Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5) – Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) on Thursday condemned the shutdown of the Facebook pages of progressive groups, describing it as “online Martial Law” under the current Marcos administration.
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“Ang pagpapasara ng Facebook sa KMU page ay direktang pag-atake sa karapatan ng mga manggagawa sa malayang pamamahayag,” Elmer Labog, KMU chairperson, said in a statement.
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[Translation: Shutting down the Facebook page of KMU is a direct attack on the right to free speech of laborers.]
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“Ang nangyayari ngayon ay para bang online Martial Law ng rehimeng Marcos Jr.,” he added.
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[Translate: What’s happening now is like an online martial law of the Marcos Jr. regime.]
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Labog said KMU’s Facebook page was permanently shut down Thursday morning without any prior notice. Personal accounts of the page’s administrators and editors were also locked due to alleged unauthorized access.
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The Facebook pages of Anakbayan and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan were also shut down, according to Labog.
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“Samantala, namamayagpag ang mga Facebook page at opisyal na account ng mga indibidwal at institusyon na tahasang nagpapalaganap ng pekeng balita, pagbabaluktot ng kasaysayan, harassment, at pananakot,” Labog said.
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[Translation: Meanwhile, the Facebook pages and official accounts of individuals and institutions that spread fake news, historical revision, harassment and fear continue to thrive.]
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“Walang ginagawa ang Facebook hinggil dito. Sa halip, pinupuntirya ang mga lehitimong organisasyon at samahang nagtataguyod sa kabutihan ng ordinaryong Pilipino,” he added.
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[Translation: Facebook has done nothing about this. Instead, it targets legitimate organizations and groups that advocate the goodness of ordinary Filipinos.]
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Prior to this, Labog said posts about Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, were removed due to alleged violation of Facebook’s Community Standards.
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While confirming this matter, CNN Philippines was directed to a warning when “Communist Party of the Philippines” was typed in Facebook’s search engine.
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“Are you sure you want to continue? The term that you searched for is sometimes associated with activities of dangerous individuals and organizations, which isn’t allowed on Facebook,” the social media giant stated.
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