The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned the 903rd Civil Military Operations (CMO) Company of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for attempting to summon journalist Reynard Magtoto through a local government unit.
Magtoto is currently a board member of NUJP.
In its statement, NUJP shared that Cpt. Michelle Estares sent a letter to the captain of the barangay in Albay where Magtoto resides. Estares is the commanding officer of the 903rd Infantry Brigade of the 9th Infantry Battalion based in Barangay San Rafael, Castilla, Sorsogon.
In the letter, Estares asked the local barangay official to set a meeting with Magtoto “to discuss matters related to NUJP Bicol, which falls under the purview of the 903rd Infantry Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, as a target sectoral front organization (SFO) in Albay Area.”
The meeting, the military officer said in his letter, is essential in accordance with Executive Order (EO) 70 and Administrative (AO) Order 10.
EO 70, issued by the previous Rodrigo Duterte administration on December 4, 2018, led to the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or the NTF-ELCAC. The NTF-ELCAC has been panned by various groups for its red-tagging activities since its creation.
The AO 10 being referred in the letter is more likely the issuance also of Duterte, and not the AO 10 of the current administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Muslim heritage, that Duterte issued in April 2018. The said order centralizes government efforts for the reintegration of rebels and the creation of the inter-agency Task Force Balik-Loob for that objective. It also offered the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program or E-CLIP.
The barangay captain called Magtoto’s mother on December 5. The local official said the soldier who handled the letter complained about Magtoto’s stories, which were described as “critical of the military.”
NUJP said its designation as an SFO “raises questions of what it means” and “how the military chooses its targets and whether it considers journalists legitimate targets.”
“The outright red-tagging violates NUJP members’ freedom of association and freedom of expression,” NUJP said.
It added that the designation of NUJP-Bicol as SFO and red-tagging puts Magtoto and other NUJP members in Bicol “at risk of physical attacks.”
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines should stop red-tagging journalists and other human rights defenders,” NUJP said.
The Philippines remained among the world’s “most dangerous” countries for journalists according to Reporters Without Borders. The country ranked 132nd out of 170 countries, according to the World Press Freedom Index. It placed 147th in 2022.
