Disclosure: I don’t consider myself a supporter of Rappler (even if I do enjoy some of their content) or Mr. Duterte, but I do sympathize with a lot of GamerGate’s ideals.
In a recent decision, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cancelled news/media site Rappler’s license for allegedly violating the Constitution (multiple sources, pick any!). As the site had published criticism of President Duterte and his regime in the past, critics fired back, alleging that the ruling violated free speech and the freedom of the press.
And in the discussions on charter change making way for federalism in the Philippines, one proposed amendment to the 1987 Constitution changes the wording of the provision on free speech and freedom of the press to say that the state would not infringe on “the responsible exercise” of these rights, causing no small amount of trepidation over what this might imply.
My first reaction to these news stories was worry. These are fundamental rights, after all. In some ways free speech and a free press keep a democratic society actually democratic, in a society which purports to have and to work through a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” An accusation of violating the Constitution— of violating natural human rights— is a very serious charge. But when I realized what I was feeling, I asked myself, “Why am I worrying? What’s there to worry about?”
Several things, maybe.
Aletheia Observatory 