MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. declared on Monday to provide a free and safe environment for journalists in the Philippines as envisioned under the “Bagong Pilipinas” campaign of the administration.

The President also committed to defend press freedom and to bring justice, through the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, to the members of the press who were slain in line of their noble duty to the Filipino people and the Philippines.

“Under the banner of a Bagong Pilipinas, we are steadfast in adhering to our shared mission of advancing the welfare of the Filipinos and nurturing a truly free and safe environment for all journalists,” President Marcos said.

President Marcos was the guest of honor during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) where he shared the administration’s policies and programs.

The chief executive is the first Philippine president in nine years to attend the FOCAP forum while his father, former president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. started the tradition and was the first Philippine leader to grace it 50 years ago.

“Your first guest for this luncheon was my father, 50 years ago. Five decades later, I stand here, addressing you as the President, to celebrate your golden anniversary and carry on the legacy of this important media tradition,” he said.

President Marcos stood firm that his role as a president is to defend press freedom and not lead in destroying it or demeaning its practitioners as he emphasized that “national interest is better served by a press that is critical rather than a press that is cooperative.” (PND)