With a score of 34, the Philippines was ranked by the 2022 CIVICUS monitor as among countries in the Asia Pacific that have a “repressed” civic space, where people and organizations can participate in the social and political issues of their communities.
Our country joins seven other countries, namely Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand, as among the governments in the region that have put an effort to shutter dissent after lifting pandemic-related lockdowns, especially as groups called for political reforms in the aftermath of the health crisis.
These are of course assertions that the government has automatically and regularly denied.
“Among the most common violations were the passing and use of restrictive laws to criminalize activists and critics. In several countries, these laws were used to prosecute human rights defenders and keep them behind bars for long periods,” the report noted.
“The authorities also harassed activists and protesters, including hauling them in for questioning, detaining them, intimidating their families and imposing travel bans, in addition to digital attacks,” it added.
Over 20 organizations – including Asia Democracy Network and the Asian Human Rights Commission – collected “qualitative and narrative” data and information on civil society groups, activists, and human rights defenders for the report. Information was gathered from civil society organizations themselves or through other reports.
The 2022 edition of the CIVICUS report noted a concerning development around the world, with 117 out of 197 countries monitored facing “severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms.”
As expected, the Philippine government has rejected assertions that civic space has been eroding, with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla telling the UN Human Rights Council in November 2022 that the country is “a vibrant democracy where freedom of expression, including the right to hold dissenting opinions, and the right to peaceful assembly, is protected.”
Although the repression of civic space has become a global phenomenon, it is one trend the Philippine government should do its best to avoid. This starts with going beyond lip service when it comes to describing the current state of our democracy as “vibrant”, and taking concrete steps to show Filipinos and the international community that our government is defending the sanctity of civic spaces, and not taking the lead in breaking it down further.*
