Looking ahead: Censorship, AI, disinformation, and repression undermining elections

By admin | November 30, 2024

Written for IFEX

Internet restrictions, AI-driven disinformation, and mass arrests have intensified ahead of major elections across Asia. These attacks undermine freedom of expression at a time when elections are supposed to restore or strengthen democratic rule and counter authoritarianism in the region.

A key takeaway from Asia’s election experience is the need to revisit existing media laws being weaponised to justify censorship and judicial tyranny. These were clearly designed not to boost democracy and empower citizens, but to deter dissent and punish free speech. Furthermore, measures aimed at ensuring the safety of journalists, especially during heightened moments of election-related uncertainty, must be adopted. Access to online information and services is essential to help voters make informed decisions and facilitate robust conversations between the electorate and public officials. New challenges have emerged, such as election interference and the aggressive use of AI by candidates, which has led to proposals for stricter regulations. Regulations require sustained and genuine public consultations; we have learned this from how previous disruptions were addressed. Our solutions need to enhance the independence of media, expand civic space, and inspire greater public vigilance to defend democracy.

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Duterte Leads ‘Prayer Rallies’ Against Charter Change

By admin | November 22, 2024

Written for The Diplomat

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been attending “prayer rallies” in opposition to the charter change (ChaCha) planned by the government of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

On January 28, Duterte and his family joined a “prayer rally” in Davao. He attended a similar event in Cebu on February 25 and in Manila on March 12. Ironically, Duterte is leading the public to “pray” against ChaCha since he once remarked that God is “stupid” and even insulted the Catholic pope. He also promoted ChaCha when he was president.

Duterte may have valid reasons for opposing ChaCha, but his “prayer rallies” reflect his failure to garner broad support from various political forces. For civil society groups and opposition forces, Duterte lacks the credibility to lead the anti-ChaCha movement since he needs to be made accountable for the various crimes and abuses committed during his administration.

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Philippine Broadcast Regulator Suspends TV Show of Former President Duterte

Written for The Diplomat

A Philippine regulatory board has suspended former President Rodrigo Duterte’s TV show, reflecting a deepening discord within the ruling coalition. Supporters of the former president insist that the move is a violation of press freedom, but human rights advocates assert that those who make death threats on live TV should be held accountable.

Duterte will be off the air for two weeks, and the network hosting his show could face bigger sanctions. It may be a brief setback for the former president, but he can find other ways to broadcast his messages. As for the MTRCB decision and the spirited debates that followed it, Duterte’s camp must realize by now that it has lost solid backing from the ruling coalition. More importantly, the forces previously targeted by the former president’s verbal attacks are now availing all opportunities to pursue accountability and justice.

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Environment­alists Under Attack in the Philippines

By admin | November 18, 2024

Written for The Diplomat

A report by British advocacy group Global Witness highlighted the continuing attacks against environmental defenders in the Philippines.

Its latest report documented 16 killings in Asia in 2022, 11 of which took place in the Philippines. Since 2012, the Philippines has been listed by the group as the worst place in Asia for land and environmental defenders, with 281 people killed. The group further noted that a significant number of the victims were advocates against destructive large-scale mining operations.

President Marcos has not commented on the issue which is consistent with his silence on issues related to human rights. He never mentioned the human rights record of his administration in his recent State of the Nation address. Ironically, Marcos has called for global action to fight climate injustice. He should at least lead by example by taking concrete steps to enhance the country’s readiness to face the harsh impact of climate change. This includes reversing harmful and destructive projects which are mostly sponsored by prominent tycoons, and also providing protection to environmentalists who help ensure that communities are empowered and organized to sustain a cleaner and greener future.

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Philippines Suspends New Travel Rules Amid Public Outcry

Written for The Diplomat

The Philippine government suspended its revised travel guidelines for Filipinos going abroad after legislators, business groups, travel agencies, and migrants described the new requirements as “coercive, restrictive, and redundant.”

Labor group Migrante reminded authorities to focus on the more essential aspects of the anti-trafficking campaign. “The government should go after human traffickers, and not their victims. It can only counter human trafficking effectively if it starts creating decent jobs at home – and stop its intensification of the country’s labor export program,” the group said in a statement.

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What’s in the Philippines’ Luzon Corridor?

