World Press Freedom Day 2019

Tess Bacalla is executive director of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), which promotes and defends press freedom and free expression across the region. She is formerly media training director of the Philippine Press Institute and was an independent journalist, editor, and media consultant, and university lecturer. She has also been regional editor for Asia-Pacific of Inter-Press Service.

She has edited books for international organizations including the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, and has participated in projects commissioned by the Washington, D.C.-based Global Integrity, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank.
A former fellow of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, she has been a recipient of the Jaime V. Ongpin Excellence in Journalism Award for her ground-breaking series on corruption among tax officials, and the Developing Asia Journalism Award. She has also participated in international media fellowships, including the Marshall McLuhan Fellowship in Canada.