📷: Screengrab from Elvin Warren Salunga’s video | FB
House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro and ACT Teachers nominee Antonio Tinio strongly condemned the coordinated red-tagging campaign against Makabayan party-lists, which has escalated in various parts of the country including Tarlac, Bulacan, and Albay, where mock coffins bearing the names of progressive organizations have appeared.
“This nationwide, synchronized red-tagging campaign using mock coffins is not only a desperate electoral tactic but a dangerous act that puts the lives of our candidates and supporters at risk,” Rep. Castro said. “Ginagamit na naman ang kaban ng bayan para sa ganitong karumal-dumal na pamamaraan ng panggigipit at pananakot sa mga lehitimong partido na kumakandidato.”
The lawmakers pointed directly to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as the perpetrator of these attacks, noting that the task force has been emboldened by the Marcos administration’s recent issuance of Memorandum Circular 83, which adopts the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD).
“The Marcos regime must be held accountable for these coordinated attacks. The NAP-UPD is essentially a blueprint for more red-tagging and human rights violations, masquerading as a peace plan,” Castro added. “Sa halip na tugunan ang ugat ng kahirapan at kawalan ng katarungan, pinipili ng administrasyong ito na palakasin pa ang NTF-ELCAC at gamitin ito laban sa mga lehitimong kritiko ng gobyerno.”
Former ACT Teachers Representative and current nominee Antonio Tinio emphasized that the timing of these attacks, just days before the May 12 elections, reveals their true intent.
“These are clearly desperate attempts to intimidate voters and undermine the electoral chances of the Makabayan bloc,” Tinio stated. “Ang red-tagging ay hindi lamang paglabag sa karapatang pantao, ito ay pag-atake sa mismong proseso ng demokrasya. By equating legitimate political participation with armed insurgency, the government is essentially declaring that certain viewpoints are not allowed in our democracy.”
Tinio added that the NAP-UPD represents a continuation of failed militarist approaches that ignore the root causes of armed conflict in the Philippines.
“Instead of addressing social injustice, landlessness, and inequality, the Marcos regime is doubling down on the same failed counter-insurgency tactics that have only led to more human rights violations,” he said. “This plan comes after high-level meetings with US security officials, showing how our government continues to follow the US counter-insurgency doctrine at the expense of genuine peace.”
Both lawmakers called on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to condemn these attacks and take immediate action on red-tagging complaints filed by Makabayan party-lists.
“The COMELEC must not remain silent in the face of these blatant violations of election laws and our constitutional rights,” Rep. Castro emphasized. “Bilang tagapangalaga ng malaya at makatarungang halalan, responsibilidad ng COMELEC na kondenahin at aksyunan ang ganitong uri ng pananakot at panggigipit.”
Despite these attacks, ACT Teachers and the Makabayan bloc called on their supporters to remain steadfast.
“Sa mga sumusuporta sa amin, huwag kayong matakot. Patuloy tayong lalaban para sa isang tunay na malaya at maunlad na Pilipinas na nakabatay sa katarungan,” Castro declared. “The undemocratic forces behind these attacks fear our advocacy for genuine change. This only proves that we are on the right track.”
“These coffins are meant to intimidate us, but they will only strengthen our resolve to fight for a society where dissent is not met with threats, where criticism is not equated with terrorism, and where the people’s voices are truly heard,” Tinio concluded. #
