Her practical advice to direct the government’s energies on producing, rather than destroying, signals a stop to the incessant red-tagging that has plagued the strategy of the outgoing administration to suppress legitimate dissent. It doesn’t produce anything, it doesn’t even explain you as a person…”įor MAD, these brave statements by Carlos, who thankfully will be the Vice-Chair of the Anti-Terrorism Council, give us a glimpse of what the focus of this incoming leadership would be. Carlos that red-tagging is a “lazy way to identify people. It endangers not only the safety and lives of those who have been red-tagged but also their families and the communities. We agree that red-tagging sows fear and terror in the citizenry, especially in those who have been baselessly tagged by government instrumentalities as enemies of the state, and stymies them into silence or submission, prohibits the exercise of rights and privileges afforded by our Constitution. Carlos to stop “red-tagging,” and to instead use the resources of the government to “address inequalities and lack of opportunities.” In a statement, the Movement Against Disinformation fully supports this view of Dr. Clarita Carlos, expressed her disapproval of this vile practice of red-tagging, saying in effect that nothing can be gained from it, and the Marcos administration would instead focus on addressing the root causes of insurgency. It is no wonder there is a collective sigh of relief when, in an interview, incoming National Security Adviser, Dr. Unsupported and baseless accusations as enemies of the state may be a staple in an authoritarian government but not in a democracy. Red-tagging as a practice is repulsive in a sense that it tramples upon every conceivable right protected by the constitution, rights which are so basic, without which the normal functioning of society cannot be possible. It in effect tells them not to criticize the powers that be or engage in advocacies frowned upon by the present dispensation if they do not want to be branded enemies. Red-baiting has a chilling effect on those who may not agree, oppose, or do not subscribe to the ideological and political stance taken by those in power. It is like putting a bullseye target on the back of the victims and say they are legitimate game for political persecution, which often results in prosecution, detention, encroachment on their right to privacy and even outright assassination. We believe that red-tagging is the most dangerous form of disinformation as it has serious repercussions on life, liberty, reputation and privacy. Spearheading this effort to make Badoy and the NTF-ELCAC accountable is the Movement Against Disinformation (MAD). The complainants include politicians, activists, human rights workers, parents of community pantry organizers, student leaders, religious, nurses, doctors, and other health workers.
In a collective response, nearly a dozen complaints have been filed against Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, NTF-ELCAC spokesperson in the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) and Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), asking for her suspension and dismissal as a government official in the OMB and the revocation of her medical license in the PRC. “We believe that red-tagging is the most dangerous form of disinformation as it has serious repercussions on life, liberty, reputation and privacy”Ĭelebrities, members of the opposition, including Vice-President Leni Robredo and those from the Makabayan bloc in Congress, as well as ordinary individuals (they include me) have been tagged by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as communists or enemies of the state for speaking their minds or pursuing our advocacies.