ILOILO City – Posters accusing members of progressive groups here as communist rebels have reappeared.
Among those red-tagged were youth leader Lean Porquia, son of slain activist Jory Porquia; Bryan Bosque of Bayan Muna-Panay; lawyers Teofisto Melliza and Joebert Pahilga of the National Union of People’s Lawyers; Lucy Francisco of Gabriela-Panay; Irish Inoceto of Iloilo Pride Team; John Ian Alenciaga of Altermedya Panay; and Maura Abellon of Kadamay-Panay.
The posters described them as “qualified” to avail themselves of the Enhanced Community Livelihood Integration Program (E-CLIP), the government’s reintegration program for surrendering rebels.
In a statement, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Panay slammed the red-tagging. Bosque was its spokesperson.
It urged the city government to investigate the red-tagging, hold accountable those behind the “senseless and baseless” posters, and defend activists and human rights advocates.
‘ATTEMPT TO SILENT CRITICS’
Bosque himself expressed concern over his safety and those of others who were also red-tagged.
The posters were cowardly, malicious and designed to silence them, he added.
Most of their slain comrades were subjected to red-tagging before they were killed, Bosque pointed out.
“If they were not killed, they were jailed or filed with trumped-up charges just like what happened to BAYAN-Panay’s secretary general Elmer Forro,” he said.
The city-based Iloilo Pride Team also slammed the posters. Inoceto was its chairperson.
“This (red-tagging) is happening (while we have) health and economic crises as a result of the government’s failed pandemic responses,” they said.
“It violates freedom of expression and right to association which the Constitution has accorded to all citizens of this nation. The Iloilo Pride Team denounces in its strongest term the red-tagging of Inoceto and all others who are only exercising their civic duties in their respective communities, now that the government is nowhere to be found,” the group added.
They also demanded the defunding of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on the grounds that this agency is a threat to human lives and rights rather than bringing protection to the people.
“Lastly, we call for the junking of the Anti-Terror Law that targets dissenters based on guilt by association alone,” they added./PN
