Palace on raps vs ‘red-tagging’ officials: Let the law take its course

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang will let the legal process take its course on the complaints filed against top officials of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for alleged red-tagging activities.

Ibon Foundation lodged before the Office of the Ombudsman a complaint accusing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief of Staff for civilian operations Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. of violating Section 19 of Republic Act No. 6770 or The Ombudsman Act of 1989 as they committed “unreasonable, unfair, oppressive or discriminatory” acts.

The local think-tank claimed that Parlade, Esperon, and Badoy have repeatedly labeled the organization as a legal front of communist rebels in separate occasions.

Asked to comment, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said: “We will let the law take its course. The Ombudsman is an independent body, a constitutional body. It will perform its task.”

Panelo, who is also President Duterte’s legal counsel, said the officials remain innocent until proven otherwise.

Esperon, Parlade, and Badoy are ex-officio members of NTF-ELCAC.

They have openly linked members of left-leaning groups and party-list organizations to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), its armed wing the New People’s Army (NPA), and its political arm the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

Edited by EDV