Isang ‘loud warning shot’ sa red-taggers ang ibinabang guilty verdict ng Ombudsman laban kina dating anti-communist task force spokespersons retired Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. at dating Communications undersecretary Lorraine Badoy “ committing conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service for red-tagging activists and organizations.”
Sinabi ni Edre Olalia, chairperson ng National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL),kahit hindi natamo ng kanilang grupo ang ganap na tagumpay, dahil ang Respondents ay pawang wala na sa pamahalaan, isa itong malakas na warning shot dahil kaakibat nito ang matinding babala na kapag inulit nila ang red-tagging ay mas mabigat na parusa ang ipapataw sa kanila.
Inihain ng NUPL ang administrative complaint noong 23 Marso 2023 laban kina dating National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr,, Parlade at Badoy.
“We receive the ruling with mixed reactions,” ani Olalia.
“While we did not achieve the full legal redress and it seems like a pyrrhic victory as it fell short of our plea for complete legal accountability (and considering that the Respondents are now officially out of public service), the Decision sustaining our legal procedural recourse, the finding of guilt for Conduct Prejudicial to the Interest of the Service and the categorical reprimand to Gen. Parlade and a certain Ms. Badoy can be viewed as a loud warning shot, as it were,” dagdag niya.
“It also made a stern warning “that a repetition of a similar offense would be dealt with more severely.”
Ipinahihiwatig sa desisyon na anumang anumang walang ingat na panunukso at kalokohan laban sa human rights lawyers (and by extension , against activists and human rights defenders for that matter) upang patahimikin ang hindi pagsang-ayon, pagsalungat o kamalayan sa mga karapatan, ay hindi kukunsintihin at papatawan ng parusa.
“The Decision implies that any reckless innuendo & gratuitous vitriol against human rights lawyers (and by extension , against activists and human rights defenders for that matter) to silence dissent, opposition or rights awareness, will not be countenanced and will be sanctioned one way or the other, sooner or later, in time,” sabi ni Olalia.
Habang sa grupo ng health workers ay welcome sa kanila ang ibinabang guilty verdict ng Ombudsman laban kina Badoy at Parlade.
“Dapat silang managot, tumigil na agad sa red tagging nila, at mapagbawalan na magsilbi sa anumang posisyon sa gobyerno,” sabi ni Robert Mendoza, National President, Alliance of Health Workers
“We welcome the decision of the Ombudsman pero hindi sapat ang reprimand sa laki at lawak ng damages na idinulot ng kanilang pangrered-tag,” ani Mendoza.
Sa kanilang hanay aniya ay pinatay sina Zara Alvarez, Dr. Mary Rose Sancelan na mga health workers kaya’t nawalan ang mamamayan ng mga nagsisilbi sa kalusugan.
Habang tinatakan si Dr. Naty Castro na terrorist, nawalan ng isang doktor sa komunidad ang mga taga Mindanao at nire-redtag aniya ang AHW na nagtatanggol sa karapatan at kagalingan ng mga health workers.
Sa lahat ng patayan na may kaugnayan sa red-tagging, wala pa ni isang napanagot na kriminal.