By admin | November 14, 2024

Written for The Diplomat

The recently concluded Trilateral Summit of the United States, Japan, and the Philippines saw the unveiling of the Luzon Corridor, an economic scheme that is intended to spur economic partnerships among the three countries. Located south of Taiwan, Luzon is the Philippines’ biggest island with five regions including Metro Manila, the country’s capital region and major urban center.

Luzon has witnessed some of the most brutal acts of colonial conquest and war over the past century. Will the Luzon Corridor be any different by ushering in an era of peace and stability in this designated zone of growth and development?

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Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ with China Under Scrutiny

Written for The Diplomat

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte allegedly made a “gentleman’s agreement” with the Chinese government for handling tensions in the South China Sea.

It is unlikely that the Senate will summon Duterte and compel him to divulge his “gentleman’s agreement” with China. Besides, the agreement has been superseded by the new approach adopted by the Marcos government, which involves strengthening the country’s security partnership with the United States government.

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IFEX Asia brief: October and November 2023

By admin | October 31, 2024

October 2023: Elusive justice: Combatting election disinformation and impunity; journalists freed in China and Afghanistan. As the world prepares to mark another International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, on 2 November, the fight against impunity continues in the Philippines and Pakistan. Cheng Lei returns home to Australia, Mortaza Behboudi walks free in Afghanistan, and we share initiatives by IFEX members featuring the impact of AI, combatting election disinformation, and resisting the use of repressive laws against artists and writers. Read more

November 2023: A massive data breach, a TikTok ban, a mass crackdown, and ‘overpolicing free speech’. Killing with impunity in the Philippines, India’s biggest data breach, Nepal bans TikTok, mass crackdown in Bangladesh, and new initiatives in Pakistan address gendered disinformation and cyber harassment. Read more

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A Proposed Law Seeks to Ban Political Dynasties in the Philippines

By admin | October 22, 2024

Written for The Diplomat

The clamor against the power of political clans in the Philippines has been revived, after the Supreme Court uploaded a copy of the petition seeking an order to compel Congress to pass a law banning political dynasties.

In the meantime, Philippine politics remains largely under the sway of political dynasties who are already maneuvering for power and influence ahead of the midterm election next year.

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What the Senate Coup Reveals About Philippine Politics

Written for The Diplomat

The Philippine Senate has a new leadership after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri quit his post to give way to new Senate President Francis Escudero. Reports alleged that Zubiri lost his position after he opposed the proposal to amend the 1987 Constitution through a People’s Initiative backed by members of the House of Representatives headed by Speaker Martin Romualdez, who is a first cousin of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Zubiri also reportedly lost the support of Marcos allies after he allowed a Senate probe on a leaked document naming the president as among the suspected drug users being monitored by government agencies.

The new Senate leadership faces several challenges ahead of the 2025 midterm elections but its biggest test is to prove its independence from Malacañang. It has yet to make a clearer position on the issue of amending the Constitution. It should use the session break until July to consult with various stakeholders and come up with a new agenda focused on addressing the people’s urgent concerns and demands such as higher wages, stable jobs, better livelihoods, and faster delivery of adequate social services.

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The deadly Duterte variant is the biggest threat facing Filipinos today

By admin | October 7, 2024

Published by Bayan Metro Manila

The deadly Duterte variant is the biggest threat facing Filipinos today

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque blamed the new coronavirus variant for the surge in COVID-19 cases when it is clear that our alarming situation today should be attributed to the government’s bungled pandemic response.

Duterte stubbornly enforced lockdown measures which not only failed to contain the virus but also led to disastrous social and economic dislocations. His militarized response created fear which became the government’s model in dealing with the public health crisis.

The ECQ in 2020 was applied sans mass testing, tracing, and treatment. It’s being revived today amid the uncertainty surrounding the roll-out of vaccines. In both 2020 and 2021, the government deployed troops in checkpoints and other public places to observe health protocols when all stakeholders are clamoring for urgent medical solutions.

The government claims its policies are data-driven but it is obvious that the framework in addressing the crisis is through the lens of the security cluster. Hence, the imposition of questionable restrictions such as the 6pm curfew and the hard lockdown regulations implemented by authorities.
We doubt if the data they are compiling are intended to benefit the public since the pandemic-related policies have been consistently anti-poor, anti-worker, anti-youth, anti-women, and anti-democracy. The government is equating the herding of people and silencing of critics with succes as if these are scientific solutions to the pandemic.

Reviving the ECQ and extending the world’s longest lockdown will continue to be counterproductive as long as the militarist approach is used to deal with the pandemic.

