By Shannia Cabuello
MANILA – In 2025, court rulings and civic actions marked significant Filipino victories for free speech, human rights, and accountability.
Press freedom triumphed over censorship, the Supreme Court dismissed multiple “trumped-up” cases against human rights defenders, students staged walkout protests, and independent films confronting social injustices won major awards, reflecting the impact of collective resistance against systemic attempts to chill dissent and restrict democratic spaces.
Big win for press freedom
On November 18, independent online media outfit Bulatlat won a landmark case after a three-year legal battle against government censorship.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court nullified the 2022 memorandum issued by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) which ordered the blocking of 27 websites including Bulatlat and other independent media based on the allegations of being affiliated and supporting “terrorist” groups.
The court’s decision clearly condemns the action of NTC as they have no legal basis, and as the ruling reads, it constitutes a prior restraint and a violation of freedom of speech and expression.
This landmark ruling did not just return the access to Bulatlat as well as to 26 other websites, but it also delivered a sharp rebuke to the government’s “anti-terrorism” narrative for silencing free speech. It asserted that defending press freedom is vital in ensuring democracy.
Photo by Shannia Cabuello/Bulatlat
Dismissed charges
In the continued fight for the free press, community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio secured two significant legal victories including the grant of civil forfeiture petition and the grant of motion to quash the murder charges. Cumpio was imprisoned for almost six years now, facing a total of seven trumped-up charges.
Associate Justice Apolinario Bruselas Jr. stated in a 27-page October 29 ruling that the Anti-money Laundering Council (AMLC) can only pursue civil forfeiture if funds are proven associated to terrorism, highlighting that the government failed to link Cumpio and Domequil to the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
On November 6, the Regional Trial Court Resolution Branch 21 resolution also dismissed the murder charges filed against Cumpio as the name indicated in the complaint was “Frenchie Armando Cumpio” and not Frenchie Mae Cumpio.
Beyond the journalists being silenced, fabricated charges target human and environmental defenders, underscoring the ongoing fight against repression.
On March 14, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Iloilo City dismissed the charges of terrorism financing against Paghida-et sa Kauswagan Development Group (PDG) development workers Federico Salvilla and Perla Pavillar, and Daryl Albanez.
The court ruled that the allegations of violations of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) of 2012 lack jurisdiction and were unconstitutional, citing that the case rested on provisions of the repealed Human Security Act (HSA).
Similarly, environmental defenders and enforced disappearance survivors Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano were dismissed from defamation charges on June 4 as court recognizes lack of merit in the complaint.
In December, the Supreme Court further upheld the protective writs granted to Castro and Tamano against members of the Army’s 70th Infantry Battalion, the Philippine National Police, the National Security Council, and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
A 70-year old indigenous rights advocate Myrna Cruz-Abraham was also freed from fabricated charges of frustrated murder on August 4.
Cruz-Abraham was imprisoned twice on trumped-up accusations, in March to December 2010 due to alleged murder and election-related gun ban violations, and in January this year for involvement in an ambush that happened on March 6, 2007. Both charges were dismissed due to lack of evidence and witnesses’ denial of knowing the accused.
On August 11, Terror financing charges against a church worker and peasant rights advocate Myrna Zapanta were also dismissed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) due to lack of credible evidence.
Karapatan stated that these legal victories not only granted freedom and protection to activists, but also emphasized the resistance against abuses and weaponization of counter-terror laws. These wins also affirm that fighting against human rights violations is not a crime, and that dissent is not terrorism.
Cultural dissent in independent films
Beyond the courtroom, Filipino independent films won international and domestic awards this year, symbolizing cultural dissent against censorship and red tagging.
A documentary film Alipato at Muog was awarded the Best Picture and Best Director at the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards on August 22.
The documentary follows the Burgos family’s persistent and decades-long search for Jonas Burgos, a peasant organizer abducted on April 28, 2007. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has given the film an “X-rating” in August 2024, claiming that it undermines the faith and confidence of the government.
Bloom Where You Are Planted was also named the Best Film at Cinemalaya on October 12, becoming the first documentary to win the category. The film documents the lives of full-time activists’ struggle for land, peace, and dignity in Cagayan Valley.
Both films presented the sacrifices of activists in devoting their lives to the struggle for their motherland. These recognitions underscored how love for the country fuels resistance, and how resistance, in turn, shapes collective consciousness.
Student-led protests
Photo by Shannia Cabuello/Bulatlat
As the media exposed the injustices, the people’s movement continued to grow, resulting in protests staged by students from various universities, both public and private.
The youth simultaneously joined the movement from social media to the streets, demanding accountability as corruption steals conducive learning spaces, quality education, affordable food, efficient public transportation, and future.
Jhasmin Mangalus from Bulacan State University shared in an interview with Bulatlat how their small and unventilated classroom was easily flooded by rainy weather.
“I joined protests in Mendiola because Bulacan is one of the most affected by corruption. We experience it every day from floods, and in undamaged roads being drilled causing extreme traffic,” Mangalus stated, sharing that studying in such situations is harder when they have inconsiderate professors.
De La Salle University student Saleha Hassan also shared her struggles in their school publication.
“The administration has a barrier when students call for a free education that is not focused in neoliberal ideologies,” said Hassan, asserting that the youth will always fight back against systemic oppression.
The September 21 “Baha sa Luneta” movement was dominated by students and youth networks, leading to illegal arrest of student journalists and issuing of subpoena against student leaders. Among the subpoenaed is a Polytechnic University of the Philippines student leader Tiffany Brillante.
As a sign of defiance against intimidation, she allied in forming the Youth Rage Against Corruption (YRAC). The group staged a youth demonstration participated by an estimated 700 student protesters on November 17, International Students Day.
These successive protests marked a victory, channeling youth’s strength into civic action and the start of a longer struggle for their future. It also indicates that the youth will not be silenced by state terror for they are certain about the rights they fight for.
Win for every Filipino
In protests, health workers consistently condemned the transfer of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds to the Department of Finance, stating that it could have helped patients in need.
On December 5, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the return of P60 billion from PhilHealth to the National Treasury was unconstitutional, ordering its return in the 2026 budget and prohibiting any more transfers.
According to the Court, it also violated the Constitution and Universal Healthcare Act as health funds should be exclusive for healthcare services, and strictly not be used in general government spending.
The ruling is a victory for ordinary Filipinos, signifying that public pressure and demands for accountability can yield results, but it also emphasizes that the struggle is far from over.
Until corrupts are punished, political prisoners are freed, desaparecidos are surfaced, and free expression is fully upheld, resistance will continue rising in the media, in courts, and on the streets. (RVO)
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