The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has reiterated its call to end the practice of red-tagging as it urged all branches of government to “take urgent action to protect fundamental freedoms in the country.” The CHR’s call was drawn from the National Inquiry on the Current Situation of Human Rights Defenders in the Philippines with a Focus on Incidents of Red-Tagging it conducted in 2025, Chairman Richard Palpal-latoc said.
Palpal-latoc said the inquiry found that red-tagging continues as a pattern of labeling individuals and groups as “communists,” “terrorists,” or “enemies of the State,” often without due process and through public and online platforms.
Among the personalities tagged were journalists, lawyers, students, labor leaders, indigenous peoples, and community organizers engaged in advocacy and civic work, as well as those voicing legitimate dissent on government policies, he said.
Palpal-latoc said the executive branch must adopt a comprehensive policy to ban red-tagging and strengthen mechanisms that ensure prompt and impartial investigation of rights violations.
Congress must enact a law that clearly defines and penalizes red-tagging, review existing counter-terrorism laws, and pass the CHR Charter to strengthen institutional protection, he said.
Despite existing legal remedies, the absence of a specific law penalizing red-tagging results in fragmented protection and limited accountability, Palpal-latoc said.
The judiciary must “revisit and strengthen protective writs, such as amparo and habeas data, and to ensure timely access to justice for victims,” he said.
The inquiry was a nationwide process, drawing from public hearings, sworn statements, and expert inputs from government, legal practitioners, civil society, and human rights defenders, he said.
Stressing that red-tagging is not a harmless label, Palpal-latoc said it creates a real and well-founded risk of harm.
“It exposes individuals to threats, harassment, and violence, and may serve as a precursor to grave human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings,” he said.
The inquiry further shows that red-tagging undermines the rights to life, liberty, security, expression, and association. It creates a chilling effect on dissent and weakens democratic participation.
Counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism measures must not come at the expense of fundamental freedoms, Palpal-latoc said. Arlie O. Calalo
