NUJP-NIR Launched to Defend Journalists’ Rights

BACOLOD CITY – A new regional chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has officially been formed in the Negros Island Region, pledging to uphold press freedom and confront the deepening culture of impunity facing media workers.

The two-day founding assembly, held June 14–15, 2025, in Silay City, Negros Occidental gathered 23 media practitioners from various local outlets and was joined by a representative from the NUJP National Directorate.

The assembly adopted the theme “Collective and stronger steps in exposing and fighting social injustice, uplifting rights and welfare of media practitioners,” echoing the enduring rallying cry of NUJP icon Nonoy Espina: “The press is not free because it is allowed to be. It is free because it insists on being free.”

The newly formed NUJP-Negros Island Region (NUJP-NIR) emphasized that the creation of the chapter is long overdue amid mounting threats to journalists, including red-tagging, harassment, disinformation campaigns, workplace exploitation, and attacks against press freedom.

“Our formation is a timely and necessary response to the worsening conditions faced by media workers across the country,” said newly elected Chairperson Chito M. Berjit.

Other elected officers include Roger Ledesma as Vice-Chairperson, Anna Golez as Secretary General, Reynold Diosana as Treasurer, Gloria Lumayag as Auditor, and Jurgen Junsay as Safety Officer, with Edgar Cadagat named Chairman Emeritus.

The NUJP-NIR also paid tribute to veteran journalists and founders who helped establish press freedom movements in Negros, including Edgar Cadagat, Fred Salanga, Eric Tenerife, and the late Nonoy Espina.

During the event, participants engaged in sessions on journalist ethics, digital security, and the evolving national and regional media landscape, guided by the NUJP’s principles of truth, independence, and fairness.

The NUJP National Directorate also emphasized justice, accountability, and humanity as pillars of responsible journalism, urging members to “comfort the afflicted, if not afflict the comfortable.”

NUJP-NIR is now formally recognized by the NUJP national body and is an affiliate member of both the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Southeast Asian Federation of Journalists.

In his remarks, Berjit called on members to make the new chapter “a true instrument of press freedom and journalists’ welfare,” and to actively engage fellow journalists in their communities.

“Let us advance the cause of press freedom and overcome the culture of impunity,” he said.