NTC Blocks 25 ‘Red’ Websites Upon The Request Of Esperon

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has ordered internet service providers in the country to block websites, including some that belong to independent media organizations, allegedly found to have links with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), following a request from the National Security Council (NSC).

Through a memorandum dated June 8 and signed by Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, the NTC ordered the immediate blocking of websites found by the NSC “to be affiliated to and are supporting terrorists and terrorist organizations.”

In a letter dated June 6 and addressed to Cordoba, National Security Adviser and NSC Director General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. noted that the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) has issued three resolutions declaring the CPP-NPA-NDF and their central committee members as terrorists and terrorist organizations.

“In this regard, may we request the NTC to issue legal instruments to order Philippine internet service providers to block access to the following websites affiliated to and are supporting these terrorists and terrorist organizations,” Esperon said in his letter.

The websites cited by the NSC include the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, Jose Maria Sison, The Official Publication of the NDF, Philippine Revolution Web Central, Bulatlat, Hiyaw, PRWC Newsroom, Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions, Compatriots-Revolutionary Organization of Overseas Filipino and their Families, Save Our Schools Network, UMA Pilipinas, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Pamalayaka Pilipinas, AMIHAN National Federation of Peasant Women, BAYAN, Arkibong Bayan, International League of People Struggle, Pinoy Weekly, Counter Punch, International Action Center, Monthly Review, People’s March, Taga-Ilog News, Partisa-News and People Resist News.

“Indeed, the activities, in terms of recruitment, funding and propaganda of these communist terrorist organizations should be stopped,” Esperon told Cordoba.

Esperon said social networking sites Facebook and Twitter already started cracking down on accounts and pages belonging to what the government now considers as communist terrorist groups (CTGs).

“They have established pervasive online presence through their websites that they continually use to publish propaganda and misinformation campaigns in order to malign the Philippine government, recruit new members and solicit funds from local and international sources,” he added.

Online alternative media outfit Bulatlat condemned the order, calling it “a brazen violation of its right to publish, and of the public’s right to free press and free expression.”

In a statement issued late Wednesday afternoon, June 22, Esperon explained why Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly, another independent online news website, were included in the list.

“Though we recognize that websites like Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly have been using their platforms to spread information on causes important to them, we cannot simply turn a blind eye to the fact that they have actively supported organizations affiliated with the CPP-NPA-NDF,” he said.

He cited how Pinoy Weekly, for example, published at least two questionable contents: one titled “Limang Katwiran ng Armadong Pakikibaka” allegedly stated that armed struggle is one legitimate way to reform society.

Stressing that upholding and promoting the truth is a national security responsibility imbued with public interest, Esperon said this falls under Section 9, or the definitions of terrorism, under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020.

Pinoy Weekly also published an article titled “NPA at Masa, ‘Di Matitinag” which likewise falls under the ATA’s Section 10 or the Recruitment to and Membership in a Terrorist Organization, according to Esperon.

He noted that his letter to Cordoba “expressed our concern for the welfare of the Filipino people who continually use digital resources as means by which to be informed and educated.”

“I understand that this may come as a cause for concern to many Filipinos to see websites, such as Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly, who claim that they are advocates of truth and objectivity, are part of the list of assets that I had requested for the NTC to restrict. In light of this, I would like to provide my insight for the benefit of all as to why the decision to include these websites was sought,” he said.

The national security adviser underscored that “misinformation remains to be one of the nation’s greatest enemies; and is, in fact, a powerful tool used by CTGs to sow enmity and discord – dividing the Filipino people and separating us from objectivity and the truth.”

“To call our act of protecting the integrity of our nation’s digital space as an act of ‘desperation,’ or a ‘blatant attack on free speech’ reeks of desperation because they not only are unable to counter these arguments through any respectable means, but they are also actively pursuing acts of terrorism within their respective organizations,” he said.

Esperon, however, clarified that the restriction of access to these websites does not necessarily mean a restriction for the organizations to engage in free speech.

“The right to free speech is protected, even under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 – and should be used responsibly and for a good cause. Hate speech, unjust propaganda and seeking support for CTG-affiliated organizations should be seen as separate offenses that need to be limited, especially in our country where misinformation remains to be addressed with care and consistency,” he said.

The NTC was sought for comment on its order, but officials from the agency have not responded to calls or texts as of last night.

