Movie star and television celebrity Angel Locsin (“Darna”, “Lobo”, “One More Try”, “In The Name of Love”) just recently painted social media red with the hashtag #NoToRedTagging and #YesToRedLipstick. Angel broke her silence about being accused of being a member of the National People’s Army (NPA) together with her sister Ella Colmenares when celebrity Liza Soberano and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Grey were given warnings about their association with the activist group, Gabriela.
Red tagging in the Philippines refers to the blacklisting of individuals or organizations critical or not fully supportive of the actions of a sitting government administration. One can be tagged as either a communist, terrorist or both regardless of one’s actual political beliefs or group affiliation. This action according to the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch when used as a political tactic undermines Philippine democracy by stifling dissent and may encourage assassinations and retaliations.
In Angel’s statement she said,” We live in a country where our freedom to speak and express ourselves are enshrined and protected by the Constitution. May paniniwala ako, may paniniwala sila, may paniniwala ka. At sa ilalim ng Consitution, pareho tayong mayroong karapatan sa ating mga sariling paniniwala. Kung mag kaiba tayo, hindi ibig sabihin pwede mo na ako i-red tag. Hindi tayo magkakalaban dito. Hindi rin ako "red". Magkaiba lang tayo ng paniniwala.” (I have my beliefs, others have theirs and so do you. Under the [Philippine] Constitution, we both have our rights when it comes to our beliefs. If they differ, it does not mean that you can give me a red tag. We are not enemies. I am not "red". We just differ in our beliefs.)
The allegation came from Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade, Jr. through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Facebook page. In his conflicting post, he called the attention of Liza and Catriona with regards to their advocacy on supporting women’s rights together with the activist group, Gabriela. In the post, Parlade “warned” Liza against supporting women’s rights groups Gabriela after speaking in the groups online youth webinar. This statement was followed by an admonition that she could die like activist Josephine “Jo” Lapira. Jo Lapira was a UP Manila student who died following a clash between government troops and alleged members of the New People’s Army. In the same statement Parlade also warned Catriona Gray against supporting Gabriela and other rights groups.
ABS-CBN, Angel and Liza’s home studio immediately came to the celebrities’ support through an online post.
Parlade has been called out by politicians such as Senator Rizza Hontiverors, Senator Kiko Pangilinanand House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate for his current baseless actions. Angel on the other hand appeals to everyone to support those being red-tagged, “. By being vocal about my opinions and advocacies, I have always been attacked. Those I could ignore but this is a different level altogether. And so I have to speak up once again because this baseless and reckless red-tagging jeopardizes not only my safety, but also the safety of my sister and our family."
Keep to this site as we watch this story unfold.
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References: ABSCBN News, Rappler, Facebook, Instagram and Manila Bulletin