Presidential Task Force on Media Security head Paul Gutierrez’s labeling detained community journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio an “active participant” of the communist armed struggle highlights precisely how red-tagging has become institutionalized in the Philippines and has become undeclared policy.

It also shows the absurdity of having a body created for media security in a government task force that actively puts journalists’ security at risk by accusing them of being enemies of the state.

Frenchie has been in detention since 2020 on questionable charges that she has been fighting in court.

Gutierrez claiming that she is part of a “local communist terrorist group” violates not just the constitutional presumption of innocence but also the Journalist’s Code of Ethics.

We join our colleagues in Altermidya in taking exception to Gutierrez’s accusation and in calling attention to this incident.

Reference:

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