The state of civic freedoms in the Philippines remains “repressed,” according to the People Power Under Attack 2024 report released Wednesday by the CIVICUS Monitor. 

The study highlighted worsening conditions for human rights defenders and activists in the country amid a regional trend of crackdowns and restrictive policies.

The CIVICUS Monitor, which evaluates civic space conditions in 198 countries and territories, underscored that the Philippines is among the nine Asia-Pacific nations rated as “repressed.” 

This classification indicated severe restrictions on freedoms of assembly, association, and expression.

The report outlined a series of violations against human rights defenders in the Philippines, including raids, criminal charges, abductions, and red-tagging—a practice that stigmatizes activists as communist insurgents.

In February 2024, environmental activists Jhonila Castro and Jhed Tamano were charged with defamation after accusing the military of abducting them. 

The report also documented the abductions of Francisco “Eco” Dangla III and Joxielle “Jak” Tiong in March 2024. Both activists were linked to organizations advocating for environmental and community rights.

Peasant communities and their leaders were also targeted. Security forces illegally raided the home of Ronnie Manalo, a peasant leader, and conducted operations in Bulacan, which the report says exacerbated a climate of fear among rural populations.

Civil society groups in the Philippines have faced trumped-up charges that undermine their operations. In May 2024, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) froze accounts linked to the Leyte Center for Development (LCDe), alleging ties to the Communist Party of the Philippines. 

This action paralyzed humanitarian efforts in the Eastern Visayas region.

Protesters experienced intensified restrictions. Police checkpoints and surveillance marred the commemoration of the 38th anniversary of the 1986 uprising in February 2024. Six activists were detained during Labor Day demonstrations in May.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Climate Change criticized the Philippines for its systematic red-tagging of activists and Indigenous Peoples, further exacerbating human rights violations.

The CIVICUS Monitor highlighted similar patterns across the Asia-Pacific region. Seven countries, including China and North Korea, were rated “closed,” while others like Mongolia were downgraded due to growing repression.

In contrast, Japan and Fiji were upgraded to “Open” for their respect for civic freedoms, a rare positive development in the region.

“Most people in the region are living in countries with ‘closed’ or ‘repressed’ civic space,” said Josef Benedict, the Monitor’s Asia-Pacific researcher. “There is a critical need to support activists and civil society who are pushing back against these repressive regimes.”

The report emphasized the urgent need for international support to safeguard civic freedoms in the Asia-Pacific. 

With persistent detention and prosecution of activists, censorship, and increasing transnational repression, advocacy groups are urging global actors to hold governments accountable for human rights violations.

CIVICUS Monitor’s findings reiterated that freedoms to speak out, organize, and protest remain under siege, underscoring the critical role of civil society in defending democracy and human rights.