President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was urged Monday, 22 July, 2024 by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) to advocate for human rights in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) and to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which has been criticized for red-tagging government critics and filing false charges against them.

In a statement, NUPL Atty. Ephraim Cortez expressed hope that Marcos will address the government's policy direction on respecting and protecting human rights.

Cortez noted that previous SONAs have not adequately addressed the poor state of human rights in the country. He emphasized the need for a more effective strategy to address insurgency and terrorism that does not infringe on people's rights and freedoms.

He highlighted concerns about the increasing number of freeze orders against humanitarian NGOs and false charges of terrorism financing against development workers.

Cortez also criticized the government's anti-poor economic policies and the ongoing impunity for severe human rights violations, which he believes contribute to dissent and armed conflict.

The NUPL is also calling for the repeal of anti-terrorism laws and the resumption of peace talks with communist rebels.