Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 20) — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has said cases of red-tagging remain rampant under the Marcos administration.
CHR Chairman Richard Palpal-latoc admitted that handling red-tagging cases can be difficult as there are no specific laws that pinpoint the violations.
“Medyo challenging siya but ‘yung effect of being red-tagged meron doon kasi lumiliit ‘yung civic space mo eh,” Palpal-latoc told reporters on Friday.
[Translation: It is a bit challenging, but the effect of being red-tagged, our civic space shrinks.]
The commission said it plans to discuss the issue with civil society organizations and eventually recommend legislative measures that will help prevent such cases.
In previous caravans held by the CHR, Palpal-latoc said red-tagging was one of the most common cases brought up.
“Yung iba naman kasi hindi nagpa-file eh,” he said. “‘Pag kinausap mo sila, ‘pag pumupunta ako sa regions palaging nababanggit tapos ‘pag tinanong sila nasaan ang reklamo ninyo, hindi sila nagpa-file.”
[Translation: As for the others, they don’t file. But when you talk to them, when go to the regions, they always mention it. And then, when they were asked where their complaint is, they say they didn’t file.]
Red-tagging is the practice of linking individuals to communist rebel organizations, typically by law enforcement or national security agencies.
Human rights groups have criticized former president Rodrigo Duterte for institutionalizing red-tagging through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Duterte was often accused of encouraging law enforcers to crack down on activists and other progressive groups critical of the government.
