Kontra Daya hits AFP for red-tagging candidates, party-list groups

Election watchdog Kontra Daya on Monday raised the alarm over the alleged red-tagging of certain candidates and party-list groups before and during the 2022 national and local elections.

Kontra Daya called on the Commission on Elections, particularly the Task Force Kontra Fake News, to investigate the cases it has documented, stressing that red-tagging has been branded as the “most dangerous form of disinformation” during elections.

“The perpetrators include the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), which is supposed to be non-partisan,” Kontra Daya said in a series of tweets.

“While red-tagging during the election season has happened in the past, what appears new this election cycle is the intensity and the brazenness of the attacks, to the point where official channels are now being used with impunity,” it added.

Kontra Daya also reported that the first seven hours of the elections have been marred with disinformation, red-tagging, malfunctioning machines, and disenfranchisement based on 464 verified reports nationwide.

Kontra Daya earlier urged Comelec to extend the voting hours beyond 7 p.m. due to long lines and several issues with vote-counting machines.

GMA News Online reached out to the AFP for comment but it has yet to issue a response as of posting time.—AOL, GMA News