Incoming ML party-list Representative Leila de Lima has renewed her push to criminalize Red-tagging, calling it a dangerous threat to democracy and the press. Her statement comes in response to a recent report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which urged newly elected lawmakers in the Philippines to act on the issue.
“Red-tagging is a threat to truth,” De Lima said in an Inquirer.net report. “In Congress, I will fight to criminalize it. Press freedom is non-negotiable.”
De Lima, a former senator and long-time human rights advocate, co-authored a bill during the 18th Congress that sought to define Red-tagging as a criminal offense. The proposed measure included a 10-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban from public office for those found guilty. However, the bill failed to gain traction in the Senate.
The RSF’s 2025 global press freedom index showed a slight improvement for the Philippines but still ranked the country’s media environment as “difficult.” The report identified Red-tagging—specifically the practice of branding journalists, human rights defenders, and activists as communist rebels—as one of the most pressing threats under the current administration.
