Probe sought into alleged red-tagging by PNP regional offices on social media
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Leila De Lima is seeking an investigation on the reported cases of red-tagging of progressive groups by regional offices of the Philippine National Police (PNP) through their official social media accounts, saying that persons responsible should be held accountable.
Senate Resolution No. 451, filed by De Lima on June 18, directs the appropriate committee in the upper chamber to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the matter, “with the end view of exacting accountability from the persons responsible and putting an end to the practice of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns intended to suppress legitimate forms of dissent and protest and undermine our democratic institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“State agents’ blatant red-tagging of activists is an attack on the very foundations of our democracy and constitutes a grave abuse of authority and misappropriation of public funds in addition to the potential harm it may cause to its targets,” De Lima said in the resolution.
“This practice of red-tagging undermines the fundamental principles of the Constitution and other international treaties to uphold, promote, and protect basic human rights, particularly the right to freedom of speech and expression,” the senator added.
De Lima noted that the “current political climate makes these instances of red-tagging even more dangerous given the anticipated signing of the Anti-Terrorism Bill into bill.”
“Activists and legitimate political dissent may be wrongfully conflated with terrorists and acts of terror with such irresponsible and malicious acts perpetrated by state agents,” De Lima said.
In filing the resolution, De Lima cited a media report that on June 7, two PNP regional offices posted images on their official social media accounts accusing legal activist organizations of being communist fronts.
These posts, the report said, also implied that the anti-terror bill would “snuff them out.”
According to the report, one Facebook account, which belongs to Butuan City-headquartered Police Regional Office 13, listed several activist organizations as “communist terrorists.”
This includes groups such as Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students, Bayan Muna, and Kabataan Partylist.
Meanwhile, the resolution further cited the same media report that another Twitter account with the handle PNPBaguioStn4, which is followed by PNP’s official account, also published a post singling out Kabataan Partylist.
“Philippine jurisprudence defines ‘red-tagging’ or ‘red-baiting’ as ‘the act of labelling, branding, naming and accusing individuals and/or organizations of being left-leaning, subversives, communists or terrorists’ and ‘is a strategy used by State agents, particularly law enforcement agencies and the military, against those perceived to be ‘threats’ or ‘enemies of the State,’” De Lima said.
“An investigation is necessary to exact accountability from the law enforcement officials who were directly involved in these instances of red-tagging and red-baiting,” the senator added.
