Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 2) — For some former Makabayan lawmakers, red-tagging under the Duterte administration will continue until 2022 to discredit progressive groups and even other members of the opposition in the elections.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, former Bayan Muna Reps. Teddy Casiño and Neri Colmenares, and former ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said the government will likely continue the practice, to eventually install their ideal candidates into key national posts.
“Hindi natin pwedeng i-deny na at least until 2022, red-tagging will be used against the opposition. May electoral agenda iyan,” Casiño said.
[Translation: We cannot deny that at least until 2022, red-tagging will be used against the opposition. There is an electoral agenda there.]
He referred to the previous threat of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Jr. that the Makabayan bloc may be disqualified from participating in the polls due to their supposed links to communist groups.
Esperon is also vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict tasked to mobilize government resources in a “whole-of-nation approach” in fighting the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army, and compelling its members to surrender to the government.
“Si Esperon na nagsasabi na ang isang gagawin na nila ngayon is to disqualify the party-lists under Makabayan bloc, so sa kanila na rin nanggaling na merong electoral agenda din ang red-tagging,” Casiño added. “Because they know that the Makabayan bloc is composed of parties na merong grassroots machinery.”
[Translation: No less than Esperon said one of their steps is to disqualify the party-lists under Makabayan bloc, so it already came from them that red-tagging has an electoral agenda. Because they know the Makabayan bloc is composed of parties with grassroots machinery.]
Colmenares added that such disqualification efforts against Makabayan would likely be fast-tracked by next year, before potential candidates file their certificates of candidacy.
“Kaya nga sa tingin ko, bibilisan nila ito sa 2021 eh. When is the filing of COC, October 2021, that’s barely 10 months away…the fact na nire-red tag mo, dinidiscredit mo na, ina-isolate para hindi sila maka-gain ng boto sa darating na halalan.”
[Translation: In my opinion, they will rush this in 2021. When is the filing of COC, October 2021, that’s barely 10 months away…and the fact that they are red-tagging, discrediting, they are isolating the group so they can’t gain votes during elections.]
Tinio expressed a similar sentiment, noting that the administration has been launching this “propaganda offensive” since the middle of Duterte’s term.
Twelve organizations are under the Makabayan bloc: Bayan Muna, ACT Teachers, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan, Katribu, Migrante, Akap-Bata, COURAGE, Piston, Kalikasan, and Aking Bikolnon.
There are currently six lawmakers who make up the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives. These are Bayan Muna Reps. Eufemia Cullamat, Carlos Zarate, and Ferdinand Gaite, Sarah Elago of Kabataan, France Castro of ACT-Teachers, and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela.
No less than Duterte himself said in his latest speech the government is not just red-tagging Makabayan bloc organizations, but rather “identifying” them as legal fronts of the CPP-NPA, a claim the coalition has repeatedly denied.
