MANILA, Philippines — Human rights groups gathered at the Department of Justice (DoJ) main office in Manila to mark the 4th anniversary of the signing of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) on Wednesday.

Led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Migrante and Kilusang Mayo Uno, the groups called for the repeal of the law, saying it is being used by the government to go after activists.

They also urged the DoJ to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), and to free all political detainees.

"The government should stop the killing and red tagging of religious and union members that was happening during the time of (former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo)," the groups said.

They alleged that around 56 activists were killed during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The groups said this would be one of the issues to be discussed during the visit of the International Labor Organization (ILO) high level tripartite mission to Manila next week.

A recent US Department of State report identified red-tagging of the clergy and church workers are among practices affecting religious freedom in the Philippines, In its 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom released on June 27, the State Department listed incidents from the past year involving the indictment and labeling of church workers as alleged communist members and sympathizers Red-tagging, which the Supreme Court previously declared as a threat to "life, liberty and security" puts members of religious groups and organizations at "risk of intimidation and violence," according to the State Department. It is the practice of labeling individuals or groups as communists, terrorists or subversives without enough proof and due process.

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