The Philippines has been placed on a global human rights watchlist, as an international civil society watchdog warned of a worsening crackdown on dissent under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The CIVICUS Monitor, which tracks civic freedoms in 198 countries and territories, added the Philippines to its latest Watchlist, citing arrests, use of force, and legal action against protesters, activists, and journalists.
The country remains classified as “Repressed,” one of the most restrictive categories for civic space.
“There is a deeply troubling pattern of state actions against protests that is restricting the democratic space and stifling fundamental freedoms,” said Josef Benedict, CIVICUS Monitor Asia researcher.
“It is creating a chilling effect for many in the Philippines who seek to speak out and organise,” he added.
The Philippines joins Benin, Ecuador, Iran, and Georgia, which CIVICUS said have seen a recent and rapid decline in civic freedoms.
The report cited incidents in 2025 and early 2026 pointing to escalating restrictions on dissent.
In September 2025, police used excessive force against anti-corruption protesters, arresting more than 200 people, including 91 children.
Those detained were denied access to lawyers and their families. Protesters reported being punched, kicked, and beaten with batons, treatment that may amount to torture or ill-treatment, the report said.
Authorities have also pursued legal cases against protesters and activists. In November 2025, the Department of Justice initiated criminal proceedings against 97 protesters, including charges of sedition and inciting to sedition under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
On Feb. 25, 2026, police arrested human rights defenders Edel Parducho and Three Odeña during a march marking the 40th anniversary of the People Power Uprising.
Earlier in the year, anti-mining protesters in Nueva Vizcaya and farmers involved in land disputes in Laguna were also arrested, the report said.
Human rights defenders, environmental advocates, and labor organizers remain at particular risk. In November 2025, defenders in Negros Occidental and Cagayan Valley were arrested or attacked in areas affected by typhoons Tino and Uwan, according to CIVICUS.
Authorities have also escalated the use of terrorism-financing charges. Among those detained in December 2025 were activist Carmilo Tabada, formerly with FARDEC, and Michael Cabangon, a Cordillera-based labor leader and cultural worker.
Reports of red-tagging have continued, including incidents involving environmental lawyer Antonio La Viña and labor organizers in Bicol, the report said.
Journalists have faced similar pressure. In January 2026, independent journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and lay Church worker Marielle Domequil were convicted of terrorism-financing charges after nearly six years of pre-trial detention.
“During a period when public accountability is urgently needed, authorities are choosing to use restrictive laws to criminalise activists and journalists rather than address legitimate public concerns,” Benedict said.
“The international community must not remain silent but call on the Philippines government to adhere to their international human rights obligations to ensure the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and to drop all charges against activists,” he added.
CIVICUS said countries rated “Repressed” face significant constraints on civic space, where critics risk surveillance, harassment, intimidation, imprisonment, injury, and death, and where civil society groups face threats of deregistration or closure.
The Watchlist inclusion, CIVICUS said, signals a continuing deterioration of civic space, with authorities increasingly using arrests and legal action against dissent.
