Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda (Joseph Vidal/ Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines – Bayan Muna party-list defended Sen. Loren Legarda on Friday when the senator was red-tagged after she contested Sen. Francis Tolentino’s suggestion that public officials should divulge any family members who may be part of terrorist groups.
The progressive party list reiterated the importance of resuming peace talks but was disappointed by the online attacks Legarda faced when she said that having a leftist ideology is not the same as terrorism.
Tolentino wants gov’t workers to bare kin who are part of ‘terror groups.’
“Pero nakakaungkot na noong ipinahayag ito ni Sen. Legarda sa plenaryo ng Senado ay siya naman ang inatake ng mga trolls at ni-redtag ng mga anti-democratic and fascists forces,” said Bayan Muna executive vice-president Carlos Isagani Zarate in a statement.
(It is saddening that when Sen. Legarda said this during the Senate plenary session, she was attacked by trolls and red-tagged by anti-democratic and fascist forces).
INQUIRER.net visited Legarda’s Facebook page and verified that there are comments linking her to communist rebel groups. Her posts that did not pertain to her statements about the left are also flooded with comments that red-tagged her.
“Kaya ang ating panawagan ibalik ang peace talks at itigil na ang red tagging,” said Zarate.
(That is why we call for the return of the peace talks and the end of red-tagging).
Legarda sparked controversy last Tuesday when she said she had worked with the left, explaining the importance of peace talks with rebels.
“If we see and study what they actually believe and want, it is social justice. It is really uplifting our people from poverty for decades without bearing arms,” Legarda said on Tuesday.
READ: Legarda: I worked with the left; nothing wrong with that
Legarda has long sought the resumption of peace talks. In 2017, Legarda called upon the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to resume peace talks after former president Rodrigo Duterte declared an all-out war against the reds.