MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte was urged by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon to certify the anti-red-tagging bill as urgent.
“Red-tagging threatens the life, liberty, and security of a person. As I said before, being red-tagged sometimes serves as a death warrant,” Drilon said in a statement to Panay News.
The Ilonggo senator said his bill was backed by Department of Justice secretary Menardo Guevarra as the latter believes in the “reckless endangerment” caused by red-tagging.
Senate Bill No. 2121 of the proposed “Act Defining and Penalizing Red-Tagging” was filed on March 24. Under the bill, red-tagging is punished by an imprisonment of up to 10 years.
According to Drilon, his bill will be beneficial since the victims of red-tagging were left without proper recourse but file only cases like libel and grave threats against their perpetrators.
“The opinion of the Secretary of Justice that there is a gap in the law as red-tagging is presently not a criminal offense under our laws makes the passage of SB 2121 which we filed imperative,” he said.
“Libel, or grave threats is not appropriate and sufficient where a state agent vilifies a person as an enemy of the state thereby impinging on the rights of that individual,” he added.
Drilon made the call to the President after he and 14 other senators wanted to censure Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. of the anti-insurgency task force for calling the members of the Senate “stupid” following their criticisms of his persistent red-tagging of civilians.
Parlade drew flak when Ana Patricia Non, organizer of Maginhawa community pantry was tagged as a member of a communist group./PN
