THOUGHTLESS. Unnecessary.These were the descriptions of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK) on the proposal of Senator Francis Tolentino to require government workers to declare if they have family members or relatives who are part of or are affiliated with terrorist organizations.”His call is a knee-jerk response to the arrest of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) chief Prospero de Vera’s sister, an alleged officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP),” said PSLINK in a statement.”We hope that our lawmakers and the Civil Service Commission will downright dismiss this proposal for being thoughtless, unnecessary and prejudicial to government employees,” it added.Aside from lacking the rationale, the labor group said the proposal will only enhance red-tagging activities in the country.”It will worsen red-tagging and curtail freedom of association in the public sector,” it said.”At a time when red-tagging runs rampant and an increasing number of public sector unions are unjustly harassed and intimidated, we certainly do not need another scheme that exposes government workers to the dangers of red-tagging or makes them agents of red-tagging,” added PSLINK.Ched Chairperson Prospero de Vera’s sister was recently arrested for charges of multiple murder and alleged links to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).Subsequently, Tolentino proposed the need for government employees to disclose if they have relatives that are members of subversive groups or terrorist organizations. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)