CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The posters appeared almost overnight, plastered on walls and street corners in strategic areas in Cagayan de Oro, an obvious message before the February 11 visit of senatorial candidates and party-list nominees under the Makabayan Coalition: communist scare tactics were back in play in Northern Mindanao’s regional center.
The timing was no coincidence. The red-tagging campaign, specifically targeting the Kabataan Partylist, Bayan Muna, and the newly launched Alliance of Health Workers Partylist, was an unmistakable signal – an attempt to link progressive groups to the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army, and the National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), organizations long demonized by the government.
“These red-tagging posters only prove the endless intimidation and deception of the State against organized and progressive voices,” read part of a statement released by the Kabataan Partylist in Northern Mindanao.
Red-tagging is not new, nor is its chilling effect on political discourse. Yet the practice persists, at times, escalating to threats, surveillance, and even violence.
In May 2024, the Supreme Court drew a clear line in the sand on red-tagging, defining it as a direct assault on individuals’ constitutional rights to life, liberty, and security. The ruling underscored the dangerous practice of using threats and intimidation to stifle dissent, often with devastating consequences: abduction, violence, or even death.
By explicitly defining red-tagging, the high tribunal created a critical avenue for individuals to challenge this act in the courts. The message was clear: red-tagging, used as a political tool, it is a threat to the very fabric of democracy itself.
Despite the SC’s ruling, Congress has yet to act, leaving red-tagging unpunished by law.
Neil Collins Velez, Kabataan’s regional coordinator, said their monitoring suggested the posters were put up ahead of the launch of the Makabayan candidates’ and nominees’ election run, apparently an orchestrated effort to discredit them even before the 90-day campaign period could even gain traction.
Velez said the posters, still visible near the Social Security System (SSS) office on PN Roa Avenue, along V. Castro Street in Barangay Carmen’s main public market, and around the JR Borja-Don Apolinar Velez intersection in downtown Cagayan de Oro, were a blatant attempt to weaponize fear.
The Bayan Muna Partylist called the posters a “shameless attack” by anti-democratic forces determined to weaken their support base.
“Such efforts to spread fear and misinformation will not silence us. We remain steadfast in our commitment to serve as the voice of the masses, fighting for wage increases, lower prices of basic goods, and an end to corruption,” said Bayan Muna vice president for Mindanao and fourth nominee Eufemia Cullamat.
Both Bayan Muna and Kabataan Partylist called on the Commission on Elections to release election guidelines against red-tagging. No such guidelines have been made public by the Comelec as of posting time.
Human rights group Karapatan also urged authorities to investigate, warning that red-tagging undermines democracy and the public’s right to an informed vote.
“With the people’s right to vote comes their right to know the platform and agenda of candidates and how they stand on various issues,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said in a statement, emphasizing that red-tagging is a dangerous scheme that violates the people’s fundamental right to suffrage and political participation.
On Tuesday, Bayan Muna kicked off its bid for House seats in Cagayan de Oro together with two of its senatorial candidates, Liza Maza and Amirah Lidasan, staking their claim in a region where progressive groups have long faced political headwinds.
For former Bayan Muna representative Carlos Zarate, told Rappler earlier that the choice of venue was deliberate, intended to send the message that the partylist group was “alive and well in Mindanao,” and a statement of resilience in a battleground where red-tagging and political intimidation have sought to silence voices like theirs. – Rappler.com