The Marcos Jr administration is getting the international attention it deserves. Despite human rights posturing, it is a serial violator like the Duterte government before it – repressive, red-tagging, and a staunch protector of abusers in power.
IBON deeply appreciates United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur (SR) on Freedom of Expression and Opinion Irene Khan’s clear, courageous and committed report on the deeply rooted and systemic violations of freedom of expression and other fundamental rights in the Philippines.
At the same time, IBON decries the Philippine government’s response to attack the messenger. Instead of responding with humility and accountability, it tried to discredit Ms. Khan, the report’s findings, and by extension the very process of international human rights oversight. The government withdrawing its standing invitation to special procedure mandate holders is also a backsliding in cooperation with international human rights mechanisms.
The Marcos Jr administration’s hostile response confirms what the report essentially pointed out – the government is more interested in preserving its repressive hold on power than with addressing abuses, delivering justice, or building a truly democratic society. It has not shown real intent for reform after the grave abuses of the Duterte administration before it, and is unfit for the seat on the UN Security Council it seeks.
The report delivered before the UN Human Rights Council does not invent the truths it presented. It simply echoed what countless Filipinos, especially those who have been silenced, surveilled, and red-tagged, have been saying all along.
It criticized the labeling of the exercise of freedom of thought, expression and the academe as somehow subversive or communist. It also recognized that red-tagging hinders people’s access to information and to critical thinking.
The recommendations to abolish the NTF-ELCAC and to review and amend the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) are essential first steps to addressing persistent state-driven human rights violations. On the other hand, Pres. Marcos’s vigorous defense of these exposes his administration’s unwillingness to break from the repressive policies of the past and its continued reliance on fear, militarization, and red-tagging to silence dissent.
We trust the international human rights community to stand firm in holding the Philippine government to account. The world must not be swayed by its diplomatic doublespeak, human rights hypocrisy, and performative reforms.
The report is the result of Ms. Khan’s visit to the Philippines from January 23 to February 2, 2024 when she met with victims, activists, journalists, academics and many others from civil society. Critically, she also met with the wide range of government officials relevant to the report – spanning senior officials from the Office of the President, national government agencies, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC), the Senate and House of Representatives, local government units and the Supreme Court. The report was presented to the UN Human Rights Council at its 59th regular session in Geneva on June 18, 2025.