The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) found former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) officials Loraine Badoy and Antonio Parlade Jr. guilty of "conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service."
The case stemmed from the complaint filed by the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) over the red-tagging remarks of the former NTF-ELCAC officials.
In the 17-page decision dated March 23 but released only on Thursday, Sept. 21, the OMB imposed a penalty of reprimand against Badoy and Parlade Jr.
"The above-mentioned respondents are sternly warned that a repetition of similar offense would be dealt with more severely," the order reads.
The OMB, however, dismissed the administrative complaint against former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperson.
The decision was signed by Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the NUPL welcomed the Ombudsman's decision, saying that this "can be viewed as a loud warning shot."
"The Decision implies that any reckless innuendo & gratuitous vitriol against human rights lawyers (and by extension, against activists and human rights defenders for that matter) to silence dissent, opposition or rights awareness, will not be countenanced and will be sanctioned one way or the other, sooner or later, in time," it said.
