An organization of lawyers on Tuesday urged the Senate not to allow the ongoing hearings to be used to persecute red-tagged victims.
“We hope that the Senate hearing will not be a venue to further persecute our colleagues, but will provide them an opportunity to exorcise the baseless and recklessly imprudent red-tagging committed by the State, its agents, and proxies which have burdened important and relevant work as human rights lawyers and people’s representatives,” National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) president Edre Olalia said.
The NUPL appealed to the public not to fall for the government’s “red-tagging scripts” and “not allow themselves to be exploited using their naivete, emotions, and conditioned prejudices.”
Olalia issued the statement as Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares and party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate faced a Senate inquiry over the red-tagging issue amid confirmation from the military that the two are under surveillance for being members of the communist group.
“The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) stands by its chairperson Neri Colmenares and adviser Carlos Zarate as they, together with progressive leaders and victims - our clients - attend the Senate hearing on red-tagging and face their detractors head-on,” Olalia said.
“Neri and Kaloi, key founding members of NUPL, have been at the forefront of the fight for the advancement and protection of human rights and civil liberties in the Philippines by providing competent pro bono legal services to those in need.Their track records as people’s lawyers by handling cases with utmost passion, giving legal information, advice, and opinion with due diligence, and pushing for legislation with selflessness, speak for themselves,” he said.
Olalia also condemned the red-tagging being made by the government against Colmenares, Zarate, and other persons.
“We reiterate our condemnation against the brazen and unrelenting attacks on the life, liberty, and security of Neri and Kaloi by state forces. The intensified red-tagging and vilification campaign against them and other pro-people lawyers have exposed them to dangers and risks. Knowing that they have been subjected to surveillance has caused unnecessary burden on them and their families,” he said.