KATRIBU Welcomes Court Ruling Holding Red-Tagger Liable

We welcome the decision of the La Trinidad Municipal Trial Court holding former PROCOR chief R'win Pagkalinawan liable for red-tagging and ordering him to pay damages to Cordillera Peoples Alliance Chairperson Windel Bolinget. This ruling is a significant victory not only for Bolinget and the Cordillera peoples’ movement, but for all Indigenous Peoples, activists, human rights defenders, and government critics who have long been subjected to vilification, harassment, and threats through red-tagging.

The decision adds to the growing recognition that red-tagging is a dangerous and harmful practice. In its 2025 National Inquiry on Red-Tagging, the Commission on Human Rights found that red-tagging exposes individuals to threats, harassment, violence, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and even extrajudicial killings, while undermining fundamental rights and democratic participation.

Likewise, in the landmark Deduro ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed that red-tagging, vilification, labeling, and guilt by association threaten a person's right to life, liberty, and security and may warrant the protection of a writ of amparo.

Taken together, these developments affirm what people's organizations and rights advocates have long asserted: red-tagging is not a harmless label or political rhetoric—it places lives at risk and creates a climate that enables further human rights violations. We hope this ruling serves as a clear warning to state forces, their agents, and their online minions who continue to weaponize red-tagging to silence dissent, discredit legitimate advocacy, and justify attacks against activists and critics. Those who engage in red-tagging must be held accountable for the harm they inflict.

As Indigenous Peoples and rights defenders continue to face terrorist designation, fabricated charges, and relentless attacks, KATRIBU calls for an end to red-tagging and for greater accountability for its perpetrators. The struggle for justice demands not only recognition of the dangers of red-tagging, but concrete measures to stop it once and for all.

Reference: Beverly Longid, National Convener