US report: Red-tagging, journalist attacks continued in

by PIA LEE-BRAGO Philstar.com

MANILA — “Red-tagging” persists under the Marcos administration, whose position on the practice –deemed intended to silence criticism of the government – is unclear, according to the U.S. State Department’s latest annual country report on human rights practices released on Tuesday, March 21.

The same report also showed that physical attacks against journalists continue and several cases from previous years have remained unresolved.

In its report, the State Department also said redtagging has been used to intimidate opponents in local disputes, or provoke legal action against political opponents.

The National Task Force to End Local Communist

Armed Conflict (NTFELCAC), an anti-insurgency task force formed during the Duterte administration, is seen as the primary actor in red-tagging media workers and government critics. Government officials and their allies often used redtagging to label human rights advocates, unions, religious groups, academics and media organizations as fronts for or clandestine

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by MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN Philstar.com

MANILA — The Philippines and the United States will soon announce the locations of four additional military bases in the Southeast Asian country that American soldiers will be allowed to use, officials said on Monday, March 20.

The longtime treaty allies agreed last month to expand cooperation in “strategic areas” of the country as they seek to counter China’s growing assertiveness over Taiwan and its building of bases in the South China Sea.

The 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, known as EDCA, gave U.S. forces access to five bases in the Philippines. It  PAGE 2