Human rights lawyers in the Philippines have united in opposition to the announced asylum request by a red-tagger, who claims to be facing political persecution, in Canada.
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) expressed its solidarity with other activist groups and human rights defenders in denouncing Jeffrey Celiz’s intention to seek refuge in the North American nation.
“Celiz is not a dissident seeking refuge from political persecution. By his own record, he is a military asset and paid propagandist attempting to evade accountability for years of systematic red-tagging, disinformation, and public vilification of activists and rights defenders,” the NUPL said in a statement.
Celiz has been reported in various media outlets stating that he is pursuing asylum in Canada due to an arrest warrant issued against him by the House of Representatives.
He has alleged that the Philippine Congress is infringing upon his right to free expression.
“The purpose is to distance myself from the abusive arrest order being issued—or possibly already issued—by the House of Representatives,” GMA News quoted Celiz to have said.
A hybrid committee within the House of Representatives is currently investigating individuals associated with former President Rodrigo Duterte, whom it accuses of disseminating falsehoods about the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
However, the NUPL contends that Celiz cannot legitimately claim persecution, as he has been complicit in numerous human rights abuses against genuine dissenters.
The lawyers further noted that Celiz, who previously served as a spokesperson for the anti-insurgency task force, is currently facing two civil lawsuits for damages brought by Dr. Carol Araullo, chairperson emeritus of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), and Teddy Casiño, the chair of BAYAN and former representative of the Bayan Muna Party-list.
“These cases, pending before the Regional Trial Courts of Quezon City and Makati, respectively, seek to hold him to account for deliberate, baseless, and malicious red-tagging—an act that, in this country, carries consequences far beyond reputational harm,” NUPL said.
Additionally, the union highlighted that the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 306 has ordered Celiz and fellow spokesperson Lorraine Badoy of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to pay P2.07 million in damages to journalist Atom Araullo.
The court determined that Celiz’s conduct violated the Civil Code provisions that safeguard individual rights, personal dignity, and human relations.
The actions he engaged in were not representative of public discourse in a democratic society; rather, they constituted vilification as a state policy. His rhetoric did not serve to inform or foster debate; instead, it incited danger and hostility.
“The court was unequivocal: Red-tagging is, by itself, a manifestation of bad faith. By engaging in red-tagging, the defendants acted grossly and recklessly without regard for truth,” the NUPL said.
What Celiz practiced was not public discourse in a democracy; it was vilification as state policy. His speech did not inform and debate—it incited and endangered, it added.
Earlier, various Canada-based organizations sought Celiz’s expulsion from the North American country because his presence in the said country endangers Filipinos who sought asylum from NTF-ELCAC’s attacks.
“Asylum, in international law, is a shield for the persecuted, not a hiding place for the persecutors. If Celiz now fears reprisal, it is not for having spoken truth to power, but for years of trying to silence those who did,” NUPL explained.
“There must be no sanctuary for lies and no refuge from accountability,” the NUPL added. (ZIA LUNA)
