Opposition senators condemn red-tagging of Senate employees union
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition senators came to the defense of the union of Senate employees after it was accused by the head of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) of being a front organization of communist rebels.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sens. Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima and Francis Pangilinan strongly condemned Wednesday the red-tagging of the Sandigan ng mga Empleyadong Nagkakaisa sa Adhikain ng Demokratikong Organisasyon (SENADO).
“Hindi lang ito pag-atake at paninira nang walang batayan sa mga empleyado, kundi mismong sa institusyon ng Senado na kanilang kinakatawan,” Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Wednesday in a statement.
(This is not just an attack and baseless defamation on employees, but also on the very institution of the Senate which they represent.)
The four senators said that these “malicious attacks” against Senate employees must not be taken lightly and renewed their call for red-tagging to be criminalized.
“We believe that the passage of this bill will serve as a deterrent against red-tagging. We should punish irresponsible officials who act as enablers of red-tagging,” they said.
Eyes and ears?
“SENADO is a legitimate union of employees in the Senate,” the minority bloc said. “SENADO union upholds the interest and welfare of Senate employees, not of any other group.”
The senators also denied NICA director General Alex Paul Monteagudo’s claim on Facebook that SENADO served as “eyes and ears of the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front) to hijack government plans and programs.
They said that it was through SENADO that Senate employees were able to collectively negotiate with the chamber’s leadership.
Monteagudo’s Facebook profile, much like the Facebook profiles of other government officials who frequently engage in red-tagging, is peppered with unsubstantiated claims accusing various organizations of being related to the communist rebellion.
He previously accused the leftist Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives of being terrorists and stood by these claims even after being called out by the lawmakers.
Despite the potential harm of red-tagging, Monteagudo’s Facebook posts remain on his profile, unlike some posts of his fellow red-tagging government official Presidential Communications Operations Office Usec. Lorraine Badoy which the social media platform removed for violating its community standards.
Badoy has twice been restricted from posting on Facebook due to her red-tagging sprees.
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