No red-tagging policy in Phl

The National Security Council firmly stressed that “red-tagging” does not exist in the Philippines.

“To set the record straight, red-tagging is not a government policy and there is no chance of it becoming a law for offenders to be prosecuted,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said in an interview when he was asked if United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan has raised the issue of red-tagging during her visit to the Philippines.

In a press conference earlier this week, he said “redtagging” is not considered a crime in the Philippines.

He said it was being used in the “political and ideological discourses by communist groups” to “vilify” the government and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, in particular.

Malaya emphasized that no laws in the country particularly implement “red-tagging.”

“The NTF-ELCAC wishes to convey [this] to the United Nations Special Rapporteur who is currently visiting the country that there is no such government policy as red-tagging under the Marcos administration,” he said.

“In fact, the Marcos administration has not issued any law, rule, executive order or policy instrument that implements red-tagging or even uses the word redtagging,” he added.

Meanwhile, Integrated Communications Office Center and NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Joel Sy Egco said redtagging has become a trademark of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army -National Democratic Front “in disguise of their defense mechanism” to cover up their hidden political agenda and atrocities.

Malaya said Khan’s visit would provide her and the UN body she represents an opportunity “to get the facts straight from all sides about the red-tagging issue.”

Khan’s 10-day itinerary, Malaya said, includes meetings with various government officials from the NTF-ELCAC, the Department of Justice, lawmakers, local government units, as well as representatives of activist groups, and even militant personalities allegedly linked to the CPP-NPA-NDFP.