Cops summoned on youth red tagging
COUNCILOR Faustino Olowan is calling the Baguio City Police Office over allegations of youth leaders on harassment and red tagging.
Olowan, who acted on a complaint filed in the City Council during the citizens forum this week backed allegations by student leaders Marben Palasigui, Charistian Dave Ruz and Deana Louise Montenegro who aired concerns on their safety and police harassment.
According to the trio, the BCPO has profiled and questioned them on activities conducted which involved freedom of speech and expression tagging them as terrorists and making
public these allegations on the police social media page which has endangered their lives as well as affected their reputation.
Olowan said summoning the BCPO will shed light into the matter and assured the invitation scheduled on the 26th of this month will remind the police not to harass people who express their opinion.
The councilor also said the city is considered a peace zone and should be kept that way despite the differences in opinions citizens and students have.
Youth leaders have since filed nine complaints on October 22 at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) CAR regional office following the malicious series of social media posts of the Baguio City Police Office this October (thru BSPO Kasanggamo account), tagging progressive youth organizations as "terrorists" and supposed recruiters of the AFP's flop narrative of the "Red October Plot."
On October 11, the Kabataan Partylist National Office led by Rep. Sarah Elago also held a dialogue with the Commission on Human Rights National Chairperson Chito Gascon regarding the numerous reports of red-tagging all over the country.
As a result, a directive to all regional offices of CHR to conduct investigation is now in place said CHR regional director Atty. Romel Daguimol.