Reds to FB: Put our official page back online, with all posts, likes, followers

From GMA News (Apr 11): Reds to FB: Put our official page back online, with all posts, likes, followers

The Communist Party of the Philippines on Tuesday decried the censorship of its official Facebook page and called on the social networking platform to stay true to its principles.

In an open letter to Facebook and Facebook Philippines, CPP media liaison Vim Montes said Facebook took down their page — Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) — last April 8 despite their efforts to communicate with the social networking site's team.

"Contrary to its declared mission 'to make the world more open and connected' and be a platform of 'diversity of (a) global community,' Facebook has practically censored the CPP and the Philippine revolutionary Left, at a time that the PRWC has succeeded in building a considerable community within Facebook," Montes said.

At the time it was censored, Montes said the PRWC page already has more than 10,000 likes and followers and has served as a tool for the CPP to convey daily news of the struggles of the Filipino masses.

Montes claimed Facebook took down the PRWC page after exposing alleged fake news released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines that it had encountered members of the New People's Army — the group's armed wing — "to justify the killings of unarmed peasants in the countryside and widespread violations of human rights."

He added that the suspension of their page also came following their statement calling Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año, and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon as "U.S. stooges" out to derail the peace talks between the government and the communist rebels.

"Over the past months, the PRWC page has served as a communication tool to convey to the public the views of the CPP as well as daily news of the struggles of the broad Filipino masses for social justice and peace," Montes said.

Montes said the takedown of the CPP's official Facebook page denies the public of relevant news and information which reflects the views of the communist movement.

Despite being a privately-owned platform, Montes said Facebook should return the PRWC page and its contents as a sign of respect for the communist group's beliefs.

"The PRWC page must be put back online, with all its previous posts and records of Likes and Followers. The community built around it deserves nothing less," Montes said.

"Having become a major means of public communication and platform for information exchange, Facebook must respect the public good, including the community’s right to choose what to read and believe in," he added.

For the meantime, Montes said supporters of the CPP can like and follow Ang Bayan, an alternative page they created while the PRWC page is suspended.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/606715/news/nation/reds-to-fb-put-our-official-page-back-online-with-all-posts-likes-followers