Gabriela Party-list files red-tagging complaint vs NTF-Elcac
MANILA, Philippines — Gabriela Party-list on Wednesday lodged a red-tagging and gender-based sexual harassment complaint against the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Gabriela Party-list first nominee Sarah Elago said that the complaint is in accordance with Comelec Resolution No. 11116, the Anti-discriminatory and Fair Campaigning Guidelines for the 2025 elections.
READ: Comelec bars labeling of bets as part of criminal groups during poll period
“Yhe Gabriela Women’s Party, its elected and incumbent officials in Congress, its nominees, officers and members, have been at the receiving end of a continuous, vicious and systematic vilification campaign perpetrated by different groups and individuals such as the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the military, individuals such as Antonio Parlade, Lorraine Badoy and paid trolls through their respective fake accounts,” the 10-page complaint read.
“We now write to inform the Commission of the on-going attacks against Gabriela Women’s Party, its officers and members in the light of the Commission’s promulgation of Comelec Resolution No. 11116 of the Anti-Discrimination and Fair Campaigning Guidelines for the Purposes of the 12 May [2025] National, Local, and BARMM Parliamentary Elections to address some of the existing threat to the people’s free exercise of their right to suffrage,” the complaint added.
When asked where the red-tagging claims came from, Elago cited a portion of an NTF-ELCAC press release: “the NTF-ELCAC stands by the truth and supports those who expose the ties that bind Makabayan-affiliated groups, including Rep. Brosas’ partylist, to the violence of the CPP-NPA-NDF.”
She also said that it was one of the many “insinuations” included in the complaint.
READ: Makabayan urges Comelec to act on black propaganda vs bloc
The Makabayan coalition on Tuesday also urged the poll body to act on posters containing black propaganda against its party-list groups.
The Comelec Resolution, promulgated last February 19, stated that no discrimination shall be acted against cause-oriented groups and organizations, such as people that are part of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) community, indigenous peoples, persons living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), persons with disability, and women).
Under the same guidelines, the Comelec also prohibits labeling candidates as a member of criminal or terrorist groups without established evidence.
Violation of the anti-discriminatory guidelines constitutes an election offense and is regarded as a criminal case with one to six years of imprisonment as penalty.
