The Mindanao Cross | October 31, 2020

EDITORIAL

Beauties and the Beast

The passage of the Anti-Terrorism Law struck fear into the hearts of many Filipinos. It is not because the law is a new policy that confronts them; in fact, this is just a revised or updated version of a 2006 law against terrorism but with loopholes.

Presently, the implementing rules and regulations have been finalized but not yet given to the public. Yet, without these IRR, there were already incidences of red- tagging by over zealous members of the military. The most talked about at present is the warning given by Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr. the spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTFELCAC) to three lovely ladies – Liza Soberano, Angel Locsin, and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray regarding their involvement with Gabriela – a women’s rights group with alleged communist ties.

According to a report of CNN Philippines, the NTF-ELCAC was created by President Duterte to help curb armed rebel groups and to create a National Peace Framework. However, it has been tagging critics of the Duterte administration as communists, a serious step when viewed in relation to the Anti-Terrorism Law. Such a designation allows the freezing of assets and the listing of their names as terrorists.

This action of Gen. Parlade of red-tagging the three lovely ladies did not get the support of his superiors. On the contrary, the President, through Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, warned police and military authorities to be careful in red-tagging. Without evidence, they should not publicize the names. Soberano, Locsin, and Gray only expressed their opinion towards the condition of women’s rights in the Philippines. The alleged link to Gabriela, the only group openly advocating women’s rights is incidental in their interviews. Angel Locsin, for one, goes beyond women’s rights and has been a strong supporter of local development. This was evidenced by her recent visit to the Caloocan Parish of Fr. Eduardo Vasquez, a missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate (OMI) to give support to the urban gardening project that he started among his poor parishioners.

But red-tagging has done harm to the administration’s erstwhile noble purposes. It has already raised the alarm among citizens that differences in opinion is not taken lightly by the administration (or its minions like Parlade). Should this be a precursor of things to come? Whatever fears we have regarding the Anti-Terrorism Law is slowly being built up.

How about journalists? The process of writing about the truth, not necessarily in support of controversial moves against the administration, will put them in danger of being red-tagged. How will we declare the truth in this kind of environment? Where is democracy?