Rappler should be charged for spreading terrorist propaganda after publishing article authored by Joma Sison

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had recently announced moves to declare the New People's Army (NPA), the armed unit of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), a terrorist threat.

"I'll be issuing a proclamation. I will remove them from the category of a legal entity or at least a semi-movement which would merit our attention, placing them pareho sa (the same as in) Amerika, terrorist," Duterte said in a speech, Saturday.

Shortly after, online news site Rappler recently published an article written by CPP chairman Joma Sison - a person Rappler editors consider to be a "thought leader". In that article, Sison suggests that the president may not be "mentally fit" to lead the country. Much of Sison's argument revolves around a certain set of "common drafts" being worked on by the Philippine government and the CPP's front organisation, the National Democratic Front (NDF) that, among other demands of the CPP calls for "the general amnesty and release of all political prisoners in compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL)".

Suffice to say, national governments should not under any circumstances be in any form of negotiations with terrorists - specially one that presumes to demand unreasonable measures of a government such as the "release of all political prisoners".

Rappler, in publishing Sison's ridiculous statements, seems to be aiding and abetting the propaganda activities of a terrorist organisation.

A trilateral cooperation agreement between the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia counts the thwarting of propaganda operations maintained by terrorist organisations as important in controlling the spread of terrorist activities in southeast Asia. Specifically cited was propaganda disseminated by these terrorist organisations over social media.

Officials also agreed to contain the spread of terrorism and terrorism-related content in the cyberspace, particularly the social media. 

Terrorist exploitation of information and communication technology and the dissemination of terrorist messages must be prevented and suppressed, they said. 

“Technology has enabled terrorism to spread their message faster and more promptly than ever before,” Anifah said. “They probably have experts in using social media to recruit followers in foreign countries.”

Perhaps it is high time Rappler be taken to task for its seemingly unlawful editorial practices.

[Photo shows Sison, at right, allegedly partying with Filipino starlet Asia Agcaoili in Utrecht in 2009.]