The Philippines faces a critical turning point for its digital economy. Recent government statements and impending threats to restrict or ban major online platforms, including Reddit, Discord, and potentially Meta platforms which jeopardize the livelihoods of millions of Filipino remote workers, freelancers, and creative professionals. The digital sector supports a massive portion of our national workforce across IT, creative arts, and game development. A hasty, blanket restriction risks crippling these essential industries.

As a single mother raising a child with special needs, remote work is not just a convenience, it is my family’s lifeline. I rely on platforms like Discord daily for production pipelines, asset management, and real-time collaboration with global creative teams. Work from home setups allow parents, caregivers, and marginalized workers across the nation to earn a sustainable living while caring for our families. Encroaching on these tools severely disrupts our ability to work.

From the perspective of a parent working in game development, the root issue is not the communication tools themselves, but a fundamental gap in digital media literacy, mental health support, and parental oversight. Abruptly blocking communication channels does not solve online risks; it merely displaces them while inflicting massive collateral damage on law-abiding digital workers.

We call upon the Philippine Government to please reevaluate their position on this ban. I hope you can all help me sign this petition so we can facilitate proper dialogue and communication so that we can all understand this critical issue with proper nuance. That meets both the needs of safety and also does not enroach on the livelihoods of many Filipinos.