NTF-ELCAC BRIEFS SENIOR UN ADVISER ON “SPY-TAGGING” KILLINGS

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) recently gave a briefing for a Senior Human Rights Adviser of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-OHCHR) on human rights abuses committed by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), particularly the "spy-tagging", summary executions and arbitrary killings of civilians.

The engagement, led by NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Danilo G. Pamonag, placed the plight of civilians at the center of discussions as the Task Force presented documented cases of civilian killings and other abuses attributed to communist armed groups.

NTF-ELCAC officials briefed Senior Human Rights Adviser Signe Poulsen on 71 recorded cases of arbitrary killings and other human rights abuses by the CPP-NPA that were documented by the National Secretariat from January 2025 to the present.

The presentation emphasized the violent incidents in Mindoro and Negros Island, highlighting the deadly consequences of "spy-tagging"-the practice of branding civilians as government informants or intelligence assets, often placing their lives at grave risk.

The report details the farmers, community members, and other civilians who were accused of being "spies" or government collaborators before being targeted and killed by communist armed elements. Poulsen accepted the documentation and committed to relay the same to appropriate international HR mechanisms.

Pamonag said the engagement underscored the need for human rights protection to apply equally to all victims, regardless of whether the alleged perpetrator is a state or non-state actor.

He pushed for stronger engagement with international development partners to support peace-building, community development, and the sustainable reintegration of former rebels into mainstream society.

Pamonag likewise called for the systematic documentation and elevation of alleged CPP-NPA human rights abuses before appropriate United Nations and international human rights mechanisms, stressing that victims of atrocities committed by non-state armed groups such as the CPP-NPA deserve the same attention, protection, and access to justice.

He also urged international human rights organizations to give serious attention to "spy-tagging," summary executions, and other forms of violence allegedly perpetrated against civilians by communist armed groups, particularly in vulnerable and geographically isolated communities.

For the NTF-ELCAC, the dialogue represents an important opportunity to broaden the human rights conversation by ensuring that abuses committed by all armed actors are documented, investigated, and brought before the proper mechanisms.

The Task Force stressed that protecting human rights and pursuing lasting peace are inseparable, and that communities long affected by armed conflict must be protected not only from violence but also from intimidation, coercion, and threats to their fundamental freedoms.

Pamonag further stated that the NTF-ELCAC will continue strengthening collaboration with international institutions, government agencies, civil society, and local communities to protect vulnerable populations, advance accountability, and transform former conflict-affected areas into communities of peace and sustainable development.

"Every Filipino, especially those in communities that have endured decades of armed conflict, deserves the protection of the law and the full measure of their human rights," Pamonag said. "There can be no selective application of human rights. Every victim deserves to be heard, every abuse deserves scrutiny, and every Filipino deserves to live without fear."