Labeled Red: What To Do When You Are Said To Be On The Red List?

𝑅𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑒𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡—𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑, 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑟, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑒𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑐𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔.

The feeling of standing up when you know that no one else will—using your power and voice to challenge the status quo when you see that something is not right—and being watchdogs of our government and then calling them out when others are not paying attention are all signs of social awareness and democracy. However, progress will be tainted when the government cannot accept the criticisms of its people. If every person who challenges government injustices is labeled as enemies, then a downfall of democracy is sure to follow.

Recently, several cases of harassment and threats have been experienced by Bicol University (BU) students from unknown individuals who claimed to be members of the Philippine National Police (PNP). One student and an alumnus received numerous Facebook messages and calls from an alleged PNP member claiming that he was ordered to trace and contact “rallyists” in a list sent by Camp Crame superiors last October. Similar alarming text messages from unconfirmed PNP officers were also reportedly experienced by a fourth-year student from the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP) for being a part of a progressive group.

Amid the rampant cases of red-tagging in the university, several students are still unfamiliar with its origins and possible dangers. Red-tagging has been a go-to technique of government officials in the Philippines and is also known as “red-baiting,” which was amplified during Duterte’s administration. The “matrix” of the Duterte administration resulted in a disturbing rate of extrajudicial killings (EJK) across the country.

Relative to this, red-tagging is defined under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 under human rights violation as a malicious blacklisting of individuals or an organization critical or not fully supportive of the actions of a sitting government administration in the country. Law enforcement officers publicly brand individuals, groups, institutions, activists, journalists, politicians, and others as allegedly affiliated with communists or “leftist” terrorists.

BU students who are part of progressive movements can be placed in vulnerable and unsafe positions with this law. Students who express their sentiments and use their right to free speech and expression are constantly put into jeopardy because of the possible series of surveillance, intimidation, and blatant attacks from state forces. In the past, police officers or any law enforcement agencies were responsible for keeping their people safe and far from peril.

Today, these officials can use red-tagging as an authorization to pull the trigger; they become enablers of the unspeakable horror of police brutality. Anyone who dares to challenge or question the system is threatened and targeted to be silenced. It creates a chilling effect because it seems like we are reverting to our past when we were experiencing the darkest times in our country during the Marcos Sr. regime in the 1970s.

It seems like the Philippine Constitution is often overlooked—where it states that it guarantees freedom of political beliefs, that no man shall be detained, more so murdered solely because of his political beliefs and aspirations. Thus, a person being a communist or an organization being a communist front is not per se illegal, as long as the person or the organization so identified advocates their political beliefs through peaceful and lawful practice.

Duterte created a red-tagging de facto official government policy through the establishment of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which is comprised of former military and other government officials who threaten and harass individuals with no proof of affiliation with the NPA.

In 2021, BU was among the list of State Universities and Colleges (SUC) across the country that were targeted and labeled as allegedly part of the New People’s Army (NPA), Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF). The list was released by The Whole of Nation Approach of the NTF-ELCAC.

In recent years, one of the most infuriating cases of red-tagging happened to Justine Mesias, a former student of CSSP and the spokesperson of Youth Act Now Against Tyranny (YANAT)-Bicol. He received multiple death threats and was stalked by unidentified people in the streets. Authorities illegally conducted a search operation in his residence. After the unannounced search, state forces found an explosive and a firearm in his home that Mesias claimed were not his.

BU students are not safe from red-tagging, not anymore. Perhaps more endangered than we were before. The university, with its holistic and socially responsible environment, should truly protect its students from this kind of impunity.

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗱-𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱

𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. If you are being arrested or asked to be investigated by the authorities, you have the right to contact a family member, lawyer, or any human rights organization. Provide your location and information that will help you in your situation and for your safety.

𝘉𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. If you are detained with no warrant of arrest, refuse to answer their questions without your lawyer, refuse to sign documents without professional advice, and refuse to be asked for fingerprints, physical examination, or pat downs when you’re alone.

𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. If you are a student who received death threats or suspicious messages, seek assistance from your school admin or student council to help you ensure your security and safety throughout the action.

𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵. According to human rights lawyer Atty. Chel Diokno, victims of red-tagging can use the law to go after those responsible for vilifying them. They can sue for an injunction, damages, libel, Amparo, or habeas data. Most victims file civil or criminal cases of libel against the person responsible for damaging their honor and reputation. Moreover, victims can also report the red-tagging to the Commission of Human Rights (CHR).

In the end, if these series of unwarranted attacks and tortures continue, the cycle of violence and danger will never end. Public officials and law enforcement officers must protect their citizens and stop labeling student activists as enemies. We live in a country that is supposedly democratic, yet we have to face a life-and-death situation for simply speaking up.

𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒, 𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑒𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦 - 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑔 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡.

𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖 𝙉𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙖𝙨𝙞, 𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙅𝙤𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣, 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩
𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙗𝙮 𝙍𝙞𝙣𝙖, 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙗𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