MANILA, Philippines — The Paris-based non-government organization Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders) has expressed alarm over the alleged cyberattack against Philippine alternative news website Kodao Productions.
“Kodao is still down after being a target of a cyberattack six days ago…RSF is worried about this latest blow to media freedom, which comes against a backdrop of government hostility towards critical media outlets, including Catholic Church radio stations,” the group said in a statement issued Wednesday.
“Site currently not available” is the error message you see when trying to access the Kodao website. As a result of a cyber-attack consisting of a malicious code injection at around midnight on 1 February, the site is no longer able to post new content and readers cannot access past content,” it said.
“The attack has come amid mounting tension between allies of President Rodrigo Duterte and media outlets of various ideological tendencies whose common feature is a readiness to criticize the quick-tempered president’s policies,” said RSF.
Also, the group expressed concern over the fate of Catholic Media Network, a nationwide network of 54 Catholic Church-run radio stations whose 25-year license expired on August 4. 2017.
The license renewal application was submitted on 24 January 2017 but has been blocked ever since in the House of Representatives, where it has yet to be put on the agenda of the relevant committee.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, which runs the network, now fears that the 54 radio stations could be shut down at any time.
“We urge Philippine parliamentarians to address the Catholic Media Network application so that this license can finally be renewed,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.
“It should be a mere formality, nothing more than a stamp on a four-page document. Given the Catholic Church’s criticism of the Duterte administration, this refusal to renew clearly seems to be politically motivated. Meanwhile, as Kodao is well known for its uncompromising criticism of the authorities, its suspension also has all the hallmarks of a reprisal against the free press,” RSF said.