Position Paper
Broad Nets, Narrow Freedoms: The Chill of the New Espionage Act
October 6, 2026Broad Nets, Narrow Freedoms: The Chill of the New Espionage ActPosition Paper of the Defend NGOs Alliance on HB 964223 September 2026 The Defend NGOs Alliance strongly opposes House Bill No. 9642, “An Act Expanding the Coverage of Espionage Law,” cited as the “New Espionage Act,” authored by Representative Zamora (Y.M.), Oducado, Suan, Romualdo, and […]
The Preservation of Power: The Legitimization of Political Dynasties Under HB 8389
August 4, 2026Position Paper on the “Anti-Political Dynasty Act” or HB 8389Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG), August 4, 2026 In the Philippines, a persistent pattern of families monopolizing power across generations highlights the critical need for legislation that explicitly prohibits–rather than merely regulates–the centralization of authority within political clans. Beyond politics, this issue poses a […]
Silencing People’s Voices: State Censorship in the Anti-Disinformation Bills
July 20, 2026Silencing People’s Voices: State Censorship in the Anti-Disinformation BillsA Position Paper on House Bill (HB) 9465 and its Senate CounterpartDefend NGOs Alliance17 July 2026 The Defend NGOs Alliance strongly rejects HB 9465, otherwise known as the “Digital Media Anti-False Information Act”, and its counterpart in the Senate. The alliance opposes its railroaded passage in Congress, […]
HB 9465: A Mechanism for State-directed, Platform-enforced Censorship
June 2, 2026Position Paper on the “Digital Media Anti-False Information Act” or HB 9465 The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) opposes House Bill No. 9465, the consolidated (substitute) bill to the various versions of the priority legislation championed by Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos aimed at addressing disinformation and fake news. While framed as a […]
Sandro Marcos’ Anti-Disinformation Bill: A Road to More Censorship and Impunity
May 26, 2026In February 2026, the “Anti-Fake News and Digital Disinformation Act” or House Bill (HB) 2697 was added to the list of priority legislations by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). The proponent of the bill is Congressman Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos and it is scheduled for legislation next June. House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III […]