Bayan seeks sacking of NTF-ELCAC officials
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan demanded the resignation of government officials who lied and resorted to disinformation during the 10-day visit of UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan.
Various state agencies opened their offices to Khan and conspired to hide the bleak state of free speech in the country by claiming that media freedom is thriving and red-tagging is not an official policy. Despite these false assertions, they contradicted themselves by irresponsibly repeating the narrative that redtagged activists and journalists are “communist terrorists” and “enemies of the state”.
Fortunately, Khan saw through their duplicity and made the right recommendation of abolishing the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
The rude behavior and cynical reaction of NTF-ELCAC officials like retired general Ernesto Torres, Jr. vindicated Khan and confirmed what we have been pointing out about the absence of accountability when citizens engage in critical discourse. Other officials such as NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya,who figured in the cover-up of the abduction of 2 environmental activists, as well as former generql Eduardo Año should also be fired for justifying the existence of an all powerful instrument for state terror that is an embarrassment for the Philippine government before the international community; worse a scourge for the people.
Ultimately, the government of Ferdinand Marcos Jr is to be blamed for retaining agencies, rules, and practices that undermine freedom of expression. The Marcos regime presides over a fascist state. It is no surprise that instead of undertaking substantial reforms in the past two years he has instead resorted a token rhetoric about upholding free speech. Thus it’s claims that it is ready to work with the UN Special Rapporteur, without reversing the repressive measures imposed by the previous government constitutes a farce.
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