On July 17, 2026, the Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG), Altermidya, and IBON Foundation held a consultation forum on the implications on what civil society regard as emerging additional “terror” legislation. Titled “It’s a Trap! The Perils of Emerging Terror Bills”, pending legislation at the 20th Congress: Digital Media Anti-False Information Act or House Bill 9465 (which includes the harmonized Senate version), and the Foreign Influence and Interference Act or House Bill 1068 (including similar House Bills) were discussed. This was followed by a presentation tackling their impending threat to civic space, along with a global contextualization of foreign interference legislation and its weaponization against human rights defenders in other countries. The forum took place at the Fersal Hotel, Quezon City and was attended by representatives from media, civil society organizations (CSOs), trade unions, youth, including the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
Aira Cobico, the Media and Communications Officer of CPDG shared the implications of the railroaded HB 9465 which is now at the Senate and is one of the priority bills of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). Cobico cautioned that this legislation poses dangers to advocacy, journalism, and people’s participation.
Cobico says the HB 9465 and its counterpart Senate version contain overbroad provisions that attempts to criminalize the dissemination of “false information” based on vaguely defined public harm and threats to national security. Both bills on disinformation aims to integrate a censorship mechanism into the digital space, giving powers to government agencies to regulate content with the Senate counterpart even legalizing state oversight. All of this is done while wielding severe penalties towards individual users.
CPDG’s Policy Officer Dominique Ybera followed this discussion by delivering a joint policy analysis on the Foreign Influence and Interference Act (HB 1068) and its corresponding consolidated measures. Ybera asserted that HB 1068 and other identical bills claim to counter foreign spies but may most likely target CSOs receiving international support. HB 1068 criminalizes forms of communication that authorities may interpret as influencing public opinion on government policies—the very core of advocacy and journalistic work.
HB 1068 violates privacy laws as the proposed legislation, if enacted, allows unconsented recording of private meetings. It also imposes stringent collection of sensitive information and requirements from organizations which includes regular declaration of foreign principals, tracking of external funds, and collection of civilian data through databases accessible to intelligence bodies.
Atty. Josalee Deinla, Secretary-General and the National Spokesperson of the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) contextualized the bills as part of a repressive pattern in legislation locally and globally. Present in both proposed legislation 9465 and 1068 is the criminalization of foreign-funded operations. Proving that although focusing majority on false information, HB 9465 maintains a provision for foreign influence and interference that echoes HB 1068. The pattern of legal weaponization of foreign interference laws is credited to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards which has been used as a framework for so-called anti-terrorism laws implemented by member states, thus paving the way for transnational repression through severe financial sanctions, travel restrictions and red-tagging.
Deinla cited the case of Belarusian Nobel Peace Laureate Ales Bialiatski who faced alleged tax evasion charges in Lithuania in revealing the calculated coordination of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) worldwide. Bialiatski opened bank accounts in Lithuania and Poland to fund his human rights organization “Viasna” but these accounts were frozen after the Belarusian authorities requested his financial information. FIUs share and communicate information on dissidents seeking asylum in other countries allowing asset freezing, de-banking and politically motivated charges even on foreign soil.
Moreover, the utilization of popularized watchlists and immigration bans to red-tag and deny entries of human rights advocates in foreign countries. Like in the recent disallowed entry of Sadie Stone, an American pastor and member of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP). Stone was denied participation in the National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission (NFSM) to investigate the Toboso Massacre because of her participation in political activities.
CSOs and media panelists also gave their reflections on the repressive bills.
They disapproved of HB 9465 and HB 1068. They warned of the impending weaponization of the proposed bills which will more likely to worsen the repression already experienced by human rights defenders and journalists. The legal harassment of journalist Marchel Espina through an unjust vexation suit prompted by an opinion piece released during her time as an editor-in-chief back in 2024 was one of the cases cited during the panel discussion as an example of legal intimidation against the press.
Members of the panel also narrated experiences from community work, sharing how both the Anti-Terrorism Law and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act have been used to commit violations to press freedom. They highlighted the importance of communities’ voices in exposing social ills and in debunking contradicting statements made by state forces. The timing of the proposed legislation was also scrutinized, as the Philippine government agreed to allocate 1,620 hectares for the Pax Silica initiative to make way for the environmentally destructive Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub in the country. If passed, the legislation could be used to legally harass farmers, indigenous peoples, and environmental defenders alike, asserting their right to land and meaningful development.
In closing the consultation, Atty. Antonio “Dean Tony” Gabriel La Viña, President of the Movement Against Disinformation (MAD), offered ways forward, including alliances that CSOs and journalists alike can build to prevent the passage of additional “terror” legislation. Furthermore, Dean Tony stressed the importance of raising awareness and involving the public in the discourse of closing civic space in the country.
Dean Tony encouraged everyone present to sign on to the statement drafted by the Defend NGOs Alliance opposing both House Bills 9465 and 1068.
“We are resolute in our fight against the emerging terror bills as such legislation would only exacerbate human rights violations, and further curtail the people’s freedom of expression, participation and right to information. The Philippine government must address public criticism and not impose structural censorship and strangling financial regulative measures. HB 9465 and HB 1068 are traps disguised as necessary proposals. They are tools to silence people’s voices and a shield for government’s atrocities. Truth cannot be protected by the implementation of disproportionately punitive measures but by improving people’s capacity to be active participants to democratic governance, and open dialogues for people-led development”, ends Dean Tony. ###