MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was urged to publicly endorse the Supreme Court ruling stating that red-tagging is a threat to a person’s life, liberty, or security.
According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), President Marcos should also adopt measures to end red-tagging, including the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and discipline or prosecute officials who engage in such acts.
“The Marcos administration should abandon red-tagging, including eliminating the abusive task force promoting the practice,” HRW Asia researcher Carlos Conde said on Thursday.
“Foreign governments that have spoken out on this issue should press the government to put the Supreme Court ruling into effect,” he added.
The SC has recently granted a writ of amparo in favor of former Bayan Muna lawmaker Siegfred Deduro after being tagged by state forces as a ranking member of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
The high court decision stated that being associated with communists or terrorists makes the person “a target of vigilantes, paramilitary groups, or even state agents.”
“The Supreme Court’s important ruling affirms that red-tagging is a dangerous form of harassment that violates people’s rights. This decision acknowledges the suffering of countless victims of this government policy,” Conde said.
Conde added that the government used red-tagging as part of its efforts against communist insurgency.
“Targeted individuals include leaders and members of leftist activist groups and human rights organizations, as well as religious, indigenous, and environmental groups,” Conde said.
The HRW alleged that red-tagging in the country intensified after then President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order 70 creating the NTF-ELCAC in 2018./PN
