Media watchdog CMFR writes 30
The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), a monitor of the state of the Philippine press in the last 37 years, announced on Friday that it is winding down operations due to funding issues.
CMFR said that while it weathered different political environments and challenges since its founding as a nonstock, nonprofit organization in 1989, it had to make the difficult decision of ending its media development work on Sept. 30.
“Philippine and international funding support has sustained the work of CMFR; but multiple factors have affected the funding environment, making it difficult for CMFR to secure the necessary funds for its operations,” the press watchdog said in its announcement on social media.
It expressed deep gratitude to its past and present staff and the journalism community in the Philippines and overseas, as well as the various embassies, schools and civil society groups who “appreciated and understood the value of our work and supported our efforts.”
‘Big loss’
According to University of the Philippines (UP) journalism professor Danilo Arao, CMFR’s closure is a “big loss for Philippine media,” citing its important role as a media watchdog for more than three decades.
CMFR’s announcement came days after ABS-CBN also revealed that it was retrenching 200 workers due to “high inflation, low economic growth,” which supposedly contributed to lower advertising and consumer spending.
“That the CMFR’s announcement was made days after ABS-CBN’s own announcement of retrenching 200 workers shows the financial constraints faced by the media,” Arao said in a message to the Inquirer.
He rallied colleagues amid the back-to-back losses, saying: “We have no choice but to sustain the campaign for a responsive and responsible press. The people deserve nothing less.”
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) lamented the closure of CMFR which it described as the “watchdog to the watchdogs.”
“Its work has helped the press hold power to account while also reminding journalists that the freedom we exercise carries with it a responsibility to the public,” NUJP said in a statement on Friday.
Gawad Plaridel for founder
“The loss of a watchdog that watches over the watchdogs is a profound blow to Philippine journalism, leaving a void in an industry that needs accountability. At a time when the press faces mounting pressures from various interests, the absence of CMFR’s independent voice will be deeply felt,” it added.
Two months ago, CMFR founder and executive director Melinda Quintos de Jesus was named the 2026 recipient of the UP Gawad Plaridel for being the “conscience of Philippine media.”
She was cited by Gawad Plaridel jury for her work in CMFR, lauding the center also for being a constant reminder of the media industry’s “higher calling” to serve the public good.
UP College of Media and Communication said De Jesus was a key figure in the so-called “mosquito press” during the Marcos dictatorship, providing a critical voice when much of mainstream media was silenced.
“Through CMFR, she helped institutionalize media monitoring and pioneered systematic mechanisms for holding news organizations accountable. She has also mentored generations of journalists on the press’ role as a check and balance on power, reflecting the academic and professional rigor that the Gawad Plaridel seeks to recognize,” it said.
Enduring legacy
CMFR’s programs focused on upholding press freedom, promoting responsible journalism and encouraging journalistic excellence, according to its website.
Among these were media monitoring through the Philippine Journalism Review (PJR) and later PJR Reports, media ethical guidelines and continuing education through special training programs.
It promoted journalistic excellence and recognized best practice through the Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for Excellence in Journalism, JVO Journalism Seminar and the selection of the Marshall McLuhan Fellow and the Sandra Burton Nieman Fellow.
Its programs also included press freedom protection through a database of killings, alerts reporting on threats and attacks on media workers, legislative tracking (right of reply, freedom of information and cybercrime prevention) and campaign and advocacy to end impunity.
CMFR also helped establish Citizens Press Councils in the regions starting in 2001 to engage civil society and local communities in responding to complaints against the media.
“In a better media world, this should not happen,” journalist Carlos Conde, a former member of the CMFR board, said of the closure.
“The industry, if it really valued the work CMFR did, should have stepped in and made sure it survived. But who are we kidding … when big business and interest groups dominate the industry? That CMFR had to scrounge around for foreign funding in order to survive as long as it did is the travesty,” Conde said in a Facebook post.
Undersecretary Jose Torres Jr., executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security, thanked De Jesus and the CMFR staff for their “great help in the formation of many journalists of my time.”
The Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (Ejap) also sent its deep gratitude to De Jesus and CMFR for being an “unyielding watchdog of our profession.”
“CMFR’s work made Philippine journalism more accountable, more courageous, and more free,” Ejap said in a statement. “Your legacy endures in every journalist who holds power to account. CMFR’s closure is a loss not only to the media community but to the public it served.”
