1Sambayan condemns red-tagging of Leni-Kiko campaign, supporters
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition coalition 1Sambayan condemned Wednesday the baseless red-tagging of the campaign and supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan.
In a statement, 1Sambayan said the red-tagging — accusing them of links to the communist armed struggle — of the Robredo-Pangilinan campaign and their supporters puts them “in the crosshairs of the Duterte administration’s indiscriminate and bloody counterinsurgency program.”
"Red-tagging is a tool that is used by the Duterte administration to suppress free expression and undermine due process. It has been used extensively by the Duterte administration as a weapon to harass, intimidate, and silence its critics along with the political opposition," it said.
It noted how President Rodrigo Duterte's controversial anti-communist task force has branded many individuals and institutions as “communist terrorists” or “communist fronts,” often without basis or proof. The list has included activists, rights workers, journalists and members of religious orders.
"They have been subjected to vilification in mass media and social media by government entities; many have been arrested and imprisoned on trumped-up charges, and some have been victims of extrajudicial killings," 1Sambayan said. The coalition has activist and leftist groups as members but neither activism or being a leftist are crimes in the Philippines.
Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla (Cavite) and presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson both hinted over the weekend that Robredo and Pangilinan have ties to communists after a massive rally in the vote-rich Cavite province.
1Sambayan said the accusations of Remulla — whose family has backed Robredo’s archrival, the son and namesake of the late dictator, former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos. Jr., for president — "are clearly intended to diminish the impact of the massive outpouring of support for the Robredo-Pangilinan campaign in his home province."
"He should apologize for disrespecting and slandering the tens of thousands of Caviteños who freely and voluntarily participated in Friday’s grand rally," 1Sambayan said.
It also noted that Lacson, much like Remulla, did not provide proof that the Robredo-Pangilinan ticket had formed an alliance with the armed communist rebellion or that they have plans to establish a coalition government with the rebels. — Xave Gregorio
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