The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Monday scored the Philippine National Police and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency for red-tagging during an orientation conducted at the Carlos L. Albert High School in Quezon City last May 2.
The agency told the Manila Standard that the Alliance of Concerned Teachers through its executive director sent a letter, complaining about the PNP and NICA’s discussion on the alleged recruitment of students by the New People’s Army (NPA) inside the school.
“CHR, in particular, takes cognizance of the presence of armed police personnel within the school premises which is a violation of Department of Education Order no. 32, Series of 2019 or the National Policy Framework on Learners and School as “Zones of Peace,” it noted.
The CHR-National Capital Region has already stepped into the matter, saying “we are also looking into other alleged incidents of red-tagging against ACT members in Region 5 and Region 7.”
“(CHR) has consistently condemned the carte blanche act of red-tagging[1][2], especially when coming from elected government officials. As the country’s independent national human rights institution, CHR cannot stand idly by amid the persistent red-tagging of students, educators and civil organizations in the country.”
“We have stressed, time and again, that red-tagging is a serious violation of human rights, and can lead to worse forms of violence such as enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.[3] The Commission also underscores that we cannot further polarize sectors within our society by mere reason of dissent or varying opinion,” it stated.
Citing the designation of Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), CHR reminded fellow duty bearers that critics and human rights defenders who raise valid issues affecting their livelihoods and realities should be heard and empowered in their participation to public governance.
“In the case of ACT and other teacher groups, red-tagging only serves to undermine the credibility and professionalism of teachers and educators. We also bring attention to the response of the Vice President on ACT’s appeals to hire more public teachers annually. On this, we hark back to the former’s calls for unity and advocate for the recognition of the efforts of individuals and groups who are working towards social cohesion and reconciliation,” it cited.
To label teachers and educators as communists or terrorists, CHR fears that their opinions and insights are at the risk of being dismissed without any consideration of their merit.
“This has a detrimental effect on the quality of the education system, as they are discouraged from expressing their views and providing critical analysis of government policies,” it lamented.
“As we welcome DepEd’s inclusion of ‘red-tagging, trolling, and extrajudicial killings’ as examples of serious human rights violations in its draft curriculum in basic education for Social Studies (Araling Panlipunan)[4], CHR urges that a similar approach be implemented within NTF-ELCAC. Rather than the employment of militaristic force and intimidation, CHR instead supports programs that address the root causes of armed conflict, such as poverty and inequality,” it appealed.
It underscored that it is crucial that public servants remain independent of political agendas and that Filipinos’ human rights are respected and protected at all times.
“It is only through the faithful promulgation of justice, fairness, and the rule of law can we realize a whole-of-society approach in addressing the country’s pressing human rights issues,” it said. Rio N. Araja