On February 12, a certain Facebook user named Lizza Del Campo Villaruz shared to a public Facebook group News Natin To a post by the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) that featured the Leni-Kiko tandem, Makabayan Coalition senatorial candidates Neri Colmenares and Elmer Labog, and Kabataan Partylist.
In the post’s caption, the user claimed that the candidates in the poster are allies of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples’ Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), and if the said candidates win, terrorism will triumph.
CLAIM:
Leni-Kiko tandem, Colmenares, Labog, & Kabataan Partylist are CPP-NPA-NDF allies
RATING:
FALSE
FACTS:
The claims made by the Facebook user are bereft of any evidence. A cursory review of the concerned candidates’ profiles also shows that despite being continually red-tagged in recent months, there has yet to appear any evidence to support claims that they are “CPP-NPA-NDF allies.”
Kabataan Partylist is the first and sole youth sectoral partylist in Philippine Congress and is part of the Makabayan bloc, which has been known for their progressive stances on national issues. The said party-list is no stranger to red-tagging claims, and our team has already fact-checked a similar claim in the past.
In October 2020, members of the Makabayan bloc, led by Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, squarely denied claims that they were allied with the CPP-NPA-NDF, directly responding to a series of allegations made by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). In September 2021, Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago also described such red-tagging efforts as “broader attempts to silence the opposition, and remove all forms of accountability.”
Similarly, the other candidates involved in this red-tagging post have all denied that they are linked to the CPP.
WHY IT MATTERS:
Red-tagging is dangerous, and has in fact been used to justify various types of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings. In fact, even the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights noted that the “phenomenon of ‘red-tagging’ – labelling individuals or groups (including human rights defenders and NGOs) as communists or terrorists – has posed a serious threat to civil society and freedom of expression.”
As of writing, the Facebook post shared by Villaruz in the News Natin To Facebook public group has 83 reactions, 122 comments, and 11 shares. News Natin To describes itself as a group formed for “anyone supporting the eradication of the CPP-NPA-NDF Terrorist communist group.” It currently has 14,910 members. — Lyka Naranjo & Philip Mateo
Altermidya Network is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, email info@factsfirst.ph.
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