violation of the law, and the school's valid and reasonable schools and regulations.

His or her performance as a student should not be used as basis for his or her
dismissal from the student publication.

SECTION 11. Press Conferences and Training Seminars. ~ The Commission on
Higher Education, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the
Department of Education, in partnership with media and campus press organizations and
alliances, shall sponsor periodic competitions, press conferences and training seminars in
which student editors/writers and teacher-adviser of student publications in the elementary,
secondary and tertiary levels shall participate. Such competitions, conferences and seminars
shall be held at the institutional, divisional, and regional levels, culminating with the holding
of the annual national elementary, secondary or tertiary School Press Conference in places
of historical and/or cultural interest in the country.

SECTION 12. Powers and Functions of the Editorial Board, - The Editorial Board
shall have the power to select the staff members of the publication granted that the student
journalists the board selected were able to pass a qualifying examination.

The editorial board shall also be primarily accountable with regard the operation of
the student publication and the management of its funds, At the end of each semester or
term, as the case may be, the editorial board shall prepare a report on the disbursement of


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funds subject to accounting and auditing rules. Such report shall be posted at the school's
bulletin board or published in the school publication

SECTION 13. Printing of the Student Publication. - The printing of the student
publication shall be conducted by the editorial board and the student publication staff
through canvass or public bidding. For public schools, the student publication shall be
‘exempted from undergoing formal and bidding process under Republic Act 9184 also known
as the Procurement Reform Act with regard the selection of a printing press and the
purchase of equipment and materials necessary for its operations. The editorial board shall
freely choose the printing press it wants to avail the services of.

SECTION 14. Power to Investigate. - The Commission on Higher Educé

tion, the
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Department of Education, as
the case may be, shall be granted the power to investigate any violation of this act and its
implementing rules and regulations.

SECTION 15. Administrative Sanctions. - The Commission on Higher Education, the
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Department of Education, as
the case may be shall impose administrative sanctions for these campus press freedom
violations, including, but not limited to: interrogation and intimidation of editors and staff
members and other forms of harassment by the school administration, faculty members and
the military, such as, but not limited to, sending of death threats, filing of libel cases against
student journalists, issuance of derogatory and libelous public statements against student
journalists; meddling of school administrators with editorial policies; actual censorship of
editorial content; withholding and non-collection of publication fees; expulsion and
suspension of student editors and writers without due process; stopping or suspending the
operations of the school publication such as, but not limited to, the outright closure of the
publication, locking of the publication office, cutting the electricity and water supplies and
other utilities of the office; non-establishment of at least one (1) campus publication for every
school; refusal to reopen closed student publications.

SECTION 16, Legal Assistance to Campus Journalists. - The Commission on Higher
Education, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of
Education, as the case may be, shall provide legal assistance to student journalists in all
cases as herein cited.

SECTION 17. Reportorial Requirements. - The Commission on Higher Education,
the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Education


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shall submit an annual report to both houses of Congress on the status of the
implementation of the law including violations thereof and the disposition of pertinent cases.

SECTION 18, Penalties. - Any person who shall wilfully interfere with, restrain or
coerce any student publication/student journalist in the exercise of its/his/her functions and
rights guaranteed by this act or who shall in any other manner commit any act to defeat any
provision of this Act shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than P100,00
but not more than P200,000 or imprisonment of not less than one (1) year but not more than
five (5) years, or both at the discretion of the court or both upon conviction.

If the offender is an educational institution or a juridical person, the penalty shall be
imposed upon the president, treasurer or secretary or any officer responsible for the
violation.

SECTION 19. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Commission on Higher
Education, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of
Education, and in close consultation and coordination with student and campus press
organizations and all other concerned sectors, shall promulgate within sixty (60) days upon
its approval, the rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this Act.

SECTION 20. Separability Clause. — If any section or provision of this Act shall be
declared unconstitutional, the remaining sections or provisions shall not be affected thereby,

SECTION 21. Repeal. - Republic Act No. 7079, entitled “AN ACT PROVIDING FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION OF CAMPUS JOURNALISM" is hereby repealed,

Alll laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, letters of instruction, rules and
regulations which are inconsistent with any of the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed
or modified accordingly.

SECTION 22. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after the
completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general
circulation,

Approved,