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CHR: Military’s ‘red-tagging’ of schools endangers students, infringes on their rights


The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday expressed alarm over the release of a list of schools that the military claims are recruitment hubs for communist rebels.

"This blanket act of red-tagging endangers students and the youth and it may give the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] a license to arbitrarily infringe the freedom of expression, the right to petition government, as well as to assembly," said CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia.

"Red-tagging" is the practice of branding a person or organization as communists.

The statement came one day after AFP deputy chief of staff for operations Brigadier General Antonio Parlade Jr. identified several schools where, he said, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is recruiting students as part of the alleged "Red October" plot against Duterte.

The CHR said that the AFP's list has not even been "thoroughly validated," noting that one school on the list—apparently, Caloocan City College—does not even exist.

"It also appears that the information has not been thoroughly validated amidst reports that based on the records of the CHED one of the listed schools does not exist," De Guia said.

"The AFP should be more prudent in matters such as this," she added.

Among the CHR's objections is the apparent idea that screening films about the Marcos regime is a sign of communist recruitment.

"[I]t bears stressing that film showings of Martial Law should not in any way be deemed as subversive, especially because it is a part of our nation's history and an established fact, the teaching of which is required by various laws and therefore, not illegal," De Guia said.

Several schools on the list have voiced their objections to the allegation.

In separate statements, the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) and the University of Makati said they have not monitored any activities student activities described by military officials.

The De La Salle University (DLSU), for its part, clarified that it does not allow such groups to recruit members nor to hold activities that incite students to rebellion inside campus premises.

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) has also questioned its inclusion on the list and challenged the AFP to prove its claims. — Margaret Claire Layug/BM, GMA News

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