4 September 2025 | 08:15 CAT
4-minute read

Israel-Sponsored Trip by Filipino Journalists Sparks Ethical Outcry

The Deputy Ambassador to the Philippines, Ester Buzgan confirmed on August 12 that the Israeli government funded a week-long press trip for 16 Filipino journalists representing television, radio, and print media at the beginning of August. The all-expenses trip has prompted widespread criticism form academic, human rights and journalistic sectors.

The Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association (PPFA) subsequently led a signatory campaign against this move, calling Israel out for orchestrating the trip with the intent to “whitewash the genocide.”

Prominent activist and scholar Walden Bello spoke to Radio Islam International during this week’s Asia Pacific Report. Bello holds positions as International Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York and Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Center for Southeast Asia Studies at Kyoto University, and serves as co-chairperson of the Bangkok-based research and advocacy institute Focus on the Global South. Bello voiced his alarm over the complicit media coverage.

At least two resulting reports were published after the trip. The first glorified the Israel Defense Forces, noting its gender-inclusive combat roles, while another dismissed the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a “fake famine.”

The exposure of this development has ignited broader conversations about journalistic ethics in the Philippines and “about the anti-Muslim attitudes of many in the journalistic community,” Bello said.

“The Philippine journalistic community really must police itself, because if it doesn’t do that, what right does it have to police the rest of society?” he asks, calling for self-regulation within the Philippine press.

This pattern echoes concerns elsewhere; for instance, journalists in South Africa and the US have been criticized for participating in government-funded tours that sanitise narratives around Israeli state actions.

The gravity of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has been underscored by multiple international reports: UN officials have flagged catastrophic food insecurity affecting over a million people, while peer-reviewed journals such as The Lancet warn of a moral failure amid unprecedented starvation and civilian casualties.

Anti-government riots in Indonesia

Indonesia is grappling with its most widespread civic unrest since the fall of Suharto in 1998. Over the past fortnight, protests sparked by outrage over lawmakers’ lavish perks have morphed into violent clashes, capturing global attention and putting President Prabowo Subianto’s young administration under intense scrutiny.

According to observers, including Bello, the unrest stems from deep-seated grievances.

“One is the military and police repression. Secondly, it is corruptions. And this was triggered by the very high perks, salaries and benefits that are being given to parliamentarians.”

Indeed, reports confirm that all 580 Members of Parliament were awarded a housing allowance of around 50 million rupiah per month—nearly ten times Jakarta’s minimum wage—on top of their salaries.

The tipping point came with the tragic death of a 21-year-old delivery rider, Affan Kurniawan, who was struck by a police armoured vehicle during a protest. His death ignited nationwide outrage and intensified the protests, which have since spread from Java to Bali and beyond.

Public Response and Symbolism

One of the most powerful images emerging from the protests featured women in pink leading rallies while carrying brooms—powerful symbols of “sweeping away corruption.” These demonstrations, orchestrated by the Alliance of Indonesian Women, emphasised the widespread demand for moral renewal.

The government has responded by firing an officer implicated in Kurniawan’s death and announcing plans to roll back parliamentary perks in an effort to pacify the masses. However, with at least ten confirmed fatalities and reports of looting and clashes across cities, tensions remain high.

“It seems like the hard line of opposing the protests continues,” Bello noted.

That assessment rings true, as President Prabowo has maintained a firm stance, characterising some actions as bordering on treason or terrorism while deploying security forces to manage the unrest.

Political Turmoil Follows Thailand PM’s Ouster

Thailand is navigating its own crisis following the Constitutional Court’s removal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on ethics violations. This marks the fifth instance in less than two decades that a Shinawatra-affiliated leader has been ousted through judicial or military means.

“For five times now, either by military coup, or by judicial means, the conservative forces that basically are the power in the country have moved against the members or partisans of this populist family,” Bello observed.

In response, acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai submitted a request to dissolve parliament—awaiting royal assent—as the opposition-backed Bhumjaithai Party, led by Anutin Charnvirakul, moves to form a new government. A parliamentary vote on the new PM is expected imminently.

“So the country is now in a lot of confusion. And there’s going to be major parliamentary manoeuvres to see who will replace the prime minister… We will see within the next week or so, how the power vacuum will be resolved.” Bello said.

Listen to the Asia Pacific Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Habib Bobat.