Journalists and representatives from the academe, the church, the military, and other sectors came together for the first Media Safety Roadshow in Cagayan de Oro City on June 29.

The first in a series of roadshows following the 1st Philippine Media Safety Summit held in May, the event mobilized a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss and find ways to address critical issues related to the safety of journalists in the Philippines.

The morning session began with a welcome and overview by Ariel Sebellino of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) and Therese Torres of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC). Ann Lourdes Lopez of AIJC then presented highlights of the Summit Declaration and the five flagship areas of the Philippine Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists (PPASJ), setting the framework for the day’s discussions.

Participants engaged in a vulnerability and risk assessment workshop led by Rowena Paraan of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) and JB Deveza of Xavier University, where participants identified local media safety issues that urgently need to be addressed.

The afternoon session started with a capacity assessment workshop. Facilitated by Ma. Diosa Labiste of the UP College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) with Lopez and Torres from AIJC, the session explored local capacities and resources and specific, actionable steps that could contribute to the protection of journalists in the communities.

The openness of the participants during the workshops indicated that the roadshow event provided a safe space for discussing sensitive issues.

The Media Safety Roadshow in Cagayan de Oro marked a significant step toward creating a safer environment for journalists.  It highlighted the need to address the pressing safety concerns faced by media practitioners by harnessing the capacities and resources available in local communities.

The following recommendations emerged from the discussion, emphasizing the importance of collaboration on the ground to ensure the safety of journalists:

1. Use of resources available for capacity building (from Balay Mindanaw, for example)
2. Psychosocial training/dealing with trauma conducted by experts in collaboration with the Department of Health, DART Asia Pacific, and the church (The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro offered to provide pastoral care, including psycho-spiritual intervention.)
3. Academe-newsroom collaboration on the updating of the journalism curriculum
4. Continuation of media literacy initiatives including dialogues between the media and the security sector
5. Participation in the creation of a media-citizen council
6. Adoption of basic safety policies/protocols in the newsroom
7. Practice of basic safety measures in the newsroom
8. Fundraising for media safety office, health insurance for journalists, safety training
9. Identification of ways to sustain newsrooms and ensure benefits for media workers
10. Reactivation, strengthening, and expansion of a peer support network