Philippine Senator Asks Facebook To Explain Censoring Of Government Posts

Philippine Senator in charge of Public Information and Mass Media Ramon Revilla Jr. demanded on Tuesday that Facebook (banned in Russia as an extremist organization) explain why the posts shared by government officials, state media agencies and ordinary netizens were flagged and taken down by the social network

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2022) Philippine Senator in charge of Public Information and Mass Media Ramon Revilla Jr. demanded on Tuesday that Facebook (banned in Russia as an extremist organization) explain why the posts shared by government officials, state media agencies and ordinary netizens were flagged and taken down by the social network.

The censored posts addressed the ongoing communist rebellion in the Philippines and urged the public to unite against the insurgency.

"I join the concern of the government agencies and mass media organizations about the effects of the above-mentioned incidents in the performance of official functions and their implications in national security, sovereignty, and fundamental freedoms," Revilla was quoted as saying by the state-run Philippine News Agency.

Posts of government agencies, including the Philippine News Agency, were blocked on Facebook on the grounds that they violate "community standards," while ordinary netizens were not able to share the posts of several government officials, the agency said.

The Philippine news agency noted that the incidents may be an attempt to influence the public and discredit the current administration ahead of the upcoming elections in the country on May 9.

Facebook has been evasive on the reasons for the blockage, claiming that the incidents were caused by a technical problem that was being fixed.