Bulatlat welcomes unblocking of its website

Weeks after the blocking of its website, Bulatlat on Friday welcomed and announced that it can be accessed again.

This came a day after Bulatlat asked the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 306 to cite the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for indirect contempt for the continued inaccessibility of its website.

“This is an initial victory for press freedom and the people’s right to access credible sources of information. The unblocking is an affirmation that in fighting back, we can regain our hard-won rights,” it said in a statement.

The QC court previously granted the media organization’s application for a writ of preliminary injunction to stop the NTC from enforcing its order to block access to Bulatlat’s website while the case is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Bulatlat urged the NTC to nullify its memorandum ordering internet service providers to block access to Bulatlat.com and other websites that allegedly linked to "communist terrorists.”

This was based on three resolutions issued by the Anti-Terrorism Council designating certain organizations and individuals as terrorists. These resolutions, however, do not identify Alipato, Bulatlat, and its staff as terrorists.

Bulatlat said the memorandum is “unconstitutional and arbitrary.”

“Fighting terrorism should never be made an excuse for state-sponsored censorship,” it said.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the NTC but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.—AOL, GMA News