De Lima vows to make Red-tagging a crime

Incoming ML party list Rep. Leila de Lima —House of Representatives photo

MANILA, Philippines — Incoming ML party list Rep. Leila de Lima on Wednesday vowed to pass legislation to criminalize Red-tagging in the 20th Congress, following a Reporters Without Borders (RSF) report urging newly elected Filipino lawmakers to take action.

Sought for comment, De Lima stressed that Red-tagging “is a threat to truth,” adding: “In Congress, I will fight to criminalize it. Press freedom is non-negotiable.”

READ: Red-tagging, illegal campaign: Persistent pests in the 2025 elections

As a senator in the 18th Congress, she had co-authored a bill seeking to define and criminalize Red-tagging and impose a prison term of 10 years and a lifetime ban on public service for violators.

However, it languished in the Senate. According to the RSF 2025 report, press freedom in the Philippines slightly improved, although the situation was still categorized as “difficult” as the RSF report specifically flagged the Red-tagging, or the labeling of critics, activists, journalists, and human rights defenders as communists, as a serious threat under the Marcos administration. —Krixia Subingsubing