MANILA, Philippines — The “baseless” accusations of government officials that some non-governmental organizations are fronts of communist rebels worsen the situation of democratic and civic spaces in the country, a network of development workers said. “Political and economic interests wish to veer attention away from legitimate concerns on rights violations and development problems in the country. That is why they’re orchestrating allegations that ‘communists have infiltrated’ the United Nations, that rights defenders have supposedly been ‘projecting false news’ internationally,” Liza Maza, CPDG spokesperson, said. The European Union said it would investigate the claims that funds from the regional bloc are going to communist insurgents after the Philippine government formally requested the probe in March. She added: “As we go further into the Duterte administration, democratic spaces shrink even further.”

Source: Philippine Star April 03, 2019 09:01 UTC