Philippines is one of freer countries in the world when it comes online freedom. Generally, South Asian countries impose stricter forms of regulation on online expression and freedom of users.
Philippines stands out from its neighboring countries in this respect.
However, the government has passed some legislations such as the Cybercrime Act 2012 which penalizes libel on the Internet. As such, this has led to a decline in online activism owing to the criminalizing of libel.
Citizens and travelers to the country should therefore consider using a VPN in an attempt to enhance their privacy and security.
I will discuss 7 extremely capable VPN providers that can turn you anonymous on the Internet, giving you the freedom to express yourself freely and with impunity.
Why Do You Need a VPN in Philippines?
The Internet landscape in Philippines is quite free. At least that was the case until 2012 when the Cybercrime Act was passed.
Since then, there has been a decline in online activism, probably because users fear they might be deemed guilty of libel for voicing critical views regarding government officials or other authorities.
VPN services can hide the identity of a user by routing their traffic through a secure and private tunnel.
This makes it difficult for authorities to identify users online, giving Filipinos greater security to post content online without fearing untoward repercussions.
A VPN also comes in handy if you want to access geo-restricted content in Philippines. For instance, if you are traveling to Philippines for a while, you might be unable to access online banking services of your local bank.
Using a Virtual Private Network App, you can change your apparent location to USA or UK for example, and access any restricted site of your choice.
Top 7 Free VPN for Philippines
When choosing a free VPN, caution must always be exercised. Below, I will highlight some reliable providers that are delivering excellent services to users without any ulterior motives for what they do with user data.
1. Windscribe
Windscribe is undoubtedly one of the most trusted VPN provider available for free. It offers more than 11 servers along with reasonably fast speeds.
On the security and privacy front, it is perfectly capable of ensuring the security of confidential user information and the protection of your privacy if you feel uncomfortable voicing your opinions in Philippines.
Windscribe – Best Free VPN in Philippines in 2019
Windscribe is available on all major devices and platforms including Windows, mac OS, Linux, iOS, and Android. The AES-256 bit encryption does well to keep your data beyond the reach of interceptors trying to access it.
The only significant issue with this VPN is that it has a 10GB/month bandwidth limit. In spite of this, it is a good freebie to use in Philippines.
- 11 different server locations
- AES-256 encryption
- OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and IKEv2 tunneling protocols
- Speed can be improved
2. ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is one of the very few providers that offers unlimited bandwidth for free. For users in Philippines, it is a reasonable choice due to its transparent privacy policy, no bandwidth caps, and decent security.
Simply make use of ProtonVPN and put your mind at ease with its strong encryption and tunneling protocols.
- AES-256 encryption
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Good privacy policy
- Only 3 server locations available in the free version
3. Hide.Me
Hide.Me is an impressive VPN provider that has all the key features you should expect of a top-rated service. It ensures a good balance between speed and security, making using of advanced protocols for encryption and tunneling.
Hide.Me guarantees zero-logging of important user information such as IP address or information pertaining to online activities.
It is a trustworthy service that any Filipino can take advantage of if they want to enhance the level of the privacy available to them.
- Guarantees high security
- Stable performance
- Excellent usability
- 2GB/month bandwidth limit
4. Speedify
Speedify is a VPN that focuses on speed without compromising on the security of users. It offers 4GB of data for free during the first month, which is then decreased to 1GB for all following months.
The privacy policy of the provider promises zero-logging and the positive reviews of the service showcase its reliability.
If you are traveling to Philippines and need a high speed VPN for performing tasks that do not require much bandwidth such as checking emails, then Speedify is the service you need.
- Fast speeds
- Good privacy policy
- Solid encryption
- Only 1 GB/month data limit
5. TunnelBear
TunnelBear, the Canada-based VPN provider delivers the security that users seeking online freedom need.
It is fairly simple to use; you will seldom need to do more than press a click in order to connect to a server from one of 20+ locations available for free.
The decreasing liberties for users in Philippines set by the introduction of strict legislations has led to the need for a secure and privacy-enhancing service.
TunnelBear checks all the boxes that a Philippines VPN has to, except its low bandwidth limit (500MB/month, expandable to 1.5GB/month if you tweet about it).
- User-friendly privacy policy
- 20+ server locations
- Robust encryption
- Low bandwidth allowance
6. SecurityKISS
SecurityKISS is another great privacy tool for citizens in countries where their privacy is constantly under threat.
This service provider values the anonymity of the users and allows them a free download of the service without even first signing up.
SecurityKISS offers OpenVPN protocols for good security and speed. For travelers visiting Philippines, SecurityKISS is a good option for maintaining your anonymity on the cyberspace.
It is also good for bypassing geo-restrictions that might be holding you back from accessing certain sites. The provider offers 300MB/day bandwidth limit on the free version.
- Maintain user anonymity
- Consistent speeds
- Secure protocols
- Only 300MB/day limit
7. Avira Phantom
Avira Phantom is a no-frills VPN service that is excellent for security purposes. The provider is known for its antivirus software which has long been regarded as one of the best in the market.
It is no surprise then that Avira Phantom gives the same value to user security.
The provider offers servers in more than 36 locations around the world. The free version is available and comes with a bandwidth limit of 500 MB/month.
Aside from this drawback, this VPN is an excellent choice for users seeking online protection from government and ISP snooping.
- Reliable speeds
- Good usability
- 30+ server locations
- 500MB bandwidth limit
How to Access US Netflix from Philippines?
Netflix has to follow copyright laws and agreements which differ in every region.
This is why there are differences between the Netflix of one country and the Netflix in another country in terms of available titles.
In fact, some countries have a much larger catalog of shows and movies available on Netflix than others.
US Netflix holds the largest number of titles out of all regions, but you cannot access it outside USA. The good thing is, you can access American Netflix in Philippines in a very simple way:
- Download and install a reliable VPN on your device
- Launch the VPN app and connect to a US server
- Now open Netflix and gain access to the largest catalog of shows online!
This is because free services are bound by bandwidth limitations and streaming is no fun if it has an upper limit.
Moreover, premium services have the required server infrastructure to support streaming services as easily as possible.
More Free VPN Resources
Finishing Up
Philippines does not come anywhere close to countries like North Korea and China when it comes to censorship and lack of freedom of expression online.
Nonetheless, with stricter legislation being introduced in the country, the situation could very well change for the worse with greater censorship.
Don’t wait for that to happen. Get a reliable VPN service from the list above for your device(s), and hold onto your Internet autonomy.
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