Amending P.D. No. 576 Re: Abolition of the Media Advisory Council

January 14, 1981

PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1776

FURTHER AMENDING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 576 ENTITLED "ABOLISHING THE MEDIA ADVISORY COUNCIL AND THE BUREAU OF STANDARDS FOR MASS MEDIA, AND AUTHORIZING THE ORGANIZATION OF REGULATORY COUNCILS FOR PRINT MEDIA AND FOR BROADCAST MEDIA"

WHEREAS, the important role of mass communications in national development necessitates the assumption by the government of an active role in promoting the development of mass media, consistent with the principle of press freedom and the need for social responsibility in its exercise; cdt

WHEREAS, the self-regulating print and broadcast media councils or bodies authorized to be organized under Presidential Decree No. 576 have succeeded by and large in self-regulation, internal discipline and maintenance of standards for professional conduct and excellence;

WHEREAS, it is necessary to enhance the role of these councils or bodies not only in elevating the standards of excellence of mass media, but also in assisting the government in the enforcement of the laws, such as the nationality requirement in the Constitution, relating to mass media activities;

WHEREAS, it is desirable that the registration of mass media should be exercised in such a manner as to avoid the possibility of oligopolistic self-regulation, and thus afford greater opportunity for participation in mass media activities; and

WHEREAS, it is desirable to improve upon the membership in the regulatory council for each mass media group by including prominent citizens who will represent the viewpoint of the general public and provide greater balance in the deliberations of the council;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree the following:

SECTION 1. Section 2 of Presidential Decree No. 576, as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows: aisa dc

"Sec. 2. For purposes of this Decree, mass media shall be divided into two groups: Print Media and Broadcast Media. "Print Media" includes all newspapers, periodicals, magazines, journals, and publications and all advertising therein and billboards, neon signs and the like. "Broadcast Media" includes radio and television broadcasting in all their aspects, including all forms of audio, visual, or audio-visual communications such as video tapes, citizens band, and other similar electronic devices, and cinematography, to the extent that these forms are utilized as mass media through radio or television broadcasting transmission. The Print Media group and the Broadcasting Media group are hereby authorized to organize and determine the composition of a body or council within each group which shall be responsible for instituting and formulating systems of self-regulation and internal discipline within its own ranks: Provided, That there shall be adequate representation from the general public in such body or council by the inclusion of knowledgeable prominent citizens of unquestioned integrity."

SECTION 2. Section 3 of Presidential Decree No. 576, as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 3. Each regulatory council or body shall be responsible for the elevation of the ethics and the standards of excellence of mass media in all its phases within each group. Towards this end, each council or body is hereby authorized to adopt policies, formulate guidelines, fix standards and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for the operation and discipline of all mass media under its supervision, and to administer and enforce the same. Such policies, standards, guidelines, and rules and regulations shall be in conformity with the provisions of existing laws, especially those on national security.

"The Minister of Public Information shall be furnished copies of the rules and regulations and other issuances as well as decisions of the regulatory councils or bodies, for purposes of information only."

SECTION 3. Section 4 of Presidential Decree No. 576, as amended, is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 4. No mass media activity shall be undertaken by any person or entity in the Philippines without first being registered with the regulatory council or body concerned, which shall issue certificates of registration to all applicants qualified under the Constitution and the laws, and under its respective rules or regulations: Provided, That each council shall have the authority to suspend or cancel such certificates of registration for such cause or causes as may be provided in the rules and the existence of which each council or body shall have duly determined: Provided, further, That no certificate of registration shall be granted in any manner or under any condition to any of those engaged in mass media which were, in September 1972, ordered closed and/or sequestered upon promulgation of Proclamation No. 1081, by order of the President or the Secretary of National Defense, or which thereafter may be ordered closed as a consequence of a finding that it has been utilized for purposes of subversion, sedition and other subversive activities inimical to the national security."

SECTION 4. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 14th day of January, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-One.

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 77 No. 19, 2451-71 Supp., on May 11, 1981.