THE National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday strongly denied accusations by the Amnesty International that the Philippine government stifles dissent and freedom of expression under the Marcos administration.
“We take very strong exception to the one-sided, misleading, and baseless report of Amnesty International for making rash judgments of the Marcos 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,” said NSC asst. director general Jonathan Malaya.
Malaya asserted that the report provides a one-sided portrayal, failing to account for the Marcos administration’s efforts to protect freedom of speech and of the press in the country.
“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,” said Malaya.
