Mamamayang Liberal Representative Leila De Lima filed House Bill No. 8178, or the “Campus Press Freedom Act,” on April 18 at the House of Representatives, seeking to repeal Republic Act No. 7079 or the “Campus Journalism Act of 1991.”

According to De Lima, HB 8178 aims to address the “flaws and deficiencies” of the RA 7079, which she said resulted in “further violations of the campus press freedom.” 

“Threats, harassment, and intimidation have become more pervasive, underscoring the need for stronger legal protections for campus journalists,” she added on her Facebook post. 

Student journalists, said De Lima, “continue to face harassment and censorship from school administrations,” and have been subjected to “red-tagging and surveillance from state forces such as the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).”

In the bill’s explanatory note, De Lima noted that despite its good intentions, RA 7079 remains with “glaring flaws,” such as the legalization of the non-mandatory collection of publication fee, which she says is student publications’ “lifeblood.” 

She added that it does not mandate colleges or universities to have student publications, or for closed ones to reopen. 

It also does not have a penalty clause, which, according to her, leaves “erring administrations unscathed from violations.” 

Earlier this year, following the resignation of its editorial board on alleged admin censorship, the Facebook page of Primum, University of Mindanao’s student publication, got deactivated on March 10. 

According to Explained PH, members of the editorial team were instructed to avoid politically inclined content as the university considers itself “apolitical.” 

Coverages were instead told to be restricted with university-related content, which pushed the editorial board to step down, as the limitation “doesn’t really align with the values and principles” that the publication “believe journalism should uphold.”

With the proposed bill, De Lima said she intends to protect student journalists against censorship, guarantee their independence, and provide campus press with a reliable source of funding. 

The bill will also help public and private institutions from the elementary to the tertiary level to launch student publications as well as revive those that have discontinued their operations. 

“Sa disiplina, husay, tapang, at proteksyon sa pag-uulat ng ating mga student journalists, mas mailalantad ang mga baluktot na polisiya, pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan, malalabanan ang fake news at disinformation, at mas maihahayag ang katotohanan hindi lang sa mga kapwa nila mag-aaral kundi pati na sa marami pa nating kababayan,” De Lima concluded.