By Gabriela Baron
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) condemned on Monday, May 15, the incidents of red-tagging of schools, teachers, and civil organizations.
In a statement, the CHR stressed that red-tagging is “a serious violation of human rights” and “can lead to worse forms of violence such as enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.”
“The Commission also underscored that we cannot further polarise sectors within our society by mere reason of dissent or varying opinion,”the statement reads.
The statement came after the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) filed a report before the CHR, citing an incident where officers conducted an orientation at a high school in Quezon City on the alleged recruitment of students by the New People’s Army.
The CHR noted that the presence of armed officers within the school premises is a violation of Department of Education (DepEd) Order no. 32, series of 2019 or the National Policy Framework on Learners and School as “Zone of Peace.”
The agency said it is conducting an independent investigation on the matter.
“We are also looking into other alleged incidents of red-tagging against ACT members in Region V and Region VII,” CHR said.
“Red-tagging only serves to undermine the credibility and professionalism of teachers and educators,” it added.
The CHR also furthered that by labeling teachers and educators as communists or terrorists, “their opinions and rights are at the risk of being dismissed without any consideration of their merit” and has a “detrimental effect on the quality of the education system” as they are discouraged from expressing their views.
The DepEd earlier included red-tagging, trolling, and extrajudicial killings as examples of serious human rights violations in its draft curriculum in basic education for Araling Panlipunan. -ag
