Pimentel says Senate may communicate with NICA on 'red-tagging' of SENADO

Senators could write an official communication to the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) about its move linking the Senate workers' union to communist groups, Senator Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III said Friday.

In a virtual press conference, Pimentel said he would support if Senate President Vicente Sotto III will make an official communication to NICA director general Alex Monteagudo as well as to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

He expressed confidence that other senators would also support Sotto, who on Wednesday said he is now inclined to support the measure seeking to criminalize "red-tagging" after the Sandigan ng mga Empleyadong Nagkakaisa sa Adhikain ng Demokratikong Organisasyon (SENADO) was accused of having links with communist rebels.

"If he needs to put in writing and he wants co-signatories, I'm willing to co-sign with him. I'm sure mayroon ding iba pang senador (there are other senators who'll do the same)," Pimentel said.

According to Pimentel, it is also time to discuss measures which aim to criminalize red-tagging.

"Siguro magingat-ingat tayo. Siguro napapanahon na pagusapan 'yung Senate bill na sinabi nga ninyo," Pimentel said. "In that sense, magandang development ito, napunta sa limelight 'yung issue na 'to."

(We should be careful. Maybe it's time to talk about the Senate Bill you're talking about. In that sense, this is a good development.)

Pimentel was referring to Senate Bill 2121 or An Act Defining and Penalizing Red-Tagging, which was introduced by Senator Franklin Drilon.

Pimentel also said he sees no reason why SENADO is being linked to communism as he emphasized that it is a legitimate organization.

"Hindi ko nakikita saan nanggagaling ang atake dito sa legitimate employees union sa Senado na they are part of the tentacles of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Magingat-ingat po tayo sa ganyang accusation," he said.

(I don't see why SENADO is being attacked and accused of being tentacles of the Communist Party of the Philippines. We should be careful of those accusations.)

Minority senators, including Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima, and Francis Pangilinan, have slammed the "red-tagging" of SENADO by Monteagudo.

They stressed that members of SENADO "never acted as the 'eyes and ears of the CPP-NPA-NDF in the Senate to hijack plans and programs of the government."

According to SENADO president Rosel Eugenio, the labor union is already studying its next course of action following Monteagudo's action. —KBK, GMA News