Liza Soberano’s lawyer denounces red-tagging of actress

Liza Soberano’s legal counsel Atty. Juanito R. Lim Jr. released a statement denouncing the alleged red-tagging of the actress by Armed Forces of the Philippines Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., who warned Soberano on her links with women’s rights group Gabriela.

READ: Atty Jun Lim, legal counsel of Liza Soberano, denounces the red-tagging of his client. He added, Liza remains apolitical. | via @mjfelipe pic.twitter.com/3aA3CWbniI

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“We denounce in the strongest terms the ‘red-tagging’ of our client, Ms. Liza Soberano, in some social media platforms. Expressing her love and respect for women and children is her personal advocacy,” said Lim of the Lim & Yutatco-Sze law firm in his statement.

“Ms. Soberano remains to be apolitical,” Lim continued. He also said that the actress does not support nor antagonize any person’s political views. “The important point here is respect for others, a virtue she has conscientiously practised all her life.”

Together with the law firm, Lim appealed to everyone concerned “to be circumspect in associating our client with their respective political beliefs, whatever it may be.”

The statement came after Parlade, who is known for tagging left-leaning organizations and individuals as members of the communist rebels, warned Soberano and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray in an earlier statement not to support rights groups.

Soberano recently appeared as a guest speaker at an online event organized by Gabriela Youth where she spoke about “tragedies and hardships happening not only to women and children but to a lot of people in general." Soberano was also allegedly red tagged by a vlogger for appearing at the event.

Parlade said in his statement on the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Facebook page, “Let us not red-tag Liza Soberano. It’s not fair to her. She is merely supporting advocacy for women's rights. She has to be protected in the exercise of her rights. Is she an NPA? No, of course not. Not yet.”

He continued, “Liza Soberano, there' s still a chance to abdicate that group. If you don't, you will suffer the same fate as Josephine Anne Lapira.” Josephine Anne Lapira was a UP Manila student and one of the fatalities in an encounter between government troops and the communist New People’s Army in Nasugbu, Batangas in 2017.

Banner image from www.instagram.com/lizasoberano