“NTF-ELCAC’s reason for being has always been to target open, legal organizations it accuses of being ‘communist fronts.’”

MANILA – Lies, lies and more lies.

This is the reaction of human rights group Karapatan on the Philippine government’s claim in the recently held 77th session of the United Nation’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in Geneva, Switzerland. The CESR reviewed the Philippines’ compliance to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

In the said session, the Philippine delegation claimed that there was “no policy to attack human rights defenders” and that it has “reinforced commitment to human rights.”

“It is mind-boggling how the talking heads of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) can lie through their teeth and think that those they lie to are so uninformed as to take their word hook, line and sinker,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay in a statement.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) meanwhile said that everything that the NTF-ELCAC has done since its creation under Executive Order No 70, series of 2017 has been the exact opposite.

“The statement rejects red-tagging while simultaneously labeling Lumad schools as ‘recruiters’ for a rebel group,” said NUPL Secretary General Josalee Deinla in a statement reiterating that this is a form of red-tagging that leads to surveillance, harassment, arrests, and killings.

Members of the NUPL during the filing of administrative complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman against then officials of the NTF-ELCAC. (File photo by Carlo Manalanasan/Bulatlat)

Deinla said that the Supreme Court has ruled that red-tagging threatens people’s safety and security, especially when falsely linking them to the communist movement. Despite this, she said, the Philippine government continues to allow red-tagging to target those who oppose them and grassroots movements.

Read: SC rules: Red-tagging is threat to life, liberty

Palabay also said that at least two UN special rapporteurs who have recently visited the Philippines have seen through the NTF-ELCAC’s deception and “noted the evils of red-tagging and urged the government to abolish the NTF-ELCAC.”  

Read: UN expert bats for disbanding of ‘anti-communist’ task force, repeal of Anti-Terrorism Act
Read: UN expert calls for abolition of NTF-ELCAC, tolerance of PH gov’t to dissent

“UNSR Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor has rightly stated in a report that red-tagging is a ‘context-specific death threat in the Philippines,’”Palabay said.

Palabay added that the “NTF-ELCAC’s reason for being has always been to target open, legal organizations it accuses of being ‘communist fronts.’”

Palabay said the NTF-ELCAC has often used perjured or coerced testimonies from “rebel returnees” in what they described as  “desperate attempt to lend some measure of credibility to its red-tagging sprees.”

“It has used the same untruths to instigate the filing of manufactured criminal cases against activists, falsely linking them to the armed rebellion, or alleging their involvement in ‘terrorist financing activities,’” she added.

For one, a supposed former rebel testified against community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Leyte Center for Development Inc.’s executive director Jazmine Jerusalem linking them to the New People’s Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The NTF-ELCAC also claimed that there are legal remedies to address violations of the right to life, and freedom of association and assembly.

However, Karapatan said the existence of legal remedies such as the writs of amparo and habeas data “does not always guarantee meaningful relief for victims.”

“The pursuit of justice is often hindered by state intimidation, the immense difficulty of obtaining evidence against perpetrators, and the structural challenges of holding powerful actors to account,” Palabay said.

“Not only does NTF-ELCAC continue to evade scrutiny and liability, but it has also resorted to filing retaliatory charges against those who have sought redress,” Palabay added.

For one, Karapatan and members of its national council were charged in courts for perjury. But the court has decided on the case in their favor, prompting former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. to file an appeal. 

Meanwhile, independent think-tank Ibon Foundation said, “The government’s attempt to obfuscate its systematic human rights violations are rife with inconsistencies and omissions. They do not reflect the legal record and are inconsistent with well-documented instances, especially at the CHR, of civil society organizations filing complaints.”

“This pattern of official denial even before the CESCR tends to indicate insincerity and does not augur well for progress in terms of upholding civil and political rights, nor promoting economic, social and cultural rights,” Ibon added. (RTS, RVO)