In 2018, several websites of progressive organizations and media outfits became victims of relentless DDoS attacks. A probe by Sweden-based Qurium Media Foundation revealed that the attacks came from the Philippine Army, including activities linked to the Chief of Staff for Intelligence of the Philippine Army.
By ALYSSA MAE CLARIN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — Groups are alarmed over news that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) created its own cyber security group to combat cyber-attacks and misinformation, saying this could be potentially used for attacks.
A military spokesperson said the Civil Relations Service and Cyber Security Group was tasked for the job.
The announcement raised concerns from human rights defenders and civil societies who have been victims of the same attacks usually perpetrated by government agencies, and even by the Philippine Army.
In 2018, several websites of progressive organizations and media outfits became victims of relentless Distributed Denial of Services (DDoS) attacks, whose sole aim was to overwhelm the targeted websites with fake traffic until it becomes inaccessible to its users.
A probe by Sweden-based Qurium Media Foundation revealed that the attacks came from the Philippine Army, including activities linked to the Chief of Staff for Intelligence of the Philippine Army. After requests from Bulatlat.com and Altermidya, the incidents were then investigated by the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT PH) of the Department of Information and Technology (DICT), who only confirmed the earlier findings of Qurium.
Read: Hold the Philippine Army accountable for cyberattacks against PH media websites
Aside from these cyber-attacks the government is also notorious for red-tagging activists and other human rights defenders as terrorists.
Last June 2022, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) blocked the websites of organizations and media outfits accused by the military of being connected to “communist terrorist group,” including legitimate alternative news sites like Pinoy Weekly and even Bulatlat.
Read: What you need to know about the blocking of Bulatlat website, 26 others
“The Philippine military’s plan to combat cyber-attacks and misinformation is as illogical as it is hypocritical,” said Bulatlat associate editor Danilo Arao in a statement.
Bulatlat said that the news of the creation of a new cyber group is nothing short of “alarming” especially since the military have been one of those who has been publicly linking the media outfit to terrorist groups through the years.
“Given this situation, how can the military conveniently ignore what it has done to Bulatlat as it takes a stand against cyber-attacks and misinformation?” added Arao, reiterating how these so-called ‘cyber security’ efforts could only result in online surveillance, DDoS, and other forms of attacks aimed to suppress freedom of the press and expression.
Karapatan said the announcement, which coincidentally happened days before the arrival of United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan, is AFP’s “desperate attempt to portray itself as the victim” rather than the perpetrator of systematic cyber-attacks against the websites of human rights defender organizations, alternative media outlets and even the mainstream media.
“It is not the AFP that is the victim here in need of protection,” said Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay in their statement.
“Rather, the creation of its Cyber Security Group will enable the AFP to keep hammering on the country’s human rights defenders and independent and critical media outfits in a sustained campaign to discredit and vilify them on the one hand, and intensify the military’s barrage of lies and disinformation, on the other,” she added. (RTS, JJE) 
