THE MEMORANDUM of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to all internet service providers directing the immediate blocking of websites of progressive groups like Save Our Schools Network, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, and members of the independent media such as Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly is a cause of concern.
The memo, issued following the request of the National Security Council (NSC) to internet service providers, is red-tagging in the context of the implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The NSC simply tagged these websites as terrorists without citing concrete evidence proving their claim.
Red-tagging at the cost of stifling free speech and free press. Because the NSC, headed by National Security Advisor and Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) vice chairperson Hermogenes Esperon Jr., affiliates these independent media and progressive organizations to and are supporting so-called terrorists and terrorist organizations, they are censored and also tagged as terrorist organizations by the state.
Even the website of Save Our Schools Network, a network of organizations that support Lumad schools and advocates access to quality education for all, is not spared from the brazen red-tagging attacks and censorship attempts.
The stifling of freedom and rights with such arbitrary claims is a trend that has persisted under the Duterte administration and if left unopposed could only further escalate. The order for internet service providers to block readers’ access to the websites of independent media outfits is a brazen violation of media freedom and the public’s right to information. It sets a very alarming precedent for independent journalism and for media freedom.
What else can stop them from using the same mode of censorship in other websites of legal and legitimate organizations and media outlets?
