The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines denounced the arbitrary inclusion of Bulatlat, Pinoy Weekly and other alternative news sites in the list.
This statement was originally published on cmfr-phil.org on 24 June 2022.
On June 6, 2022, Hermogenes Esperon Jr., National Security Council (NSC) Advisor and Anti-Terrorism Council Vice Chairperson, wrote to the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) ordering “Philippine Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to the following websites affiliated to and are supporting terrorists and terrorist organizations.” A copy of his letter was released to the media on Wednesday, June 22.
The list included legitimate and alternative media organizations like Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly, along with progressive organizations such as Save our Schools Network, an alternative school for Lumads; Pamalakaya, a fisherfolk group; and the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, a church-based organization, among others.
Bulatlat is an established alternative news organization that focuses on issues of marginalized groups. During the last elections, Bulatlat was one of the news websites that CMFR cheered for its in-depth and voter-centered reporting.
NSC’s letter failed to provide any basis for the inclusion of several independent and alternative media outlets in the list. Esperon Jr. only attached previous resolutions of the anti-terror council designating as terrorists the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New Peoples’ Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front (NDF).
In a June 22 statement, Bulatlat condemned the “brazen violation of our right to publish, and of the public’s right to a free press and free expression.”
Its statement said that since June 17, Smart/PLDT subscribers have not been able to access the website. This prompted the news site to also write a letter on June 20 to the NTC and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) urging them to investigate Esperon Jr.’s claims. Bulatlat has not yet received any reply as of this writing.
Josa Deinla, spokesperson for the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), as counsel for Bulatlat, said they are looking at filing a petition for certiorari with a request for injunction against the NTC order.
“A mere conclusory statement that one is affiliated with and supporting “terrorists and terrorist organizations” without competent, credible and admissible evidence is arbitrary and therefore has no legal leg to stand on,” Deinla said.
The alternative media organization is no stranger to red-tagging and cyberattacks. Last year, on June 22, 2021, Qurium released a forensic report linking a 2021 cyberattack on Bulatlat to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine military.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines denounced the arbitrary inclusion of Bulatlat, Pinoy Weekly and other alternative news sites in the list.
“Blocking access to these sites leaves a gap in discourse and in the flow of information and highlights the threats posed by the Anti-Terrorism Law on the freedom of expression and on freedom of the press. Of even more immediate concern is the danger that this irresponsible labeling puts the staff and correspondents of the listed websites in,” NUJP said in its statement.
They called on the NTC and the NSC to reconsider the inclusion of news and other websites in their list. They also called on the members of the journalism community and the public to condemn “this blatant violation of press freedom and of the very basic idea of the free flow of information and of ideas.”
The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines also expressed grave concern over the order. It said in a June 24 statement that a news organization’s legitimacy should rest in the “quality of its journalism” and restricting access to a news website will only “mute the voices that would have otherwise found resonance in its reporting.”
Bulatlat stands its ground: “No matter who is in power, we have remained fearless in our truth-telling. We will continue our work while we also consider all legal remedies available to question, and stop yet another state-sponsored repression,” it said in its statement.
Readers can access Bulatlat’s mirror site here.
