October 17, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) slammed Amnesty International (AI) yesterday for its recent report accusing the Marcos administration of stifling dissent and freedom of expression in the Philippines.
Calling the report one-sided and misleading, the NSC said AI failed to account for the administration’s efforts to protect freedom of speech and of the press.
“We take very strong exception to the one-sided, misleading and baseless report of Amnesty International for making rash judgments of the Marcos Jr. administration so far removed from reality. Freedom of expression in the Philippines is constitutionally protected and we can see that in the robust and healthy traditional and social media environment, where opinions are expressed freely every single day,” NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said.
“AI did not even account for the side of the Philippine government before it released its report. The National Security Council should have been given the opportunity to rebut each of their so-called findings before this was released to the public. This only fuels speculation that the report is more for propaganda purposes to vilify the state rather than an honest assessment,” he added.
Malaya said the NSC would like to see the methodology AI used in coming out with their findings to see “what due diligence did they undertake to ensure that their respondents are unbiased and have no political agenda against the Marcos administration.”
“Remember, it’s election season. How did Al choose their respondents? The government and the public have the right to know,” he stressed, noting that the NSC is willing to sit down with AI and discuss the report if it was open to a constructive, fair and balanced engagement.
“Our doors are open to AI if they are open to listening to the side of the government. We are willing to investigate if there is probable cause,” he declared.
Malaya also took exception of the report’s claim that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) shares numerous posts and press statements on its Facebook page where many young activists are allegedly vilified or falsely accused of being associated with armed groups.
“What the NTF-ELCAC shares in its Facebook page are testimonies from expert witnesses, some of them former rebels, who speak about their own personal experiences. Most of these were given under oath at Senate hearings or in public fora. These individuals also have freedom of expression which we cannot stifle,” he explained.
He emphasized that the NTF-ELCAC’s online presence seeks to inform the public about the real threats posed by terrorist organizations, contrary to Al’s assertion that digital tools are weaponized against activists.
Malaya also pointed out that the AI report overlooked the Anti-Terrorism Act’s role in disrupting terrorist activities.
“Al conveniently overlooked the fact the Philippines is one of the countries heavily impacted by terrorist activities from the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front) to violent extremists in Mindanao. We have the last remaining communist insurgency in the world. In fact, we are still 19th in the Global Terrorism Act. We need an Anti-Terrorism Law,” he said, underscoring that no one is targeted arbitrarily.
Addressing claims of misinformation, he said NTF-ELCAC’s communication efforts are aimed at countering disinformation spread by extremist groups.
“We focus on providing factual information to prevent the youth from being misled by organizations that exploit their idealism,” he explained.
The NSC official urged Al to adopt a balanced and more objective and circumspect view of the situation rather than parroting the lines of NTF-ELCAC detractors, and to recognize the importance of countering violent extremism while respecting freedom of speech and human rights.
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