The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) and the Defend NGOs Alliance express deep appreciation and firm solidarity with the findings of United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan. The country report on the Philippines that she presented to the UN Human Rights Council on June 18, 2025 exposes systemic and ongoing violations of fundamental freedoms in the Philippines—especially the right to free expression, association, and peaceful dissent.
“The report’s timing is urgent and its conclusion unflinching,” says CPDG Spokesperson Liza Maza. “It confirms what countless Filipinos, civil society actors, and community organizers have long asserted: repression is a defining feature of governance in the Philippines regardless of who is in power.”
The report mentions more than 450 documented cases of red-tagging in just the first half of 2024. This state-sponsored vilification targets youth, women, indigenous peoples, development workers and other human rights defenders. Repressive laws like the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) and the Cybercrime Prevention Act are weaponized against critics and activists. The systemic abuse of these laws to stifle dissent and violate due process is exemplified by arbitrary surveillance, harassment, and prolonged pre-trial detention—such as in the case of the Tacloban 5 that includes journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio.
Notably, Ms. Khan singled out the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as the driving force behind escalating red-tagging and harassment. Yet despite overwhelming evidence and broad civil society condemnation, the Marcos Jr. administration still refuses to abolish the task force and instead defends it and doubles down on militarized approaches to governance. This is not a break from the Duterte era—it is its continuation.
The recently released report of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) and CPDG—”Playbook of Repression: Civil Society Report On The Misuse And Abuse Of Combating The Financing Of Terrorism Measures In The Philippines”— gives further evidence of how the NTF-ELCAC spreads disinformation with its red-tagging, vilification, and trumped-up charges against humanitarian workers and human rights defenders.
Protective mechanisms like the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) have proven toothless and lack the independence to safeguard press freedom. Persistent cyberattacks and the weaponization of libel laws against critical media outlets further shrinks civic space for free expression and association. Ms. Khan’s report tells of how civil society is sidelined from newly formed human rights coordination bodies, such as the Special Committee on Human Rights Coordination, further undermining past gains.
“We support the report’s recommendations to abolish the NTF-ELCAC, release of political prisoners including Frenchie Mae Cumpio and the Tacloban 5, and to decriminalize libel[u1] ,” says Maza. “Likewise, we urge Congress to pass the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act and to review and repeal all laws and policies that criminalize dissent, including ATA and TFPSA, and other laws and mechanisms that violate human rights, shrink civic spaces and hinder development work. Civil society must not be sidelined—we demand a seat at the table in all human rights mechanisms and policy spaces. Not as tokens, but partners in shaping a just and truly democratic future.”
Defend NGOs Spokesperson Jazmin Jerusalem points out: “Civil society are development actors and partners in development. We are essential to any real democracy. We reject all attempts to vilify, silence, or criminalize our work. The state must be held accountable for the harm it inflicts in the name of ‘security.’” The report rightly said: “Change is possible with political will—but the people have always had that will. The question is: will the government choose justice, or double down on repression?”
“We urge the international community to continue supporting the Filipino’s struggle for genuine democracy and right to development,” adds Maza. “We call on UN member states, civil society allies, and development partners to remain vigilant, engaged, and in solidarity with those who speak truth to power under threat of harassment, detention, or even enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings.”
Jerusalem stressed: “The right to speak, organize, and take action must be defended at all costs. We will not be red-tagged into silence. We will not be criminalized into fear. We will continue to speak, mobilize, and fight back against repression in all its forms. We fight not just to survive, but to build a future of dignity and justice, and the strength of our communities. We will not be silenced. Defending our rights as development actors is to assert people’s right to development.” ###