What is red-tagging and why is it dangerous in the Philippines?
What is red-tagging and why is it dangerous in the Philippines?
By GlobalVoices
Human rights defenders in the Philippines have cried foul over the restoration of the PHP 10 billion (USD 178.56 million) budget for a government task force known for red-tagging activists and civil society organisations. The bicameral committee has decided to allot the sum in 2023 for the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) despite calls to defund and abolish it.
Human rights alliance Karapatan pointed out in a statement, “The NTF-ELCAC has gained notoriety for red-tagging, harassing and intimidating political activists and other government critics and for instigating forced mass surrenders of civilians alleged to be supporters of the revolutionary movement. Many of the victims of NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging campaigns had ended up arrested and detained on trumped-up charges, while others have been killed by vigilante groups or in armed encounters staged by the military.”
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