ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro. PHOTO FROM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro called out the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) for allegedly red-tagging her and for a memo it supposedly issued instructing its agents to do surveillance on her.
In a statement on Monday, Castro questioned BJMP鈥檚 memorandum dated January 10, directing wardens and acting wardens to conduct a validation on the allegations made by former Armed Forces of the Philippines commander, retired Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.
According to the alleged BJMP memorandum, Parlade 鈥� in a Facebook post that now appears deleted 鈥� accused Castro of frequenting jails 鈥渢o solicit funds from drug traffickers for the said party-list group through the efforts of detained suspected members of the Communist Party of the Philippines.鈥�
鈥淭his is a dangerous and malicious act of red-tagging by the BJMP,鈥� Castro said. 鈥淭hey are using an unverified social media post from a discredited source to justify surveillance and monitoring of a sitting member of Congress and political prisoners.鈥�
鈥淭his memorandum demonstrates how red-tagging endangers lives and violates human rights. The BJMP must be held accountable for this irresponsible action that puts my safety and that of political prisoners at risk,鈥� she added.
READ: Castro, Manuel claim AFP and DepEd red-tagging by pamphlet distribution
Castro said the BJMP should recall the memo and issue a formal public apology, or face legal action.
鈥淚f the BJMP fails to retract this memo and issue a public apology, we will not hesitate to file appropriate charges, including administrative cases and claims for damages,鈥� she noted.
黑料社 has sought the BJMP for comments and to confirm if it issued such a memorandum. But the BJMP has not yet responded as of posting time.
However, an alleged copy of the memorandum, sent by political prisoner support group Kapatid, showed Chief Supt. Clint Russel Tangeres signing the document where BJMP officers were instructed to monitor Castro and suspected CPP members.
Based on the purported copy of the memorandum: 鈥淪uch allegation, if proven true, does not only undermine the security measures that the law mandates the Jail Bureau to implement, but also puts the BJMP in a bad light.鈥�
鈥淚n light of this, all jail wardens and personnel are directed to closely monitor PDL (person deprived of liberty) with suspected affiliation with the Communist Party of the Philippines or its allied organizations.聽 This measure is essential to ensure the safety and security of all jail facilities, personnel, and other PDL,鈥� it added.
READ: Ombudsman finds ex-NTF-Elcac execs Parlade, Badoy guilty of red-tagging
Kapatid said the BJMP must 鈥渃larify and retract鈥� the memorandum.
鈥淪ince when did fake news peddled by a notorious red-tagger constitute a source of evidence that the BJMP should order wardens to act on it?鈥� Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim asked.
鈥淐oming as it does in an election year, the memo issued by the BJMP regional director is a clear case of political partisanship and electioneering, disguised as a security measure,鈥� Lim also said.
An ex-ACT Teachers party-list representative, meanwhile, said the BJMP鈥檚 actions have legal implications.
鈥淩ed-tagging is not only illegal but also grounds for damages,鈥� said聽Antonio Tinio, a former ACT Teachers party-list lawmaker.
鈥淏JMP officials can be held criminally, administratively, and civilly liable for relying on allegations from Parlade, who, along with Lorraine Badoy, was found guilty by the Ombudsman in March 2023 for conduct prejudicial to public service due to red-tagging,鈥� he added.
During the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Parlade was one of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) officials who faced a deluge of complaints over red-tagging, or linking individuals to armed communist rebels.
However, Parlade and former officials linked to the NTF-Elcac maintained that they are not red-tagging, as they are merely talking about the truth.
Among the individuals red-tagged are human rights defenders, lawmakers, health workers, journalists, and politicians and celebrities like actress Angel Locsin and former vice president Leni Robredo.