The Commission on Human Rights (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 organisations 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 polarise sectors within our society by mere reason of dissent or varying opinion.
It is thus with grave alarm that we acknowledge the report filed by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) to our office, citing an incident that occurred on 2 May 2023, in which an orientation was conducted by officers of the Philippine National Police and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency for students of Carlos L. Albert High School on the alleged recruitment of students by the New People’s Army. CHR, in particular, takes cognisance of the presence of armed police personnel within the school premises which is a violation of Department of Education (DepEd) Order no. 32, series of 2019 or the National Policy Framework on Learners and School as “Zones of Peace.”
As part of our mandate, CHR, through its National Capital Region office, is conducting an independent investigation on this matter. We are also looking into other alleged incidents of red-tagging against ACT members in Region V and Region VII.
Noting the recent designation of Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), CHR reminds fellow duty bearers that critics and human rights defenders who raise valid issues that affect 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.
By labeling teachers and educators as communists or terrorists, 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.
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.
Across all government functions, 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 realise a whole-of-society approach in addressing the country’s pressing human rights issues. ###
[1] Statement of the Commission on Human Rights on the red-tagging of an LGBTQI leader on SMNI news program https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-on-the-red-tagging-of-an-lgbtqi-leader-on-smni-news-program/
[2] Statement of the Commission on Human Rights on the attempt to trivialize and justify the dangers of red-tagging https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-on-the-attempt-to-trivialize-and-justify-the-dangers-of-red-tagging/
[3] Statement of Commissioner Faydah Maniri Dumarpa at the 109th Session of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) Committee-Informal meeting with NHRIs (19 April 2023) https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-commissioner-faydah-maniri-dumarpa-at-the-109th-session-of-the-un-convention-on-the-elimination-of-all-forms-of-racial-discrimination-uncerd-committee-informal-meeting-with-nh/
[4] Statement of the Commission on Human Rights welcoming the draft DepEd curriculum citing red-tagging and EJKs as human rights violations https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-welcoming-the-draft-deped-curriculum-citing-red-tagging-and-ejks-as-human-rights-violations/