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Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said last week that he does not see any need to abolish the National Task Force to End the Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). He claimed that red-tagging does not come from the government but from “kung sino-sino” (other people). There is irony...
In the Philippines, red-tagging is being done by the powers-that-be to intimidate, silence, and later justify grave human rights violations against activists and government critics. Journalists are not spared from this as there are attempts to stop them from pursuing independent and critical journalism.
MANILA — Progressive groups welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling on the petition filed by former Bayan Muna representative Siegfred D. Deduro, declaring that red-tagging, labeling, and guilt by association threaten a person's right to life, liberty or security. In a...
The year 2023 affirmed the significance of enjoining the people to voice out their demands and aspirations while battling the social evils that continue to plague the nation.
Kapupulutan ng mayamang aral sa kasaysayan ang dula. Higit sa lahat, pinakita ang karaniwang mukha ng aktibista at hindi ang aktibistang ginawang demonyo sa propaganda ng mga pasista.
“The harassment faced by the leaders of SMTH deeply troubles us. It prompts us to reflect on why the military is targeting this community-based, cause-oriented group that is simply advocating for their fundamental rights to housing and livelihood."
Activists as they are, Ilagan and Lamangan, could not allow the play to leave its audience depressed and hopeless. Their faith in the power of the mass movement seemed endless, ending the play with a positive note, uplifting its cast and audience alike.
“By merely having access to social media, private individuals could publish their thoughts without need of self-policing or adhering to the ethical standard required of the press. As a result, content could be created and shared with abandon, purely for clout for ‘likes’ and even disregard for the truth.”
Rights groups said UN Special Rapporteur Ian Fry’s visit to the country "puts on center stage the sinister role played by the NTF-ELCAC and the dangerous impact of the terror law on the lives and safety of environmental human rights defenders in the country."
"Though factually baseless and clearly malicious, I cannot merely dismiss Respondent Duterte’s red-tagging and accompanying grave threats as either figurative, joking, or otherwise benign considering that many victims of extrajudicial killings, illegal arrest and detentions, excommunicado confinements, forced disappearances and other analogous attacks were called or labeled 'communists,' members or supporters of the NPA, “terrorists,” and like labels before they were attacked."
“They [soldiers] should be the ones protecting our youth who speak up, not the ones repressing our rights to speak out." - Aila Joy Esperida, editor-in-chief of The Democrat.
NUPL Chairperson Edre Olalia said that while they did not achieve full legal redress, the decision "can be viewed as a loud warning shot, as it were."
Atom Araullo has been at the center of a red-tagging spree since early 2022, targeting both him and his mother Carol, long-time activist and former chairperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.
For Karapatan, this recent development is “obviously part of the NTF-ELCAC's so-called ‘whole of nation approach’ of harnessing all available resources to surveil, profile, red-tag, marginalize, persecute and inflict other human rights violations against the poor and other critical voices, including the institutional church.”
After the SONA, the likes of Jeff Celiz, Lorraine Badoy Partosa, and NTF-ELCAC mouthpieces look like "kulang sa yakap" from Marcos. They don't have SONA soundbites to misuse.
We must therefore never forget that contradiction in fighting back for freedom of expression today. Freedom of expression is not a privilege of those in power, but a weapon of the oppressed to safeguard against the abuse of power—whether economic, political, and social.
Carol Pagaduan Araullo said that she is filing the complaints “in behalf of those who do not have the means, the opportunity and support system to do so but who are experiencing red-tagging/terrorist labelling and the harassment, if not actual terror, this brings.”
The resolution of the Kalinga Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) dated April 28 urged all cities and municipalities in Kalinga to "require all entities presenting themselves as Non-Government Organizations (NGO)" to secure permission from the local government before conducting any activity.
“It is not just the journalist that can benefit from this, but also others who have been red-tagged in social media by anonymous media accounts. What this case will do is to surface that, to actually know who is doing this evil thing so we can take action.”
Bulatlat interviewed Bishop Gerardo Alminaza as he shared his thoughts on red-tagging and his mission as a shepherd in one of the country's most militarized dioceses.
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