EDITORIAL - Criminalize red-tagging

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has released a list of people whom they tagged as communists.

The only problem is that many in that list were actually not communists or were sympathetic to their cause.

Following numerous complaints, the list has since been removed from the social media account of the AFP. It is also set to apologize to those tagged, according to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

While the apology may be accepted, there is no disputing that damage has been done to those people in the alleged list. This isn’t just an “oopsie” moment we are talking about; lives may now be in danger because of what they did.

We know what happens to people whose names are put in a nefarious list that is eventually made public. At best they are just humiliated and scorned, and lose face before the public. At worst they get killed. We have seen this happen to several public officials, as well as policemen, who made it to a narco or corruption list.

Now a lawmaker is calling to criminalize red tagging.

Considering how many universities, institutions, non-government groups, and even people individuals have suffered from being wrongly labeled as enemies of the state, it seems high time that the government considers such a move.

The price should be paid for maligning someone’s reputation and perhaps even endangering his or her life.

The fact that many in the military cannot actually distinguish between an activist and a communist --as they would really rather lump the two into the same mold-- further makes criminalizing red tagging even more urgent.

Again, we question the motives of the AFP, or anyone for that matter, who publishes a list of so-called offenders.

It should be repeated that if someone has evidence to bring someone to court over an offense, then let him or her do so. There is no need for someone to reveal names to the public.