Palace on IBON red-tagging complaint: Let law decide

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang distanced itself from the complaint filed by the research group IBON Foundation Inc. before the Office of the Ombudsman against three government officials for allegedly red-tagging members of activist groups.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace will let the legal process take its course on the administrative complaint filed against National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy and Southern Luzon Command chief Major Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.

“Again, we will let the law take it course. The ombudsman is an independent body, a constitutional body at that and it will perform its task,” said Panelo, also chief presidential legal counsel.

“We will again invoke the constitutional presumption of innocence and the presumption of regularity of performance of duty,” he said.

IBON said the three top government officials should be punished for their “unprofessional, unjust, insincere, politically biased” conduct.

Sonny Africa, IBON executive director, said Parlade, Badoy and Esperon can’t just accuse activists of terrorism with only spectral evidence in their minds.

He said government resources must not be used for malicious ends.