Duterte is liable for his failed leadership during the pandemic. The absentee president could not think of other ways to face the crisis other than to sow fear and brutally control the movement of people. This discredited frame of mind has led to tragic consequences since 2016. We deserve better than this murderous, callous, and incompetent regime.

Roque urged the people to reflect about the pandemic during the Holy Week. He should regret giving this advice since another ECQ lockdown will certainly force many Filipinos to realize that the heaviest burden we are carrying is the failed presidency of Duterte. And the only way to end our miseries is to fight for a new and better government.

Wakasan ang kalbaryo ng mamamayan,

Patalsikin ang Rehimeng Duterte!

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Duterte’s Ironic Free Speech Advocacy in the Philippines

By admin | September 29, 2024

Written for The Diplomat

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned against the deterioration of freedom of expression under the government of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

After a planned rally was canceled in Tacloban City on May 25, Duterte issued a public statement blaming “the forces of darkness that threaten not only our rights to express our grievances but the very existence of our nation.”

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UN Expert Cites Need for Legal Reforms in the Philippines

Written for The Diplomat

The initial report of United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression Irene Khan after her recent 10-day official visit to the Philippines has drawn mixed reactions from government officials and various stakeholders.

Khan was the third U.N. special rapporteur to visit the country since Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. became president in June 2022, which authorities have claimed as proof of the willingness of the new government to engage with the U.N. and the international community to address human rights concerns.

Khan will submit her full report to the U.N. in June 2025 which gives the government and other stakeholders enough time to evaluate the initial recommendations and to work on substantially improving the country’s state of freedom of expression.

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Are the Dutertes the New Opposition in the Philippines?

By admin | September 13, 2024

Written for The Diplomat

The quick answer to the question posed in the title of this article is no. They are criticizing members of Congress and even Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., but their party is still part of the ruling coalition.

If the split becomes irreconcilable, the Dutertes are expected to mobilize their local constituents and loyal allies; but they will get no support from activists, human rights defenders, independent media, and opposition politicians, all of whom were viciously persecuted during the previous government.

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Can Vice President Sara Duterte Lead the Philippine Opposition?

Written for The Diplomat

Immediately after the resignation last week of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte as education secretary and vice chairperson of the government’s anti-communist task force, her supporters claimed that she had just become the leader of the country’s opposition.

Duterte has not commented on this, but opposition parties balked at the idea and pointed out that the vice president has to be made accountable for her use of the controversial confidential funds in 2022. She is also being implicated in the brutal “war on drugs” unleashed by the previous government of Rodrigo Duterte, her father.

As supposed leader of the opposition, Duterte has to work with various political formations in order to be effective in challenging the policies of the Marcos government. As it stands now, she will find it extremely difficult to connect with genuine and credible opposition forces since the majority have been victims of her father’s repressive administration.

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Philippine Legislators Mull ‘Economic Charter Change’

By admin | September 1, 2024

Written for The Diplomat

The plan to amend certain economic provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution is proceeding, with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announcing his preference to hold a plebiscite during the 2025 midterm local election. Both Houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, are already conducting public hearings about the proposal, despite the concerns raised by various stakeholders that the planned Charter Change, or ChaCha, could lead to the removal of term limits and the self-serving extension of terms of incumbent officials.

Congress will adjourn sessions before the Holy Week. The next two weeks are therefore crucial if pro-ChaCha legislators will be able to persuade the Congress leadership to vote on the measure. Furthermore, their biggest challenge is how to get the support of the public who are increasingly being made aware that Marcos and his allies are prioritizing ChaCha instead of other urgent people’s concerns.

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Charter Change Bid Moves Forward in the Philippines

Written for The Diplomat

Several initiatives promoting the amendment of the 1987 Philippine Constitution have garnered the support of the leadership of both houses of Congress, even if the campaign could further cause political disunity and public dissatisfaction.

Legislators, including the Senate leadership, have agreed to support the “economic ChaCha” which means this was done with the support of President Marcos. At the minimum, ChaCha could energize debates about the roots of the country’s underdevelopment and whether allowing foreigners to acquire more assets and a greater role in the economy will spur progress. But ChaCha could also inflame acrimonious rhetoric, exacerbate political differences, and even ignite destabilization. Can Marcos and his government afford to take this risk amid rising global tensions and regional instability?

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