Sotto now inclined to back criminalization of 'red-tagging' after accusation vs. Senate employees' union

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday said he is now inclined to support the measure seeking to criminalize "red-tagging" after the Senate employees' union was accused of having links with communist rebels.

In a text message to reporters, Sotto said that "red-tagging" of the Sandigan ng mga Empleyadong Nagkakaisa sa Adhikain ng Demokratikong Organisasyon (SENADO), a union of employees in the Senate, made him want to support Senate Bill 2121, or the proposed law defining and penalizing red-tagging.

"Because of this, I am now inclined to support the criminalizing of red-tagging," he said.

National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) director general Alex Monteagudo on Tuesday shared a post on his Facebook account tagging SENADO as a front of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People's Army (NPA).

Sotto said Monteagudo sent word to him saying that the latter was only telling people that the CPP has "tentacles" even in the Senate halls through the Confederation of Unity Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), with which SENADO is affiliated.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government earlier claimed in an internal memorandum that COURAGE is associated with rebel groups.

"I said I want NICA to give me the names of the employees and I will have them investigated," Sotto said, adding these names will remain confidential nonetheless.

He said even if these employees are investigated, the monitoring is enough "as long as they are not violating any legal tenets in the Senate."

Minority senators have slammed the "red-tagging" of the SENADO union, saying the group is a legitimate employees' union in the Senate.

For his part, Senator Panfilo Lacson said not all members of the Senate employees' union are the "eyes and ears" of COURAGE.

He recalled having taken cudgels for them on many occasions as chair of the Senate Committee on Accounts with regards to the benefits and salaries of the Senate employees.

"I don't think the Senate leadership should take action, drastic or otherwise. As long as their grievances are legitimate, reasonable and properly brought to our attention, we will listen and take the necessary and appropriate action," Lacson said.

SENADO has denied allegations that they are affiliated with the CPP and the NPA. —KBK, GMA News