Even in his last days of presidency, Rodrigo Duterte and his reactionary administration is desperately wielding its power to suppress the Filipino people in order to ensure the transition of power to the oncoming Marcos-Duterte tandem.
On June 6th, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) of the Philippines, under the orders of outgoing National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., forced internet service providers to block access to more than twenty different websites critical of the regime under the guise of combatting the CPP-NPA-NDFP. These include Bulatlat, Save Our Schools Network, UMA Pilipinas, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Pamalayaka Pilipinas, and Pinoy Weekly along with left-leaning publications such as Counter Punch, International League of People’s Struggle and more.
This move has been condemned by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), as well as the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Amnesty International. “Press freedom and freedom of expression are rights guaranteed in the constitution of the Philippines and under international human rights law. They must be protected. We call on the government to rescind this unacceptable order immediately,” Amnesty PH wrote.
Fascist regimes will always engage in the suppression of free press and use whatever means necessary to crack down on opposition. Censorship of the media is the core strategy to allow the dictators to engage in historical revisionism, disseminate systemic disinformation and criminalize the opposition.
CPSO stands with the Filipino people in struggle for free speech, for free press, and for a genuine democracy.
Defend Free Press! Reject and Resist Marcos-Duterte! Down with Fascism!