Red-tagging of IP leaders must stop-- Bernos

SOLID North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos has called on authorities to stop red-tagging indigenous peoples (IPs) and their leaders, warning that the practice threatens their safety and diverts attention from the real problems facing their communities.

Bernos, vice chair of the House Committee on Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples, issued the call as the country observes Indigenous Peoples Month this October.

“Red-tagging is not only a threat to the lives and security of those being accused, but is also being used to sweep issues under the rug and divert attention from the real conditions of IPs and their communities,” Bernos said.

Instead of branding indigenous leaders as communist sympathizers, Bernos urged government authorities to engage them in meaningful dialogue, especially when they raise objections to projects that could threaten their communities and ancestral lands.

She also pressed the government to uphold the rights of indigenous peoples under Republic Act No. 8371, or the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997.

Bernos stressed that authorities must respect IPs’ rights to their ancestral domains and ensure their representation in government, warning against policies and practices that silence their concerns.