Malacañang denies censorship suppression of freedom of expression from Filipino citizens during the coronavirus disease crisis amid the certification of the Anti-Terrorism Bill as urgent.
“There is no truth to the accusation of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that the Philippines is using the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse to clamp down on freedom of expression and to tighten censorship,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in defense of the administration.
The UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called out the alleged tightening censorship in Asian nations, including the Philippines.
Roque was quick to defend the administration and assured Bachelet that Filipinos’ rights and freedoms are protected. This is in spite of the quick passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill, which contains vague and broad provisions dangerous to arbitrary interpretations.
The spokesperson continues to believe and guarantee that the Philippines has a “working, independent and functioning” justice system.
