Altermidya
International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a strong warning against the Philippine government’s increasing use of “red-tagging,” a practice in which labor leaders and union members are linked to armed communist rebels.
HRW is a New York-based organization that investigates human rights abuses and monitors compliance of countries with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“The Philippine government’s sinister and at times deadly practice of ‘red-tagging’ has become a serious threat to labor rights in the country,” said Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at HRW.
HRW’s report, based on research in the Southern Tagalog region, showed how local officials, police, and military personnel repeatedly visit the homes of union leaders, accusing them of supporting or sympathizing with the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
These accusations, or red-tagging, have put the lives and security of union leaders and their families at risk, especially following the deaths of several labor activists who had been previously red-tagged.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should direct officials to end this abusive practice and ensure that government authorities uphold the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively,” said Lau.
HRW’s report documented over a dozen recent cases of harassment or threats by government officials or security forces against union leaders and members.
The practice, which has long been used by successive Philippine governments to target leftist activists, journalists, and human rights defenders, has reportedly intensified since 2022, particularly against leaders of at least seven unions involved in collective bargaining.
“It’s clear to us that the Philippine government is using red-tagging to prevent workers from organizing and unionizing,” said Jerome Adonis, secretary-general of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).
The KMU has been one of the most affected organizations, with at least 72 union leaders and members killed since 2016, Adonis said.
HRW noted that red-tagging has led to two unions cutting their affiliations with KMU and has contributed to a reduction in unionized workers in recent years.
The report also drew attention to the lasting psychological toll on union leaders and their families. One union leader affiliated with KMU described how red-tagging has driven her into hiding after being laid off from her job.
“I’m not safe wherever I go,” she said. “I’m fearful for my life and that of my family.”
HRW also linked red-tagging to the March 2019 incident known as “Bloody Sunday,” during which police and military forces raided union offices across three provinces, killing nine people.
Most of the victims had either been red-tagged or belonged to groups that had been red-tagged.
The root of the current surge in red-tagging, HRW pointed out, can be traced back to 2018, when then-President Rodrigo Duterte established the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Role of the NTF-ELCAC
The task force has since been at the forefront of red-tagging, even offering funds for development projects to barangays in exchange for reporting alleged NPA activities.
HRW criticized the task force for creating incentives for local officials to engage in red-tagging.
The practice has extended beyond labor leaders to target student activists, environmentalists, Indigenous peoples, and journalists.
HRW called on the Marcos administration to disband the task force and issue a clear directive to police, military, and local government officials to cease red-tagging activities.
In November last year, environmental law expert Ian Fry urged the Philippine government to disband the NTF-ELCAC, stating that it “is operating beyond its original mandate and is red-tagging people from the community and indigenous peoples.”
Fry, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, was in the country to investigate cases of human rights violations against environmental activists.
The call to abolish the government’s anti-communist task force was echoed by Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
During her 10-day visit in February, Khan stated that abolishing the NTF-ELCAC “will not only address some of the most critical drivers of red-tagging, but it will also allow this administration to modernize peace-building approaches.”
According to the UN rapporteur, the abolition is expected to create a more inclusive peacemaking platform that will involve the participation of women, peacemakers, and communities, aligning with a genuine whole-of-nation approach to achieving peace.
‘Red-tagging’ violates workers’ rights
International organizations have also taken notice of the situation. A high-level International Labour Organization (ILO) mission to the Philippines earlier this year found that the government had done “very little” to address red-tagging or other labor rights violations, denouncing the “mindset” of associating unionism with communist insurgency.
The mission’s findings were echoed by HRW, which urged the international community, including trade partners like the European Union (EU), to press the Philippine government on red-tagging during ongoing free trade negotiations.
Trade and labor relations are further complicated by the new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which introduces legal obligations on companies to ensure human rights standards are upheld throughout their supply chains.
HRW warned that foreign companies sourcing from the Philippines risk complicity in abuses if they fail to address the issue of red-tagging.
“Companies sourcing from the Philippines should specifically consider fully the risks of red-tagging when they conduct human rights due diligence,” said Lau, adding that companies should “take all appropriate measures to avoid complicity in abuses.”
In April 2023, President Marcos issued Executive Order 23 to strengthen the resolution of labor cases. However, HRW noted that at least four union leaders have been killed since then, and the red-tagging of labor activists continues unabated.
HRW urged the Marcos government to take immediate action to end red-tagging, prosecute those responsible for related abuses, and comply with international labor rights standards.
“Red-tagging violates workers’ rights in often debilitating and brutal ways,” said Lau. HRW emphasized the need for both domestic and international actors to push for an end to the practice and to protect labor leaders from further harm.
