Demanding an end to red-tagging, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro on Wednesday, Oct. 12, denounced the statements made by Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, who earlier said that red-tagging was part of democracy.
The lawmaker said that Remulla’s statement is a “dangerous sign” for Filipinos “who have been continuously attacked by state forces for opposing anti-people policies” and for simply legitimately demanding for adequate salary increase, security of tenure, lowering prices of commodities, and making social services accessible.
“Red-tagging will never be a part of democracy . . . Red-tagging is part of a tyrannical rule and a dictatorship where the people are silenced and are criminalized by those in power,” she said in her retort to Remulla.
Instead, Castro called for an end to red-tagging, adding that government funds are better used on aid, health, education, transportation, and agriculture.
“Red-tagging is a waste of people's money used to attack its own citizens,” the lawmaker, who belongs to the militant Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives, said.
“Red tagging individuals and organizations just for believing in certain ideologies and philosophies and in effect oppressing a group of people only creates greater conflict and delays the attainment of peace. Lies and fake news will never win over the truth and genuine love and desire to serve the people,” she added.
During the 136th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee, Remulla said that critics should be able to “take it” if they can “dish it out".
He told the UN body, “That, for me, is probably the essence of democracy.”
The DOJ chief described red-tagging as “a term used when a person belonging to a civil society organization is criticized for the work they’re doing as being related to the persons who commit criminal acts in our country", but the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said that red-tagging “involves the characterization of most groups on the left of the political spectrum as 'front organizations' for armed groups whose aim is to destroy democracy' and as 'enemies of the State' making them as legitimate targets".
Castro cited the latest decision of Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Presiding Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar, who dismissed the DOJ’s proscription case to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorist groups.
Noting the Pulse Asia survey wherein nine out of 10 Filipinos consider fake news a problem, the lawmaker likened red-tagging to fake news “being spread by state forces with very dangerous effects on the lives and livelihood of its victims".
“Anyone and everyone can be red-tagged. From a court judge, a teacher, a journalist, a labor leader, to a simple farmer. As long as the state sees someone as a threat, the state forces can and will red-tag any individual who is merely exercising their right to free speech, right to organize, and right to protest,” she said.
Castro lamented the recent death of radio commentator Percy Lapid, a critic of the Duterte and Marcos administration, as well as the death threats reportedly against journalists Ed Lingao and Lourd de Veyra, because people had been emboldened to red-tag government critics and activists.
The billions under the anti-insurgency task force National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), as well as the P4.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds under the Duterte administration as reported by the Commission on Audit (COA), should have been used to address “perennial problems of shortages in basic social services for the people,” she added.