Senate bill seeks to criminalize red-tagging
Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada is pushing for the passage of a bill that seeks to put an end to the dangerous practice of Red-tagging, which has long been linked to harassment, rights violations and even the killings of activists, journalists, community leaders and ordinary citizens across the country.
Senate Bill No. 1071, or the proposed Anti-Red-tagging Act, finds legal standing in the Supreme Court ruling on Deduro v. Maj. Gen. Vinoya, which recognized that Red-tagging, vilification, labeling and guilt by association threaten a person’s right to life, liberty and security, and often precede abduction, harassment or even extrajudicial killings.
The proposed bill seeks to codify Red-tagging as an offense under the country’s legal framework to protect citizens from unwarranted harassment, intimidation, or persecution.
Endangering lives
“Red-tagging is not just a label—it is a threat. When someone is publicly named as a communist sympathizer, their life is immediately placed in danger,” Estrada said.
The measure defines Red-tagging as the act of publicly labeling or accusing individuals or groups of being communists, terrorists or enemies of the state, often without evidence.
It imposes on violators a 10-year prison term and a lifetime ban from holding public office.
Under the bill, Red-tagging may be committed through public statements, social media posts, tarpaulins, placards, declarations, public events and other platforms used to label or vilify individuals or groups as enemies of the state.
Climate of fear
“Red-tagging has long threatened the lives of human rights defenders and activists, created a chilling effect on legitimate dissenters and community leaders—including journalists—and created a climate of fear in the country. It has no place in a democracy,” Estrada said.
In recent years, documented cases have shown the deadly consequences of Red-tagging, such as the cases of Jose Reynaldo Porquia, Zara Alvarez, lawyer Benjamin Ramos and Councilor Bernardino Patigas—individuals who were publicly branded as communists before they were brutally murdered.
“Security forces must protect, not endanger. Advocacy is not a crime. Dissent is not terrorism,” Estrada stressed. “This bill draws a clear line to ensure that no Filipino’s life is put at risk because of reckless and baseless accusations.”
