📷BAYAN Chairperson and Makabayan Senatorial Candidate Teddy Casiño
BAYAN Chairperson and Makabayan Senatorial Candidate Teddy Casiño commended poll body for its efforts in making elections free and democratic by prohibiting discrimination, intimidation, harassment, and red-tagging.
“These human rights violations can make any candidate vulnerable to political repression. They have been used by those in power to intimidate the grassroots movements that thirst for genuine change and aspire for pro-people representation,” Casiño said.
“The use of such dirty tactics are anathema to any democratic process. Ang mga red tagger ay hindi kayang lumaban nang patas. Ayaw nila ng demokrasya. Nasa panig sila ng kasamaan at kadiliman,” he added.
The Koalisyong Makabayan senatorial candidate believes that the COMELEC’s updated rules boosts the confidence of the people to openly campaign for progressive candidates, and that they now have additional grounds to resist those who threaten and intimidate them.
“We call on notorious red taggers in the NTF-ELCAC, AFP, PNP, NICA and SMNI to take heed and stop their anti-democratic and anti-people actions,” he emphasized. (ZIA LUNA)