Legal remedies

Malacañang said the groups behind the websites that were ordered blocked by the NTC can tap legal remedies to question the decision.

“The recent move of the National Telecommunications Commission to block certain websites is upon the request of the National Security Council in performance of its mandate,” acting presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said in a statement.

“Legal remedies are available to any party, including online media outfit Bulatlat, affected by this action,” Andanar added.

‘MAD Internet Firewall’

Reacting to an “internet firewall” created by the NSC and NTC against groups critical of the government, the CPP foresees democracy’s darker days as yet to come.

“We believe that the Marcos Anti-Democracy (MAD) Internet Firewall is just the opening scene for a general crackdown against Philippine media under the incoming Marcos II regime,” the CPP said on Wednesday, criticizing the NSC’s tack versus terrorism.

“On the pretext of ‘anti-terrorism,’ Filipino reporters and journalists will soon be under intense pressure to suppress information, news reports and views expressed by the CPP, as well as progressive and patriotic, and eventually of any views and reports that are critical of the incoming Marcos regime on the likely rationale that such news writing ‘destabilizes government’ and ‘undermines unity,’” it added.

For CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena, “the push to erect a MAD Internet Firewall in a desperate bid to censor online criticism and dissent against the incoming illegitimate Marcos II regime, as well as suppress progressive, patriotic and revolutionary journalism and literature that exposes the ills of the ruling system … is an authoritarian measure meant to sup-press the people’s freedom to express criticism or grievance against the ruling government and ruling system and promote progressive, patriotic, anti-imperialist and revolutionary ideas.”

“This is the latest measure promoted by the militarists in the NSC and NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) after the push to purge public libraries of books and literature related to peace talks and the NDFP, the funding of incessant distributed denial-of-service attacks against the PRWC and several other websites, the terrorist-tagging against patriotic and progressive bookstores and the repeal of the UP-DND accord banning military personnel in UP campuses,” Valbuena said.

Order condemned

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has condemned the NTC’s move.

In a statement, the NUJP denounced the “arbitrary inclusion” of Bulatlat, Pinoy Weekly and other alternative news sites in the NTC’s list of websites that the agency said should be blocked by ISPs.

It said the NTC’s decision, upon the NSC’s recommendation, was done without giving the news organizations notice and opportunity to address the NSC’s “reckless claims.”

“We also call on members of the journalist community, on press freedom and freedom of expression advocates and on the public to join us in condemning this blatant violation of press freedom and of the very basic idea of the free flow of information and of ideas,” the NUJP added.

Bulatlat and Pinoy Weekly have existed for years and have built a track record of reporting on people’s issues, according to the union.

While reporting of these news outfits has been critical of the government and its policies, the NUJP said “it is dangerous to equate this with affiliation or support that the government now claims.”

The NUJP urged the NTC to reconsider the inclusion of news sites and of the websites activist groups in their supposed list.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes said they would exhaust all legal remedies against the NTC’s directives which, he stressed, are not only illegal and arbitrary, but also an attack on free speech.

A group of professors and academic employees of the University of the Philippines has also condemned the NTC’s censorship of “red-tagged” websites.

In a press statement, the group Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy, composed of UP professors and faculty employees, branded the NTC’s move as an “act of madness” and a “blatant attack on free speech, academic freedom and critical thinking.”

“What’s worse, this unjustified internet censorship will affect serious scholarship of academics, students and researchers who need to be exposed to a wide range of ideas in the course of their teaching and research work,” it added.

For Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, Esperon’s request was “not a good idea” as it would not help Filipinos, especially the youth, develop critical thinking.

Allowing Filipinos access to “all sorts of ideas and theories” is part of the process of developing “our own critical thinking capability,” according to Pimentel.

“(Banning websites) might be too broad, and we may be keeping our people, especially our younger generation, ignorant of other perspectives, other ways of looking at things, other ways of solving our problems,” the told reporters in a text message.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) branded as “outrageous” and “abusive” the NSC and NTC’s move.

“This is nothing less than a brazen attempt to undermine them and censor these media outlets and groups,” HRW’s deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said in a statement. – With Alexis Romero, Artemio Dumlao, Emmanuel Tupas, Elizabeth Marcelo, Paolo Romero, Rainier Allan Ronda