By: Reigh John Bench Almendras
Photo courtesy: LRay: NUJP accusation on suppressing press freedom ‘baseless’
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis ‘LRay’ Villafuerte Jr. denied the accusation made by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) that he was suppressing free campus press after his criticism of a survey made by The Spark, the student publication of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC), on Wednesday, Feb. 12.
NUJP, in its statement against LRay, stated that “Villafuerte is free to disagree with the results of the mock elections conducted by Camarines Sur Polytechnic College official student publication The Spark, but posting a staffer’s name and photo, knowing this makes them a target for his supporters, is beyond the pale.”
LRay, a member of the long-standing political family in Camarines Sur, accused The Spark of peddling ‘fake news’ after it conducted a survey and found him behind the gubernatorial race against Bong Rodriguez, a former regional campaign of the former Vice President Leni Robredo.
“I have not done anything, either now or in the past, that would be tantamount to curtailing press freedom or campus journalism,” he said.
In response to the NUJP, he tagged the accusation as ‘baseless,’ asserting that he never inhibited the free exercise of press freedom or campus journalism, highlighting his role as the lead author of House Bill No. 454, which aims to ensure the welfare of Filipino journalists and the progress of their working conditions.
LRay also asserted his right to dissent justified that his act was his right, and pointed out the vocal support of The Spark to his rivals.
According to him, the timeframe of the survey, which was held in December 2024 and was only issued in February 2025 is questionable.
“The mysterious two-month delay in the release of the poll and the continuous failure to announce the choices for congressional candidates have fueled suspicions of irregularities in the survey methodology,” he argued.
In response to the issue, The Spark released an Editor’s Note, highlighting that “truth knows no limits,” and the poll created was secured with measures that ensure the credibility of its results.
“The mock elections only accepted votes from CSPC students with verified student numbers and given the population of 13,936 for the 1st Semester, a sample size of 549 with a confidence level of 95% only has a margin of error of ±4%. Out of the 549 respondents, only the 498 students from Camarines Sur were allowed to pick their gubernatorial bet,” the note stated.
In campus journalism, the Supreme Court with General Reference (G.R.) No. 62270 ruled that “students do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,” implying the campus press’ liberty to formulate initiatives for the student community it caters to.