Two minutes into his presentation during the Baguio City Council’s regular session on May 27, 2024, Col. Virgilio Noora was stopped by the city council members due to concerns that his content might red-tag specific groups and individuals.
Noora, Commander of Joint Task Group Baguio, was invited by the city council to supposedly shed light on their mission to conduct Counter White Area Operations (CWAOs) to address issues and concerns regarding insurgency and terrorism.
Councilor Fred Bagbagen, who initiated the invitation, said he was alarmed by the term Counter White Area Operations and that he lacked understanding about its meaning, thus requesting explanation from Joint Task Group Baguio.
Despite concerns from Councilors Jose Molintas and Peter Fianza about potential red-tagging and the need for balanced presentation, Noora was allowed by Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan to proceed as long as rights were not infringed.
Noora started with a background about the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front (CPP/NPA/NDF) encircling the city from the countryside where insurgency occurs with an aim to replace the current government with a communist one.
As soon as Noora mentioned Anak Bayan allegedly being one of the left-leaning groups that joined the communist movement, Molintas objected to the presentation and argued that it is inappropriate to criticize party list groups which are constitutionally recognized.
Molintas stressed that mentioning specific party list names in a negative light constitutes red-tagging.
Referencing a recent Supreme Court decision that deemed red-tagging as wrong, Molintas warned Noora and his team against continuing the practice of linking groups to CPP-NPA-NDF which could lead to legal action against them. He welcomed Noora’s request for a dialogue but said it should occur in a more private setting rather than a public forum as this may lead to legal issues and misunderstandings.
Olowan suggested that the presentation should take place in an executive-legislative meeting which is more appropriate for the nature of the discussion.
Noora acknowledged the city council members’ warning and explained that their main purpose in coming to the city council was to seek support in their efforts against local communist armed conflict.
He claimed that Baguio City, being geographically located at the heart of Northern luzon and a hub of development and culture, fits the description of a highly urbanized area that is targeted by communist groups for their white area operations such as arousing, organizing, and mobilizing individuals for recruitment, exploiting issues, conducting allies, and resource generation.
Nevertheless, Noora agreed to discuss further details in a more private setting due to the sensitivity of information and the need for confidentiality.
During the public consultation on April 29, 2024 regarding the proposed human rights defenders ordinance, Noora strongly expressed dissent and questioned the proposed measure’s definition of defenders and called for equal protection for all individuals, including state forces. **Jordan G. Habbiling
