On 14 September, voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BAARMM) elected their regional parliament for the first time, replacing the appointed transitional authority. The vote marked a key step in implementing the 2014 peace agreement that ended four decades of conflict between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front – creating a path to regional self-government. Originally planned for May 2022, the elections were delayed by more than four years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, an incomplete electoral framework and legal disputes over parliamentary districting. Voter turnout reached 84.3 per cent, with over 2 million registered voters casting ballots. Observers found the election generally well administered, but reported violence, ballot problems and concerns over clan politics and armed actors. No party secured a majority, requiring negotiations to form the first elected Bangsamoro government. 

Sources: UNDP, ANFREL, Bangsamoro Attorney General’s Office

On 16 September, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress has a constitutional duty to prohibit political dynasties, finding that it had failed to fulfil this duty by not passing the required law for 39 years. The Court ordered Congress to act “with utmost urgency” and “at the earliest opportunity,” but set no deadline. The House of Representatives had passed a bill in June, while a related proposal remained under consideration in the Senate. Although intended to widen access to public office, election-monitoring, civil society and business groups warned that the bill’s limited scope could still allow political families to retain power and continue crowding out independent candidates. The Senate must still approve a measure, after which any differences between the two versions must be reconciled before a final bill is submitted to the President.

Sources: NAMFREL, Philstar, Supreme Court of the Philippines, Manila Bulletin 

On 3 June, the House of Representatives approved the proposed Digital Media Anti-False Information Act on its third and final reading. The bill would criminalize the intentional dissemination of false information causing public harm or threatening national security, with prison sentences of six to twelve years and fines of up to PHP 2 million (approximately USD 32,900). It includes exemptions for journalism, political criticism, satire and other protected expression. However, civil society and media organizations warned that its overly vague and broad definitions, severe penalties and expanded government authority over online content could still allow the legislation to be used against journalists, activists and government critics. The bill requires Senate approval before it can become law. 

Sources: International Freedom of Expression Exchange, Civicus, Rappler, Congress of the Philippines, Human Rights Watch

On 19 April, 19 people were killed during a military operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental. The military said all were members of the New People’s Army, a communist insurgent group, while civil society groups identified nine as civilians, including a journalist, two university students and minors. More than 100 families were reportedly displaced. The Commission on Human Rights opened an independent investigation because of conflicting accounts about who was killed and how the deaths occurred. Following a subsequent civil society fact-finding mission, Philippine human rights alliance Karapatan described the incident as ‘the biggest single mass casualty involving international humanitarian law violations’ that it had documented in recent years. The incident occurred amid the country’s continuing internal conflict.

Sources:  UNICEF, Commission of Human Rights, Rappler, Bulatat

On 22 January, a regional court convicted journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and church worker Marielle Domequil of financing terrorism, sentencing them to between 12 and 18 years in prison, while acquitting them of separate firearms and explosives charges. Cumpio has been in pre-trial detention since February 2020, making her the country’s longest-imprisoned journalist in recent years. She is also the first Philippine journalist convicted of financing terrorism. Before her arrest, she reported on alleged police and military abuses. Rights experts said the ruling demonstrated the use of criminal proceedings to silence critical reporting and called for her immediate release. Both defendants deny the allegations. 

Update: On 3 August, Cumpio and Domequil appealed their convictions to the Court of Appeals. Their lawyers also sought reconsideration of the denial of bail pending appeal. In an opinion made public in July, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also found their detention arbitrary and called for their release and an independent investigation.

Sources: Committee to Protect Journalists, Inquirer, International Federation of Journalists