Philippines counter insurgency force ‘operating with impunity’, UN expert says

A United Nations expert on climate change and human rights urged the Philippines on Wednesday to “disband” its anti-communist task force, which he said was “operating with impunity” and sought an independent investigation into its operations.
U.N. Special Rapporteur Ian Fry was referring to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or NTF-ELCAC, which then Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte created in 2018 to end half a century of communist insurgency that has stunted development in some parts of the country.
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused the task force of “red-tagging,” the practice of accusing rivals or critics of supporting or joining rebels, as a pretext to silence, arrest or even kill them. The government denies that.
The task force, under the order creating it, is chaired by the Philippine president, and is composed of cabinet officials, including the military and police chiefs.