Updated September 24, 2026. The Discord ban in the Philippines has been lifted, less than a day after it took effect. CICC Executive Director Renato “Aboy” Paraiso, who is also a DICT undersecretary, confirmed the reversal on Thursday after the agency met Discord management at noon: “Yup, we’re ordering the lifting.” The CICC says it has asked the NTC to start the process of restoring access.
Whether your connection is back depends on your carrier. Globe and DITO were still blocking Discord at the CICC’s afternoon briefing, and no network has said since that it has lifted the block. Smart and Converge never applied it. PLDT was contested throughout.
The block followed the September 18 shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, the third in 2026 after Tacloban in June and Zamboanga in August.
What Ended the Block
Discord committed to what the CICC had been demanding. At the September 24 meeting it agreed to establish a Philippine presence, designate a local point person, and open a direct coordination channel with authorities, which the CICC calls a “green lane”. It also committed to a faster, streamlined process for investigation requests from the CICC and other agencies.
Reddit had already earned an extension by making similar commitments, and was never blocked. Discord had only sent a letter offering briefings on its Global Teen Experience, which the CICC called willingness rather than compliance. That gap is why the block landed on Discord alone.
The Legal Ground Is Still Contested
Paraiso defended the block under parens patriae, the doctrine that the State acts as protector of those who cannot protect themselves. “It is the obligation. Hindi nga right, obligation ng estado,” he said at the briefing, arguing that platforms without a Philippine presence have no recourse in Philippine courts either.
Critics point to Disini v. Secretary of Justice, the 2014 Supreme Court ruling that struck down Section 19 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act for letting the executive branch restrict online content without sufficient judicial safeguards. Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay has made the same argument about blocks anyone can route around. Democracy.Net.PH said child safety “should never be used as a justification for violating basic human rights.”
If Your Network Is Still Blocking It
The block was served through carrier DNS resolvers, not by Discord. Point your device at a public resolver: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4, or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1, then restart Discord so the app drops its cached resolution. This stops working if a carrier escalates to IP-level filtering.
Discord Is the Newest Name, Not the First
Roblox was blocked in March and GoreBox in June, before the big four widened network-level blocking ahead of Discord. GP made the same point in February, when the government floated a Telegram ban: blockades rarely reach the people grooming children.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
No. The CICC ordered the ban lifted on September 24, 2026, less than a day after it took effect, following a meeting with Discord management. The agency has asked the NTC to restore access.
Unconfirmed. Globe and DITO were still blocking Discord at the CICC’s briefing on September 24, and no carrier has announced that it has restored access. Smart and Converge were never affected.
Only if your network is still blocking it. The block was DNS-level, so setting 8.8.8.8 preferred and 8.8.4.4 alternate, then restarting Discord, gets most people back in. It will not help if a carrier moves to IP-level blocking.
Reddit met the CICC inside the 24-hour window and committed to a local office, earning an extension. Discord sent a letter offering teen safety briefings instead, which the CICC called willingness rather than compliance. Discord agreed to a local presence and a green lane at the September 24 meeting, and the block was lifted the same day.
Sources: GMA News, Rappler, Newsbytes, Rappler, Unbox PH, Philstar, Bilyonaryo, BusinessWorld
Giancarlo Viterbo
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
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kaya nyo naman pala mag ban permanently ng ganyan pero laganap ang porn sites. I’d say pera pera moves na naman to ng mga buwayang gutom na gutom. You put it under the disguise of security but there are already so many parental controls offered starting with the phone or computers pa lang. Dahil lang ayaw nyo mmapahiya pinagmamalaki nyong palpak na juvenile justice naghahanap kayo ng scapegoat at bravo, nakahanap kayo yung pwede nyo perahan pa.