Victims of human rights violations from Albay, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon protested and held a dialogue at the Commission on Human Rights office in Legazpi City, Albay on April 28. They urged the agency to take appropriate action against the escalating red-tagging and terror-tagging in the Bicol region.

Numerous incidents have been reported in recent months involving the spread of posters that maliciously label individuals and organizations in Albay and Camarines Sur as “terrorists” and subject them to Red-tagging.

CHR chief legal officer Atty. Loraine Marcaida in the dialogue pledged to elevate the victims’ proposals to the regional director in the coming week to enable the agency to craft concrete action.

“The CHR Bicol must provide mechanisms for protection and support for the victims, such as assistance in filing cases, and monitoring and coordination with relevant agencies. It must also issue a bold and clear condemnation against red-tagging and terror-tagging… it should recommend concrete policies and legal measures to prevent the repetition of these violations and strengthen protections for civil liberties in the region,” according to Defend Bicol.

“We expect that CHR Bicol will release a statement by May this year expressing its position and opinion on the dialogue. I hope the agency will cooperate with human rights defenders in the region, especially the victims of Red-tagging,” Bayan Bicol’s Jen Nagrampa said.

“Silence and inaction are not an option at a time when defending human rights is more critical than ever, ” Defend Bicol added.