THE National Security Council (NSC) yesterday disputed a report of Amnesty International (AI) that showed the Marcos administration is stifling dissent and freedom of expression among activists.
NSC Assistant Director General and spokesman Jonathan Malaya called the AI report “one-sided, misleading and baseless,” and its “rash judgements” against the Marcos administration are “removed from reality.”
“Freedom of expression in the Philippines is constitutionally-protected and we can see that in the robust and healthy traditional and social media environment where opinions are expressed freely every single day,” Malaya said.
AI, in a recent report, said Philippine authorities are increasingly using Facebook to red-tag young activists, including those who are investigating human rights abuses committed by the military, police, and other government agencies.
It said the Marcos administration has “increasingly weaponized digital tools, misinformation and vague anti-terror laws to harass, intimidate and repress young activists.”
Malaya said AI did not give the council the opportunity to rebut its findings before releasing the report on October 14.
“This only fuels speculations that the report is more for propaganda purposes to vilify the state rather than an honest assessment,” he said.
He said the NSC is still willing to discuss the report with AI, as government is open to a constructive, fair and balanced engagement.
“Our doors are open to AI if they are open to listening to the side of government. We are willing to investigate if there is probable cause,” Malaya said.
Malaya urged AI to disclose the methodology it used in coming up with the findings.
“What due diligence did they undertake to ensure that their respondents are unbiased and have no political agenda against the Marcos administration?” he said.
“Remember, it’s election season. How did AI choose their respondents? The government and the public has the right to know,” he added.
Malaya also dismissed AI’s report that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has vilified and falsely accused activists of association with armed groups on its social media accounts.
“What the NTF-ELCAC shares in its Facebook page are testimonies from expert witnesses, some of them former rebels, who speak about their own personal experiences,” he said.
“Most of these were given under oath in Senate hearings or in public fora. These individuals also have freedom of expression which we cannot stifle,” he added.
On AI’s claim that policemen and soldiers have filed baseless complaints against young activists and arbitrarily detained them under the Anti-Terrorism Act, Malaya said the law is not a tool to silence activists but a measure to protect national security.
“AI conveniently overlooked the fact the Philippines is one of the countries heavily impacted by terrorist activities from the CPP-NPA-NDF to violent extremists in Mindanao. We have the last remaining communist insurgency in the world. In fact, we are still 19th in the Global Terrorism Act. We need an anti-terrorism law,” said Malaya, adding no one is arbitrarily targeted under the law.
Malaya also dismissed suggestions to abolish the NTF-ELCAC, saying this “would leave vulnerable communities exposed to insurgency threats, hinder the government’s ability to deliver essential services, and render all our efforts to end terrorism from the CPP-NPA-NDF futile.”
