PCP Statement on Continued Red-Tagging of Journalists

Photo: Ezra Acayan/PCP (2018)

The Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines (PCP) decries the continued red-tagging of media practitioners in the country. We take serious concern the recent red-tagging of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and journalist Leonardo Vicente “Cong” Corrales, associate editor of Cagayan de Oro’s Gold Star Daily, by social media pages calling them a “propaganda arm” of communist rebels and thus putting their lives in grave danger.

The PCP also denounces the controversial remarks made by NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Gen. Antonio Parlade against Inquirer.net journalist Tetch Torres-Tupas, who was called by the former as a “propagandist” and accused of “aiding the terrorists by spreading lies”. The PCP also reiterates its call for the immediate release of Manila Today editor Lady Ann “Icy” Salem, who was arrested last December 10 over alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and who as of writing remains illegally detained even after her charges were already dropped.

These attacks against our colleagues make it clear that anyone who seeks to tell the truth is fair game to being labeled, tagged, and branded. Besides discrediting the media practitioners’ work, red-tagging against media practitioners has also become a pretext to arbitrary arrests and extra-judicial killings.

We strongly condemn all these attacks against our colleagues who are only doing their jobs – and we urge authorities to investigate and prosecute all individuals and state agents behind these serious attacks and to denounce all forms of red-tagging.