02/06/2026
THE EDITOR
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Dear Editor,
We thank the Inquirer for publishing its May 29 editorial, “A Timely Call to End Red-Tagging.” We welcome the opportunity to respond and respectfully request publication of this rejoinder in the interest of fairness, balance, and the public’s right to informed discourse.
At the outset, the Philippine Government has repeatedly clarified, including before the European Union, that there is no state policy of red-tagging.
NTF-ELCAC's work is focused on exposing the recruitment, deception, and terrorist-grooming mechanisms of the CPP-NPA-NDF to protect vulnerable sectors from radicalization and violence.
The editorial unfortunately presents only one side of a complex issue.
First, discussing communist organizations, their recruitment networks, affiliations, and influence operations is not automatically red-tagging. The CPP, NPA, and NDF are real organizations that have waged armed struggle for more than five decades. Discussing documented links, organizational structures, and recruitment activities may constitute legitimate security discourse, not harassment.
Second, the editorial speaks extensively about alleged victims of red-tagging but is silent on the continuing killings perpetrated by the CPP-NPA itself. From 2021 to May 2026, at least 59 documented spy-tagging killings were recorded nationwide, including 51 in Negros Island alone. Victims included 74-year-old Leonora Anguit, barangay tanod Efren Solinap, farmer Jemar Mahusay, and former rebel Joseph Agustin. Following the April 19 Toboso encounter, at least four more civilians were reportedly killed by NPA remnants. For this reason, NTF-ELCAC publicly appealed to the Commission on Human Rights to investigate these killings with the same urgency accorded to allegations against government forces.
Human rights must be universal.
Third, the editorial cites the Toboso encounter but omits crucial facts. Authorities reported that 11 of the 19 fatalities tested positive for gunpowder residue. The eight negative results do not automatically mean they never fired weapons. Even Roger Fabillar alias “Jong,” acknowledged by the CPP itself as a slain NPA commander, reportedly tested negative. More than 20 fi****ms, explosives, ammunition, communications equipment, and other war materiel were recovered from the site.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson publicly affirmed the legitimacy of the operation and rejected attempts to portray it as a massacre.
The Municipal Council of Toboso subsequently declared the CPP-NPA-NDF persona non grata, joining other local governments in Negros that have formally rejected insurgent violence. These voices were entirely absent from the editorial.
Fourth, the editorial invokes the Supreme Court ruling on red-tagging. We fully respect the Court. However, the ruling should not be interpreted as a blanket prohibition against lawful, evidence-based discussion of CPP-NPA-NDF recruitment, affiliations, armed operations, or terrorist-grooming activities. As previously explained by the NTF-ELCAC Legal Cooperation Cluster, the Court recognized potential threats to life, liberty, and security under specific circumstances but did not abolish the State’s duty to identify and discuss genuine security threats.
Finally, the comparison between the NTF-ELCAC budget and the proposed P1,000 CHR budget in 2017 is misleading. The CHR budget was ultimately restored, while much of the NTF-ELCAC budget funds the Support to Barangay Development Program, which provides roads, electrification, water systems, health facilities, schools, and livelihood projects in conflict-affected communities. These are development investments designed to address the root causes of insurgency.
We agree that all counterinsurgency efforts must remain consistent with human rights and the rule of law. But human rights discussions must also reflect the realities of insurgent violence, civilian victims, and the voices of communities that have endured armed conflict for decades.
Truth-telling is not red-tagging. Democracy is best served when the public receives the complete picture.
Respectfully,
USEC. ERNESTO C. TORRES JR.
Executive Director
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭.
https://www.ntfelcac.gov.ph/post/letter-to-the-editor-and-rejoinder-to-a-timely-call-to-end-red-tagging-may-29-2026
