Government responded in detail to the note verbale in connection to the present report, drawing attention to the vibrant civil society in the country which is exploited by terrorist organizations purporting to be “human rights defenders”, who are able to access funding to serve violent agendas in communities on the ground. Regarding the alleged “red-tagging” of organizations as terrorist or communist, the Government stressed that OHCHR’s data gathering and analysis methodology needs to be more transparent and take into account the local political context. It noted that the long history of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF)’s exploitation and instrumentalization of human rights spaces is well-known and documented.