Badoy's red-tagging a diversionary tactic over 'General's pork' —Zarate

House Deputy Minority leader and Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate on Saturday said the red-tagging of opposition lawmakers by Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy is a diversion on the "General's pork" issue on the P16.44-billion proposed budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

"She is vainly trying to extricate herself from the morass she's now deeply buried with her terrorist witch hunting. Hers is a farcical dare and a classic fascist trick of placing the burden instead to us whom she publicly accused of being terrorists to prove our innocence," Zarate said in a statement, as he challenged the undersecretary to make her accusations "under oath."

"Your desperation is now apparent just to divert the issue from the more than 19 billion generals' pork," Zarate added.

Zarate as well denied he is a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) or the New People's Army.

"Also, for the record, I am not a member of the CPP nor of the NPA. This squid tactic has been used several times by hawks and fascists to deflect valid issues like human rights violations, corruption, and now, pork barrel in times of pandemic and crisis," he said.

Zarate claimed Badoy's red-tagging was due to the "ex cathedra" policy of the administration.

He also pointed out that some of the Philippine National Police's postings on their social media accounts against the Makabayan bloc have not yet been removed, despite the statement of Chief Police Lieutenant General Camilo Cascolan.

Members of the House Makabayan Bloc have called for the immediate resignation of Badoy following her social media post in which she called the opposition lawmakers as "high-ranking" members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Give the issue a rest

In an earlier Facebook post, Badoy said:  "The Makabayan Bloc Reps ought to give this red-tag charge a rest. We can no longer count the number of times they've sued government for red tagging.

"They've done it in all administrations. And each time, our courts would throw it out for lack of merit. All petitions they've filed against government have failed to pass the substantial evidence test." —LBG, GMA News