‘We formed JAC out of necessity’: New SEA network of anti-corruption journos joins IACC

THIS IS THE OPENING STATEMENT OF PHILIPPINE CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CARMELA FONBUENA DURING A BREAKOUT SESSION AT THE INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION CONFERENCE (IACC) IN VILNIUS, LITHUANIA IN JUNE 2O24. PCIJ IS THE COORDINATOR OF THE JOURNALISTS AGAINST CORRUPTION (JAC), A NEW NETWOK OF ANTI-CORRUPTION JOURNALISTS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.

It is truly an honor for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) to be sharing the stage with our distinguished colleagues. We thank the International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) for giving us the stage and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for what has been a very meaningful partnership.

With support from UNODC, PCIJ spearheaded the formation in March this year of a network of journalists in Southeast Asia who commit to do more work in terms of investigating corruption in our respective countries. We call ourselves Journalists Against Corruption or JAC, a name that was democratically voted upon by 35 founding members coming from 7 countries in the region. 

Today is the last day of the IACC series. We are glad to do this session before we part ways because we invite journalists in the region, who are committed to fighting corruption, to join JAC. And we invite everyone who believes in the power of investigative journalism to work with the network and support the network. 

We shall talk more about this promising new network later. But first, why did we form JAC?

We formed JAC out of necessity. We have seen an increasingly challenging environment not just for investigative journalists but for freedom of the press in general. 

All week here at the IACC many investigative journalists showed us the heavy cost of standing up to power. In our region, in Southeast Asia, Mech Dara during his breakout session and Pia Ranada, a colleague from the Philippines, during her plenary session narrated how they and their organizations have been harassed by state and non-state actors — powerful people who do not want journalists sniffing around to expose their corrupt practices. 

Truly, journalism is one of the most dangerous professions in the world. In my country alone, in the Philippines, there have been over 100 attacks against journalists since President Marcos assumed the presidency two years ago. At least four journalists have been killed. Many of our colleagues are facing court cases including Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, who is facing a lengthy prison sentence if her cyber libel conviction is not reversed by the Supreme Court.

Sustained attacks on the media — in the form of government threats to shut down operations of newsrooms, in the form of disinformation campaigns attacking the credibility of journalists, among others — have not just driven away advertisers but also readers and viewers. Many newsrooms, especially those in the communities, have found it increasingly difficult to fund salaries and operations. There are those that have been forced to shut down especially during the pandemic. 

There are a lot of challenges. I also want to highlight the challenges in accessing data and information in our region in Southeast Asia. Because we don’t enjoy Freedom of Information (FOI) in the same way as the rest of the world. In fact in the Philippines, we still don’t have an FOI law.

It’s been great to hear all week that we can uncover corruption if we learn to dissect data using various tools, techniques, and technologies. Some of these tools and techniques we can use. Others not likely. The problem in Southeast Asia is we don’t always have the data to dissect. Government offices would not release the data, or worse, government offices are not collecting the data at all. If we get any data, the reliability of the information is not always guaranteed. There is bad data everywhere. 

This makes the job of investigative journalists in the region very difficult as you can imagine. It has been acknowledged all week: human rights abuses and environmental abuses are rooted in corruption. But it’s hard to prove corruption – and take those who are responsible to account and hopefully put a stop to human rights abuses and environmental crimes — if we don’t have the data. 

In one of the sessions I attended this week, it was amazing to hear how the 3de3 campaign of the Transparency International in Mexico, a campaign that asked candidates in elections to declare their wealth and their tax payments, among other details, has prompted policies across the region requiring – no longer voluntary – candidates to declare the same information. 

The reverse has happened in the Philippines. There’s a document called Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth or SALN, which all public officials are required to submit yearly under the law. The public used to have access to these SALNs. And before I joined PCIJ in 2021, I have always thought PCIJ was synonymous with the SALN because PCIJ regularly scrutinized this document, following the movements in the wealth of public officials. The SALN is an important anti-corruption tool. It allows lifestyle checks of public officials. 

But no more. In 2018, during the administration of President Duterte and which continues to this day, the Office of the Ombudsman decided it was not going to release the documents anymore. Since then, we have not seen a shadow of the SALNs of Duterte and of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  

Data Privacy Act has become a convenient excuse for some — not all — government agencies to reject document requests. Even if the personal information can be redacted. This has made it very difficult for investigative journalists to access contracts and concession agreements.

We’re used to this already, unfortunately.