Alternative media and progressive groups welcomed the decision of a Quezon City court favoring the nullification of a National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) oppressive memorandum. The said memorandum directed internet service providers to block 27 websites of alternative media and progressive groups starting June 8, 2022.

Former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr pushed for the issuance of the NTC memorandum. Esperon baselessly linked the 27 websites to the Philippine revolutionary movement and to “terrorism.”

Of the websites listed, only seven were actually connected to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. These included the PRWC or Philippine Revolution Web Central, the website of the NDFP, and that of Prof. Jose Maria Sison.

The remaining websites belonged to local activist groups including Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (6), alternative media websites including Bulatlat (3), progressive journalists and academics (3), international organizations (2), international alternative news outlets (2), and others.

The court decision dated November 18 stated that the NTC censored the websites even before the judiciary could deliberate on the supposed questionable content. The court said this action violated the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression.

The court also stated that the NTC, the National Security Council, and Esperon failed to prove the existence of any clear and present danger to justify blocking the websites. It added that the NTC erred in invoking the Anti-Terror Act of 2020 as the legal basis for the memorandum.

According to Bulatlat, the group that filed the complaint in court, the court’s decision marked a significant victory for press freedom, freedom of speech, and expression. “This is a triumph against state censorship, and against the use of ‘anti-terrorism’ rhetoric to justify the violation of free speech and expression,” it said.

Bulatlat expressed gratitude to the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) who appeared before the court and represented them. It also thanked fellow journalists, supporters, and human rights groups who stood with them. The group acknowledged the support of the international community and institutions, including United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion Irene Khan.

Bayan applauded Bulatlat’s victory and its challenge to the NTC memorandum in court. It said that the blocking of the websites is part of the state forces’ systemic campaign to silence the people and dismiss their struggles.

It also condemned the Ferdinand Marcos Jr government for its continued refusal to overturn the NTC order and its ongoing imposition of oppressive policies and laws. It said this context necessitatas the continuing resistance to arbitrary restrictions and censorship, and assertion of the right to express outrage against abuses of power.