Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque suggests defense units exercise more prudence in their remarks red-tagging individuals following the Armed Forces of the Philippines apology to certain UP alumni after including them in a list of alleged NPA recruits. This came after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana acknowledged the mistake committed by the military.
Nationwide round-up (01/25/21)
January 25, 2021 | 7:29 pm
Senators call for accountability in tagging people as communists, terrorists
THE military should punish its members who were behind the publication on social media of an unvetted list of people who are alleged members of the communist armed group New People’s Army (NPA), a senator said. “Apology is one thing, but taking action is another. If this goes unpunished,
kung walang managot dito, posibleng mangyari lang ito uli (if no one is made accountable, it’s possible that this will happen again),” Senator Francis N. Pangilinan said in a statement on Monday.
“Paulit-ulit na lang (It happens over and over again). Bad eggs should never be left unpunished,” he added, noting it was not the first time that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) published an unsubstantiated list. The AFP on Sunday evening released an apology over inconsistencies in the “List of Students who joined the NPA (Died or Captured),”
National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) chairperson Neri Colmenares questioned the sincerity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) apology to the University of the Philippines alumni who were included in a list of New People’s Army (NPA) recruits.
(UMPIL / PETA)
Magtoto, who is a playwright for PETA, was falsely tagged as one of the 27 UP students who allegedly became rebels. The list was released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Information Exchange.
“We strongly condemn the red-tagging of writer Liza Magtoto, who received the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas para sa Dula sa Filipino in 2017,” UMPIL said in Filipino.
UMPIL, who called Magtoto a “defender of women and youth,” sounded alarm over the intensified red-tagging of individuals and students.
“Universities mold students to be smart individuals and good citizens. Campuses should only be kept safe from repression and intimidation. It is necessary to ensure that universities remain open to all thoughts and dispositions. This is important in achieving a truly humane society,” it underscored.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) sounded the alarm over the inclusion of two journalists in the list of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as alleged University of the Philippines (UP) students who became rebels.